SALISBURY, Md. - The No. 13 Salisbury University softball program made a clean sweep of their games Sunday afternoon at Margie Knight Sea Gull Softball Stadium, with the first win coming in comeback fashion 15-11 over No. 16 University of Rochester and the second win coming 3-2 over Swarthmore College.
The Sea Gulls used eleven unanswered runs to crawl back for the win over Rochester to start the day. The Yellow Jackets posted four runs in the first and led 11-4 as the game headed into the bottom of the fourth inning. The Sea Gulls matched the three runs posted by Rochester in the top of the inning, which sparked the comeback.
Madison Lepeonka, Justyce Richard, and
Ellen Stockman earned RBIs in the inning, making the score 11-7 heading into the fifth.
That momentum carried into the fifth for the Sea Gulls as they posted six runs, snatching their first lead of the game. Lepeonka picked up another RBI, which was followed by back-to-back home runs from Richard and Stockman. The Richard two-run home run tied the game at 11 before Stockman broke the tie with a solo shot into left centerfield.
Richard was not only getting the job done at the plate, but kept the Sea Gulls in the ball game in the circle. Richard entered late in the fourth to get the Sea Gulls out of a jam and went on to post one strikeout and just four hits in over two innings of work in her Sea Gull debut. Richard finished with three hits and three RBIs at the plate.
SU added two more runs in the sixth as Lepeonka kept her bat hot with a two-run home run into left field to seal the game. Lepeonka finished the game with two hits and four RBIs.
Game One Notes
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Ellen Stockman finished the game with four hits, two RBIs, and three runs.
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Carrie Jacoby posted a hit with an RBI while
Lexie Delcollo and
Jillian Dawson earned two hits each.
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Emily Challender, Sam Flowers, Emily Stockman, and
Alayna Gigliotti all posted a hit each.
- The two teams combined for 32 total hits.
In the game two win over Swarthmore, offense came more at a premium. The Garnet struck first in the top of the second inning with one run before Salisbury was able to tie it in the bottom of the third. Challender roped a two-out triple and would score off an RBI single from Flowers.
Swarthmore regained the lead in the top of the fourth but would give SU their first lead in the bottom of the inning, which turned out to be the difference. Dawson picked up an RBI on a fielder's choice to tie the game before
Karlie Wolfe singled in a pinch hit opportunity, scoring
Ellen Stockman and giving Salisbury the 3-2 advantage.
Sydney Adolfson went on to only give up one hit in the final three innings of play, shutting the door on the Garnet. Adolfson earned the complete-game win with no earned runs and only five hits.
Game Two Notes
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Ellen Stockman finished game two with two hits and a run.
- Both teams left five runners on base.
- Despite having four strikeouts and three errors compared to Swarthmore's zero for each, SU still clawed out a victory.
The Sea Gulls will hit the road to take on No. 8 Virginia Wesleyan University on Wednesday, March 5th, with the first pitch of game one set for 1:30 p.m.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming) and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's 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 won a combined 23 team national championships, 24 individual national championships, and 202 conference championships, and have produced 50 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.
