BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- The LIU Brooklyn softball team (33-16, 12-2 NEC) finished atop the Northeast Conference with a 14-2 record following a doubleheader sweep of Bryant on Saturday, 2-1 in game one and 9-1 in game two (five innings). With the pair of wins, the Blackbirds kept their spotless record at LIU Field this season, as it stands at 11-0 heading into the NEC Championships, which will be played in downtown Brooklyn from Thursday, May 9 through Saturday, May 11.
GAME 1: LIU 2, BRYANT 1
LIU's Elena Valenzuela (17-3) allowed only three hits and two walks, facing only six batters over the minimum in her 15th complete game, going 7.0 innings and striking out four batters. Her only blemish in the game was a solo home run to catcher Marianna Politis in the top of the second inning.
In the bottom of the third, senior Schae Dickson started things off with a single. Then with two outs in the inning, freshman Samantha Garcia and sophomore Kiana Cisneros had back-to-back singles to bring in the first run for the Blackbirds and tie the game at 1-1.
In the sixth inning, Dickson reached on an error, then reached third base on hits by sophomores Alina Castillo and Cisneros, when their classmate Ryleigh Bermea hit a liner to center field to score Dickson for the winning run.
Starter Gabrielle Ermish (7-10) went six strong for Bryant, yielding only one earned run and two strikeouts, as the Bulldogs were eliminated from tournament contention with the 2-1 loss.
GAME 2: LIU 9, BRYANT 1
Junior Tallie Woodson (5-2) got her first NEC start of the season and made the most of her opportunity, going five full innings, giving up only three hits. The lefty did not give up a single walk, had one hit by pitch, and faced only three batters over the minimum. Similarly to the first game, Bryant scored their only run on the long ball, as Jessica Gradillas hit a solo homer in the top of the second inning.
The top of the Blackbirds lineup, junior Patricia Griffin and freshman Camryn Lyman, started off with back-to-back singles to get the offense going in game two. After a Dickson grounder to move the runners to second and third, Castillo beat out a bunt to third base to score Griffin. Then with runners on second and third, Cisneros hit a triple to right field to score Lyman and Castillo for an early 3-0 lead. Bermea blasted a double to score Cisneros for a four-run inning.
Then in the fourth inning, with two runners on base, sophomore Victoria Lowe came through with a pinch-hit single back through the box for her first career hit, making it a 5-1 lead for the Blackbirds. Cisneros followed with another hit, when Bermea came through again with a two-run single to put the game out of reach at 8-1. Bermea came around to score on a wild pitch to give LIU an eight-run lead, so the run rule can be applied.
Woodson struck out the final batter of the game in the top of the fifth and was mobbed by her teammates in the circle, as she picked up her first complete game victory of the season.
BLACKBIRD BITS
Cisneros shined on the final day of the regular season, going 6-for-6 with two runs scored and three RBIs to lead the offense, and now quietly has built a 12-game hit streak... Right behind her in the lineup is Bermea, who went 2-for-3 with three RBIs in game two… Castillo had a pair of hits in each game to extend her hitting streak to a team season high 15 consecutive games… Lyman also rebounded from a rough game one with a 3-for-3 game two…With her two RBIs in game two, Lowe now has three on the season, In only six plate appearances.
NECS NEXT
With their 14-2 league mark, the Blackbirds have earned the right to host the Northeast Conference Championships, this Thursday through Saturday (May 9-11) at LIU Field. With conference play completed, Mount St. Mary's (9-7 NEC) earned the No. 4 seed and will face the Blackbirds first on Thursday in the double elimination tournament. The second game on day one will feature Sacred Heart (11-5 NEC) against the two-time defending champions, Saint Francis U. (10-6 NEC). Three games will be played on Friday, with the final slated for Saturday.