CLEARWATER, Fla. – LIU Brooklyn softball sophomore Haley Irvis threw a no-hitter Friday afternoon, leading LIU to a 9-0 win over Maine. The righty tossed 5.0 innings for the Blackbirds, including six strikeouts, en route to the team's first no-hitter since 2010.

The Blackbirds capped the day with a 4-1 loss to North Florida, and will take on Elon and Lehigh on day two of the event.
 
LIU 9, Maine 0
Irvis twirled her gem in the first game of the day, a matchup with the Black Bears. After she went to work in the top of the first to retire the first inning of batters, her teammates went to work at the plate. Katie Hinkle and Patricia Griffin got on base for the Blackbirds on walks, and with a combination of stolen bases and wild pitches, made their way to second and third with two outs. Senior Nereyda Gutierrez got the first run on the board with her RBI single to the shortstop, and junior Schae Dickson brought Griffin home with her single to right field, putting LIU up, 2-0.
 
As Irvis continued her work on the mound, LIU continued its work at the plate. In the bottom of the second, the Blackbirds loaded the bases on a hit by pitch, a single and an error. Freshman Kiana Cisneros took advantage, singling through the right side to score a run. A single from senior Victoria Zamora brought another run home to make it 4-0, and another error by Maine would score two runs, ending the inning with LIU up, 6-0.
 
Dickson would hit a two RBI double in the bottom of the fourth that made it 8-0, and LIU would score one more run in the inning to lead, 9-0 heading into the fifth frame. Irvis would fan two batters in the top of the fifth, and after one walk, got the final batter of the game to pop up. With LIU up nine runs midway through the fifth, the game was called due to the run rule, giving the Blackbirds the 9-0 win, and completing Irvis' no hitter.
 
The sophomore got the win (2-4), with six strikeouts on 19 batters faced, giving up just four walks.
 
North Florida 4, LIU 1
The second game of the day pitted the Blackbirds against North Florida, a contest that also started as a pitchers' duel, as neither team would score until the bottom of the third. The Ospreys got on the board with one out and the bases loaded, on a two RBI single up the middle. The Blackbirds would get a double play on the next at bat to end the inning with limited damage, but UNF led, 2-0.
 
The Blackbirds would answer in the top of the fourth, with an RBI single by freshman Riley Bermea, cutting the gap to 2-1. The pitchers once again went to work, and neither team would get more than one hit for the next two innings. It wasn't until the bottom of the sixth that the Ospreys would add to their lead. An RBI double scored a run, and the fourth run of the day came home on a sacrifice bunt, putting UNF on top, 4-1. Though sophomore Katie Hinkle would get on base in the top of the seventh with a single, it wasn't enough, and North Florida took the win in seven, 4-1.
 
Up next, the Blackbirds take on Elon and Lehigh in two games on Saturday, March 17.
 
NOTES FROM THE NEST
The last LIU no-hitter came when Blaire Porter no-hit Stony Brook in April of 2010, leading LIU to the 3-0 win… She also had six strikeouts in her win… Katie Hinkle went 3-4 at the plate against UNF, while Victoria Zamora went 2-3 with a run scored and a stolen base… Gutierrez had two RBI in the win over Maine, going 1-2 at the plate… Hinkle and Patricia Griffin both had two runs scored for LIU in the win… Hinkle also had two stolen bases on the day… Schae Dickson went 2-3 at the plate against the Black Bears, with a team-high three RBI… The Blackbirds move to 8-17 on the season with the split.