SALISBURY, Md. - The No. 18 Salisbury University softball program split their 2026 opening day with a six-inning 13-5 win over No. 25 Swarthmore College, before falling 3-0 to The College of New Jersey Saturday afternoon inside Margie Knight Sea Gull Softball Stadium.
In the first game, the Sea Gulls (1-1) used a eight-run second inning to get the offense rolling in the season opener.
Alayna Gigliotti and
Sam Flowers got the ball rolling with back-to-back singles to start the inning. Gigliotti would come around to score off an RBI-single from
Lexie Delcollo, while Flowers would score on a passed ball.
Courtney Johnson and
Audrey March would also go on to earn RBI singles in the inning. After batting through the lineup, Gigliotti added two RBIs to cap off the inning.
After giving up the eight runs, the Garnet posted five runs of their own to crawl back into the game in the top of the third. The Sea Gull offense responded with two more runs after
Karlie Wolfe roped a double down the left field line. SU took a 10-5 lead into the fourth inning.
Wolfe lead off the fifth inning with another double and would come around to score off a passed ball. Flowers, after reaching on a fielders choice, would also come around to score on an error, extending the Sea Gulls lead to 12-5.
Merry Pavlik would walk it off for SU in the sixth inning with an RBI single, scoring Gigliotti and giving SU the 13-5 run-rule win.
Game One Notes
-
Carly Angstadt and
Madison McGinnis went three innings each in the circle for the Sea Gulls. Angstadt only gave up two hits with three strikeouts.
- Gigliotti finished with three hits, three runs, two RBIs, and a walk.
- Johnson, Wolfe, Delcollo, and
Camille Jones all posted two-hit games.
- Salisbury posted 15 hits, while Swarthmore tallied seven. SU left 11 runners on base.
In game two, the Sea Gulls fell 3-0 to TCNJ. The game was scoreless for the first three innings of the contest before the Lions (1-1) scored an unearned run to take the lead.
Isabella Purdy went five innings without giving up an earned run for SU in the circle. She finished with five and two thirds and two strikeouts with two earned runs. The Sea Gulls showed signs of life offensively in the second,fourth and sixth innings but were not able to cross the plate and get on the board.
Game Two Notes
- Salisbury left seven runners on base.
- TCNJ only out hit SU 7-5, while the Sea Gulls defense made three errors.
- Wolfe posted another two-hit ball game.
- March, Gigliotti, and
Brooklyn Richardson all tallied a hit as well.
Margie Knight Sea Gull Softball Stadium is set for another triple header tomorrow, with the first game between Swarthmore and TCNJ beginning at 10:30 a.m. The Salisbury and TCNJ match up will tentatively follow at 12:30 p.m., with the final game of the day between Salisbury and Swarthmore set for 2:30 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), Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse), State University of New York Athletic Conference (field hockey), and Colonial Women's Golf Conference (women's golf). 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 207 conference championships, and have produced 54 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
