Softball Storms Past Simmons, 10-1, in Game 1

BOSTON – The Suffolk softball team crushed Simmons, 10-1, in five innings Sunday afternoon at Daly Field to open a two-game GNAC doubleheader.  

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 10, Simmons 1
RECORDS: Suffolk (28-7, 21-2 GNAC) | Simmons (21-16, 15-8 GNAC)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
After the Sharks sat down the Rams in order to open the contest, Ali Yamakaitis found herself in a jam in the bottom of the first. With runners in the corners, the senior RHP struck out the next two batters, one looking and one swinging, to put two outs on the board. The bases then loaded on a walk before Madison Eucalitto successfully made an unassisted out at first to keep it a scoreless game.  

Things drastically changed in the second stanza as the Rams put across four runs. With one out, Delaney Sylvester started the hitting with a single through the right side and moved into scoring position on the throw. Ashley Zulla's double to left field brought the senior in the next at bat with Zulla using Madison Eucalitto's single up the middle to score two batters later. An error by the Sharks shortstop kept the inning going and back-to-back base hits by Payton Sylvester and Sydney Littlefield each brought in one run to make it a 4-0 Suffolk score.  

The Rams added to their advantage in the top of the third. Jaclyn Flint led off with a single and raced around the bags on Delaney Sylvester's double to left field to start the six-run inning. Another bobble by the Simmons shortstop, her second of the day, allowed Zulla to reach and moved Delaney Sylvester to third, before McKenzie McGrath's single to center field scored Delaney Sylvester. The Sharks then made a change inside the circle, but the fresh arm was no match for the blue-and-gold, who went on to score four more runs to stretch its lead to 10-0. 

Simmons took advantage of a Rams missed play ball in the home half of the fourth to put one run on the scoreboard, but the hosts could not get any closer as Suffolk held them there the remainder of the way.  

PITCHERS PICTURE

• Yamakaitis controlled the game for the Rams inside the circle. She twirled a complete-game, allowing one run on six hits and two walks with seven punchouts.
• Juliet Nelson suffered the setback after giving up eight runs, five earned, on eight hits, while sitting down a pair of hitters. 
• Michaela Reeves came on in relief for the Sharks. In 3.0 innings, she let up two runs on three hits and had one K.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• A trio of Rams had two-hit days paced by Payton Sylvester's pair of knocks that brought in two runs to go along with one run scored. 
• Delaney Sylvester tallied two hits including one double for one RBI and two runs scored. 
• Eucalitto notched two hits with one RBI and one scored. 
• Zulla, who had one double to her credit, scored two runs and brought one in. 
• Littlefield produced two RBI, one hit and stole on base. 
• McGrath sniped one bag to go along with one hit, one RBI and one run scored.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk improved to 21-2 against conference competition. The 21 league victories match the most conference triumphs in a single season, which was set in 2006 (21-3). 
• The Rams won their fifth consecutive contests versus Simmons to improve to 28-20 all-time against the Sharks. 
• The blue-and-gold run-ruled Simmons for the first time since blanking the Sharks 10-0 in five innings April 20, 2016. 
• The five-inning victory over Simmons marks the second-ever five-inning run-rule win for Suffolk against the Sharks in the all-time series. 
• With two hits, Delaney Sylvester is tied Suffolk Hall of Famer Jess Ferreira as the all-time hits leader with 227 hits to her credit.  

POST-GAME PIC
 

COMING UP
Suffolk and Simmons are in the midst of concluding the double feature this afternoon.