Softball Slips in Season Opener, 4-2

CLERMONT, Fla. – A late two-run shot from Montclair State proved to be the difference as Suffolk softball fell to the Red Hawks, 4-2, Saturday morning in its season opener at Hancock Park.   

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 2 | Montclair State 4
RECORDS: Suffolk (0-1) | Montclair State (1-0) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Alexa White fanned the first batter she faced swinging and went on to retire the side to open the game. Offensively, Caitlin Murphy worked a four-pitch lead-off walk, but Jillian Sims took care of the next three batters, including back-to-back punchouts, to hold things scoreless. 

The opening frame foreshadowed a pitcher's duel that lasted the first 3.5 innings. White worked the circle allowing just two Red Hawks base runners, one of which came in the second and third, respectively. Sims, meanwhile, kept the Rams without a hit until the fourth.  

Despite going hitless in the first three, Suffolk had a chance to slice onto the scoreboard in the home half of the third. Ally Cifaratta opened things up with a base on balls, three batters later Grace Boehler did the same, and with two outs Ashley Zulla put all the ducks in the pond with a walk. Sims calmed down though and slung past Brooke Cloak with the Suffolk sophomore going down swinging and zeros remained.  

Eventually patience and good eyes paid off for the blue-and-gold. White dealt her second three-up, three-down inning of the day to begin the fourth before Suffolk's scoring came in the bottom of the inning. Leina Belog started things off with a walk and Karina Bua took her spot on the bags. The pinch runner advanced when Samantha Jacques placed a bunt just inside the fair first base line a touch in front of the batter's box. Bua then rounded the bases on an over throw to first by Montclair State's third basemen Elena Radesich on Cifaratta's dribbler.  

That errant throw opened the scoring and kept the inning going, which saw Hailey Cockroft erase the no-hitter with a single, which plated Cifaratta, on the right field line. Hitting was contagious as Caitlin Murphy followed suit with a base hit of her own, but Cockroft was caught going to third and the rally ended with the Rams ahead 2-0.  

White retired the side for the second straight inning and a pitching chance for the Red Hawks held Suffolk silent to keep the score 2-0 Rams as the game moved to the sixth, where Montclair figured out White.  

Four consecutive singles allowed the Red Hawks to get on the board before Jaclyn Davis went to the pen. Constance Phelan took over for White with the bases loaded. The reliever walked the tying run in to make it a new ball game. Montclair's scoring ended there though as Phelan twirled her first strikeout of the season to maintain the 2-2 contest.   

With matters locked at 2-all in the seventh a one-out single by Alexa Penna was followed by what would be the game-winning hit, a monster shot over the left center fence that flipped the script in the Red Hawks' favor 4-2.  

Suffolk looked to comeback and Zulla logged a one-hop base hit to first to get things going. The Rams could not get anything going from there and Montclair went on to secure the victory. 

PITCHERS PICTURE

• White compiled a two-run, six-hit, no-walk, three-strikeout stat line through 5.1 innings in her collegiate debut. 
• Phelan suffered the setback after giving up two runs on three hits and one walk. She sat down two batters. 
• Volante picked up the decision after throwing 3.0 scoreless innings of relief with two hits allowed and two Ks. 
• Sims started for the Red Hawks. She allowed two runs on three hits and six walks with four punchouts to her credit.   

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Zulla anchored the Rams' hits with two of the team's five.  
• Cifaratta registered one hit, one run and one walk. 
• Cockfort supplied one hit and one RBI. 
• Murphy chipped in one hit, one walk and one stolen base. 
• Bua scored one run as a pinch runner, while Bianca Luciano notched a swiped bag as a pinch runner.
• Jacques recorded the lone sacrifice hit of the day with a sac bunt.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk opened its season on a neutral diamond for the 26th consecutive season. 
• Suffolk met Montclair for the second time in program history and in as many seasons. 
• Both of the Rams, Red Hawks contests have come at a neutral site. 
• Each of the contests versus Montclair State have come with Davis on the bench. 
• Belog, Cifaratta and White each made their collegiate debuts in the starting lineup. 
• Savannah Scripter and Leah Kornguth saw their first time in college as pinch hitters.  

POST-GAME PIC
  

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk wraps up the first day of its season and its spring break venture at 1:30 p.m. against Trinity Texas.