Softball Walks Off Nightcap Against Simmons, 3-2

NEWTON, Mass. – Ava Brandow broke open a 2-all tie in the bottom of the seventh with a bases loaded single to center field to send Suffolk softball past Simmons, 3-2, in game two of a non-league twinbill Saturday afternoon at Daly Field. The walk-off win helped the Rams split the double feature with the Sharks after the blue-and-gold was shutout, 5-0, in the opener. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 3 | Simmons 2
RECORDS: Suffolk (8-4) | Simmons (7-8-1)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
Suffolk managed only three hits off of Maddie Castigliego in game one against the Sharks. The twirler returned to the rubber for the nightcap hoping to do the same. The Rams bats came around though and started the scoring in the first.  

Simmons' center fielder came in to catch Jolie Quintana's long shot. Raya Anderson had a glove on it, but dropped the ball, which allowed Quintana to take second. Ally Cifaratta pushed the Ram to third on a 4-3 ground out and Brandow barreled a deep double to bring in the first run of the day.  

Over the next three stanzas the storyline turned to the pitchers. Both Castigliego and Jenny Jacob handle their business with shutdown inning after shutdown inning. The throwing finesse helped the Rams cling to that one-run edge through four.  

The Sharks threatened in the fifth. Castigliego's single to center led things off. The hurler evened things up when she beat out a throw at the plate on Emma Thacher's double to left center. When the blue-and-gold attempted to catch Castigliego at home, Thacher landed on third, and pushed her team ahead, 2-1, when Jacob tossed a pitch to the back stop. 

Down 2-1, Suffolk made up that ground in the home half of the fifth. Quintana doubled to left center with one dead. Cifaratta moved the rookie over with a sac and Brandow brought her classmate in with a single to center to knot the outing at two.  

Both teams retired the sides in the sixth before Jacob opened and closed a three-up, three-down seventh with strikeouts to help put her team in walk-off contention.

Karina Bua and Cifaratta sandwiched walks around Bianca Luciano's bunt to third base that turned into a single. The upperclassmen put all the ducks in the pond for Brandow, who wore the hero cape with ease. The right-handed batter did what she did twice earlier in the outing, knock a single to the outfield, but this time she plated Bua to lift her team to victory.  

PITCHERS PICTURE

• Jacob tossed a two-run, five-hit, no-walk, seven-strikeout, complete-game victory. 
• Castigliego suffered the setback after allowing three runs, two earned, on seven hits, two walks and four punchouts in 6.2 innings.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Brandow went 3-for-4 at the play with one double and brought in all three of Suffolk's runs.
• Quintana notched two runs and one hit. 
• Bua scored once, the game-winner. 
• Luciano logged a 2-for-3 effort.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk secured its first walk-off win of the season and first since an 11-10 eight-inning win over Endicott April 7, 2021. 
• The Rams defeated the Sharks for the first time since a 14-0, five-inning triumph April 29, 2019.  
• Quintana scored a personal-best two runs. 
• Brandow tied a career-high in hits (3) and RBI (3). 
• Luciano matched a personal-high two hits.  

POST-GAME PIC
 

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk travels across town Tuesday, March 29 for a Beantown battle at UMass Boston. Game one of the doubleheader has a 3 p.m. first pitch.