SALISBURY, Md. – The second-ranked Salisbury University softball team defended home turf against the TCNJ Lions, 12-5, and the Carnegie Mellon Tartans, 2-1, on Saturday during the third day of the Margie Knight Softball Classic presented by Crown Sports Center at Margie Knight Sea Gull Softball Stadium.

HOW IT HAPPENED

GAME ONE 

• Salisbury struck early in the game, racking up seven runs on seven hits against TCNJ in the first inning.
• Abby Mace led off the first with a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch, followed by a walk from Meghan Reed. The pair then put themselves in scoring position on a double steal with Natalie Paoli at the plate. Paoli then singled up the gut during her at-bat, driving in Mace and putting Reed on third before stealing second herself.
• With a triple to right center, Carrie Jacoby drove in Paoli and Reed, and then came home on a Lauren Meyers single to make it 4-0 and chase the TCNJ starter.
• McKenna Horner stole second while pinch-running for Meyers. After moving to third on a ground out, Horner reached home on a perfect bunt for a single by Emily Challender. From the nine-hole, Jillian Dawson doubled to plate Challender and found pay dirt on a Mace double to make it a 7-0 game after just an inning.
• With the bases loaded in the second, Emily Stockman rocked a single to center for two more runs scored by Jacoby and Paoli to push it to 9-0.
• TCNJ got a run back in the third on a bases-loaded walk with two out and another on a groundout to Reed to make it 9-2, until a simple 6-4 fielder's choice ended the Lion threat.
• Once again the Lions strung together timely hits in the fifth to load the bases with two away, and a two-run single to left cut Salisbury's lead to five runs at 9-4.
• Dawson responded in the bottom of the fifth by hitting a single and promptly stealing second in time for Reed's hot bat to come alive and drive in the right fielder with a single, making it 10-4.
• The Lions stormed up more two-out magic in the sixth with Ryleigh Manning coming home on a single to make it 10-5.
• Karlie Wolfe smacked her first collegiate home run in the bottom of the sixth, giving the Sea Gulls an insurance run. Mace also got in on the action during the inning, tripling with two out to drive in Challender, who doubled in the inning, and give the game its final 12-5 margin.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Abby Mace, Carrie Jacoby, and Jillian Dawson led the Sea Gulls with three hits a piece. Mace and Jacoby each ended the game with two RBIs and Dawson with one.
• Salisbury combined for six stolen bases in the game.
• Emily Stockman ended up with one hit but made it cound for two RBIs.
• Seven of the Sea Gulls' 17 hits went for extra bases.
• Starter Isabella Purdy (4-0) went five innings strong with two earned runs against while striking out five. Reliever Sydney Adolfson closed out the final two frames.

 
TCNJ GAME NOTES

• Morgan Estelow, Julia Kinnally, and Sara Vincent each had two hits, good for six of the Lions' eight.
• Vincent led the way two runs driven in.
• Elizabeth Gosse (1-3) failed to get an out in the first inning, chased after surrendering five runs on four hits.
• Called out of the 'pen early, Gillian Roberts pitched six innings in relief for the Lions.

GAME TWO

• The game remained scoreless after two-and-a-half innings before the Tartans, playing as the home team in the game, knocked a two-out double, followed by a single for a 1-0 lead.
• With heads-up base running, Abby Mace singled on a bunt and reached second on an error by the Tartan pitcher to lead off the fifth. A Natalie Paoli single through the left side tied the game at 1-1 as Mace crossed home plate.
• Paoli hit a one-out single in the top of the seventh before heroics by Carrie Jacoby, who hit a sharp grounder through the left side that rolled all the way to the wall for the go-ahead RBI double. Jacoby's second two-sacker of the game gave SU a 2-1 lead.
• Carnegie Mellon put a runner on first with a two-out single in the bottom of the seventh but couldn't muster another hit as Nicole Ortega enduced a flyout to left, sealing the win for Salisbury.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Natalie Paoli and Carrie Jacoby carried hot bats at the plate, each finishing the game with two hits – both of Jacoby's being doubles. Both players drove in a run as well.
• Abby Mace filled the score book with a single, a stolen base, a walk, and a run.
• Starter Nicole Ortega (4-1) threw a complete game with just one earned run against while striking out six and walking just one batter.

CARNEGIE MELLON GAME NOTES

• Kiera Boucher and Jasmine Chao paced the Tartan offense with two singles each.
• Kira Monji and Maya Bala each hit a double for the Tartans.
• Starter Amanda Smith (1-1) pitched a complete game, giving up two earned runs and striking out six in a hard-luck loss.

UP NEXT

• The Margie Knight Softball Classic presented by Crown Sports Center continues on Sunday, with NYU and SUNY New Paltz starting the day off at 11 a.m., followed by Salisbury and SUNY New Paltz at 1:15 p.m. before the final game of the day between Salisbury and NYU at 3:30 p.m.

---

Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 23 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 197 conference championships, and 45 Academic All-Americans.

To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.