BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn softball team closed out the weekend in Boca Raton, Fla., falling to Rutgers, 4-1, and to host Florida Atlantic, 6-5 in a late game Sunday night. The Blackbirds led the Owls throughout the game, before seeing the home team rally in the bottom of the seventh to take the win. Sophomore
Haley Irvis led LIU on the mound, pitching 9.2 innings over the two games, with six strikeouts.
Rutgers 4, LIU 1
In the first game of the evening, Rutgers got the scoring started, taking the lead in the top of the first on two extra base hits. LIU's defense and starter
Erynn Sobieski would keep the Scarlet Knights from scoring for the next two innings, but RU would add two runs in the top of the third. A RBI single in the top of the seventh made it 4-0 Rutgers.
The Blackbirds had several chances to score, but couldn't bring the runners home. In the bottom of the first, freshman
Kiana Cisneros had a double to left field, and advanced to third on a ground out, but was stranded there. In the bottom of the fourth, senior
Victoria Zamora was hit by a pitch to get on base, and got all the way to third on back to back wild pitches, but a ground out ended the inning for LIU. The Blackbirds' lone run came in the bottom of the seventh, when senior
Nereyda Gutierrez homered to make it 4-1, but it would not be enough, and Rutgers took the win.
Cambria Keefer had the win on the mound for Rutgers, holding LIU to just one run on three hits in the game. Sobieski (4-7) had the loss on the mound for the Blackbirds.
Florida Atlantic 6, LIU 5
The second game of the night was a tough one for the Blackbirds; the game was back and forth throughout, and LIU led, 5-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs. The home team rallied to score two runs, and win the game on a walk-off RBI single, 6-5.
The Owls would get on the board first, scoring on an RBI single to make it 1-0, but the Blackbirds would tie it up in the next frame. Junior
Evie Claussell got the offense going with a leadoff single. She was advanced on a ground out, and came home three batters later, when Zamora would double to center field to tie the game up, 1-1.
In the bottom of the third, FAU used two stolen bases and an RBI bunt to take the 2-1 lead, and it would be two innings before the Blackbirds got back on the board. In the top of the fifth, junior
Schae Dickson led off and reached on an error. A single and a fielder's choice put runners on the corner, and junior
Patricia Griffin brought the tying run in with her RBI single through the left side. Zamora came to the plate next, and would blast a long single to right center field, scoring the runner from second and putting LIU on top, 3-2.
FAU tied it up again in the bottom of the fifth, but Zamora would give the Blackbirds back the lead in the top of the seventh. After Cisneros reached on a single, the junior cleared the bases with her two RBI home run over the center field fence, putting LIU up, 5-3.
In the bottom of the seventh, LIU had two outs on the board, but FAU would rally, starting with a double to right center. Walks loaded the bases, and an RBI single would bring two runs home to tie it up. The Owls then used another RBI single up middle to score the decisive run and end the game, 6-5.
NOTES FROM THE NEST
- Sophomore Haley Irvis had the loss in game two, but pitched 9.2 straight innings for LIU, with six strikeouts against the Owls.
- Junior Patricia Griffin went 2-for-3 at the plate in game two with an RBI.
- Senior Victoria Zamora went 4-for-6 at the plate for the Blackbirds over two games, with four RBI.
- Up next, the Blackbirds head to Clearwater, Florida, to take part in the USF Under Armor Showcase Tournament, opening with Maine and North Florida, March 16th.