Gulls Drop Two Top 10 Matchups in Final Day of Dot Richardson Spring Games

CLERMONT, Fla. – In the final day of the Dot Richardson Spring Games in Clermont, Florida, the softball team competed with two top 10 opponents in #9 Luther and #4 Wisconsin-Whitewater. Despite holding a lead for most of the game, the Gulls dropped a tight 4-3 score to Luther before falling to Whitewater 6-3. Endicott will head home with a 3-7 overall record as they look forward to beginning Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) competition on Saturday, March 28^th at Wentworth for a doubleheader at 12/2 p.m.

Game One: Endicott 3, #9 Luther 4

In game one the Gulls faced off with #9 Luther where junior Courtney Blake (East Islip, N.Y.) took the circle for the fifth time this week throwing 65 total strikes in the tough 3-4 loss. Blake played an impressive spring tournament as she went 3-2 on the week.

Both sides were scoreless until the fifth inning where the Blue and Green took a 2-1 lead. Endicott got on the board first in the top of the field as sophomore Julia McNeill (Hauppauge, N.Y.) hit a single with sophomore Lindsee Allienello (East Providence, R.I.) on second to send her across homeplate for the 1-0 lead. McNeill would then take advantage of two pass balls by the nationally ranked opponent and advance to third and eventually home for the 2-0 inning. Luther would get back within one in the bottom of the fifth as senior Kelsey Rose (Bettendorf, Iowa) crushed a double to send junior Lindsey Uphoff (Prior Lake, Minn.) home from second base.

In the sixth inning the Gulls would go on to score one more run to take a 3-1 lead as sophomore Chrissy Gikas (Danvers, Mass.) singled with junior Emily Hoffman (Malden, Mass.) on second after she crushed a double to take the 3-1 lead. However Luther would come back scoring two runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie up the game.

With the game tied heading into the seventh Endicott would work to get on the board, highlighted by a single from junior Jamie Corda (Higganum, Conn.) but her hit would be the only one for the Gulls in the inning. Heading into the bottom of the seventh Luther picked up their game keeping Blake busy and with the bases loaded senior Alise Miller (Iowa City, Iowa) crushed a double to send in the game winning RBI for the 4-3 victory.

Game Two: Endicott 3, #4 Wisconsin-Whitewater 6

In the final game of the Dot Richardson Spring Games, sophomore Leigh Wyman (South Freeport, Maine) took the circle for the Gulls as she hurled just over five innings earning one strikeout on 30 batters faced. Freshman, Mikaela Mallozzi (Shelton, Conn.) came in on the relief and pitched the final inning versus the nationally ranked opponent facing six batters.

For the Blue and Green sophomores Chrissy Gikas (Danvers, Mass.), Ilyza Holman (Ashland, Mass.) and freshman Margaret Martzolf (Port Saint Lucie, Fla.) recorded the three RBIs while Corda boasted the lone double for the Gulls.

After a 1-2-3 first inning for both sides, the Warhawks got on the board first as junior Maggie Hansen (Algonquin, Ill.) hit a double to send junior Courtney Smith (St. Charles, Ill.) home for the 1-0 lead. Endicott would quickly answer back in the bottom of the second as Gikas got hit by a pitch with bases loaded to allow freshman Kayla Sheldon (Burlington, Mass.) to reach home plate.

Wisconsin-Whitewater bounced back in the top of the third when senior Jo Jablonski (Palatine, Ill.) doubled with runners on first and second to send freshman Michayla Swanson (Randolph, Wis.) across home plate to take the 2-1 lead. The Warhawks would continue their scoring in the top of the fourth with a single to the right side by senior Caitlin Snyder (Burlington, Wis.) to kick the lead up to 3-1.

Endicott would tally a run in both the sixth and seventh inning off a sacrifice fly by Holman and a walk with bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh but the Warhawks would score in the fifth and the sixth to secure the victory.