JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Freshman
Elena Valenzuela and sophomore
Victoria Lowe threw a combined two-hitter on Thursday, as the LIU Brooklyn softball team shutout Saint Peter's, 7-0 in a non-conference game in Jersey City. The game was scoreless until the top of the sixth inning, when the Blackbirds (26-14) broke out for all seven runs, to get the team's 11th win in the last 13 games.
Individually, LIU sophomore Emily Collins (2-for-4) also got bragging rights on her older sister, Schieler (0-for-2), a senior outfielder for the Peacocks, in their first-ever collegiate softball game against each other.
Valenzuela (14-3), who yielded only a single hit over the first 5.1 innings, struck out a season-high nine batters, as she picked up win number 14. Lowe then went the final 1.2 innings to seal the victory.
In the sixth frame, LIU strung seven hits together to score seven runs, starting with a single by sophomore Alina Castillo, who scored the eventual winning run on a single by classmate Kiana Cisneros. The inning was highlighted by a two-run double to left field by junior Patricia Griffin to but the Blackbirds up 4-0 and two batters later, senior Schae Dickson slammed her third home run of the season to make the score 7-0. Collins also had a stolen base and scored a run in the inning.
The Blackbirds tied their season high with 13 hits for the third time this year. Nine batters (seven starters) collected at least one hit and all seven runs were scored by different players for LIU. Griffin, a New Jersey native, went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored, playing in her home state. Collins and sophomore outfielder Ryleigh Bermea each earned two hits in the game.
UP NEXT
The Blackbirds will make their last NEC regular season road trip, as they head to Western Pennsylvania trip to face Robert Morris on Saturday (1:00 p.m.) and defending Northeast Conference Champ Saint Francis U. on Sunday at 12:00 p.m.