SALISBURY, Md. – The second-ranked Salisbury University softball team was relentless at the plate during the final day of the inaugural Margie Knight Softball Classic presented by Crown Sports Center, drubbing New York University 8-0 in a five-inning opener and 10-2 in a six-inning nightcap on Monday afternoon at Margie Knight Sea Gull Softball Stadium.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
GAME ONE

• Abby Mace led off the game with a double down the left field line and promptly stole third, putting herself in scoring position for Meghan Reed, who singled for the first run of the game.
• In the third, Mace again found herself on third base after walking and snagging two bases when Reed laid down a sacrifice bunt. She then scored on a wild pitch to double the Sea Gull lead at 2-0.
• Natalie Paoli knocked a ground-rule double in the same inning, scoring a run on a Lauren Meyers double to put Salisbury up 3-0.
• In the top of the fifth, starter Isabella Purdy worked herself out of a bases loaded jam to keep the NYU score column blank, forcing Lindsey Baron to line out to short to preserve the shutout.
• In the bottom of the frame, Carrie Jacoby worked a two-out walk and pinch-runner Camille Jones stole second base. Meyers then continued her tear with an RBI single, followed by an Emily Challender base hit and a Sam Flowers single that brought home pinch-runner Taylor Scott to make it 5-0.
• Karlie Wolfe came up next as a pinch-hitter, and one day after hitting her first collegiate home run Wolfe showed her power with a three-run bomt to left center, pushing the lead to 8-0 and clinching the early win for Salisbury.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Lauren Meyers led the way at the plate with two hits and two RBIs in the game.
• From the leadoff spot, Abby Mace scored twice while picking up a hit and a walk.
• Carrie Jacoby showed patience at the plate, walking twice.
• Establishing something of a pattern, Karlie Wolfe belted a pinch-hit three-run round-tripper in her second consecutive at-bat.
• Starter Isabella Purdy (6-0), fresh off a Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) Pitcher of the Week award that was awarded just hours before her start, went five scoreless innings with three strikeouts for her sixth win of the season.

NYU GAME NOTES

• Mia Lemmon had two hits for the Violets and was caught stealing a base.
• Starter Karleigh Kluever (2-1) was tagged with the loss, giving up eight runs, all earned.

 
GAME TWO

• A leadoff single by Abby Mace kicked off the bottom of the first in the second game of the day. Mace stole second, followed by a Meghan Reed walk, and both were moved along by a Natalie Paoli sacrifice bunt. With a sacrifice fly to left, Carrie Jacoby scored Mace and Reed came in on a Lauren Meyers single to make it 2-0.
• NYU struck back in the top of the third thanks to an error and a pair of singles that loaded the bases. A groundout and RBI single locked the two sides up at 2-2.
• Taking her first at-bat of the year with runners on the corners and one out in the fourth, pitcher Nicole Ortega grounded out to short but gave the Sea Gulls a one-run lead as a pinch-running Anna Hopkins crossed the plate to make it 3-2.
• The bottom of the sixth saw Salisbury calling game, driving in seven runs to reach the mercy rule. Karlie Wolfe, in her third straight pinch hitting appearance, knocked another home run, this time driving in Ortega and Emily Challender to put the Sea Gulls up 6-2.
• It all kept clicking from there as Reed doubled to left center to plate Mace, and Merry Pavlik pinch-hit her way to a RBI with a single to score Reed and make it 8-2.
• Pinch-hitting for Challender with the bases loaded, Lexie Celcollo called game with a two-run single through the left side that finished off the day.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Not only did Nicole Ortega (6-1) come away with the win in relief of Sydney Adolfson, she also drove in the go-ahead run on an RBI groundout in the fourth. In the circle, Ortega tossed three scoreless, hitless innings, allowing just one baserunner on a hit batsman.
• Lauren Meyers and Emily Challender each had two hits in the game.
• With her pinch-hit appearance, Lexie Delcollo led the Sea Gulls with two RBIs.
• Karlie Wolfe has now homered in three consecutive games, all as a pinch-hitter against NYU.
• The Sea Gulls swiped five bags in the contest, with Abby Mace and Challender stealing two apiece and Anna Hopkins taking one.
• Adolfson lowered her season ERA to 3.50 in her three innings of work, allowing just two unearned runs on five hits while also picking up her first collegiate hit at the plate.

NYU GAME NOTES

• Jayna Kramsky (0-1) absorbed the loss after allowing three runs in two innings of work.
• Starter Marina Egbert was tagged with seven runs (three earned) in 3.2 innings across two stints pitching.
• Margauex Lesser led the team with two singles, while stealing a base.

UP NEXT

• The Sea Gulls will be hosting tri-matches on Saturday and Sunday against Manhattanville and Stockton.
• Manhattanville and Salisbury will start the weekend on Saturday at 11:30 a.m., followed by a game against Stockton, after which the Knights and Ospreys will conclude the day.
• On Sunday, Manhattanville and Stockton with begin the games at 11:30 a.m., followed by Manhattanville and the Sea Gulls, then Stockton and Salisbury as the capper.

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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.