CLERMONT, Fla. — Westfield State handed the Plattsburgh State softball team its first loss of the season when it topped the Cardinals, 7-5, in extra innings Monday. Plattsburgh bounced right back, however, and defeated Wesleyan (Conn.), 9-5. The Cardinals now hold a 5-1 record for the season.
Tanya Fedyshyn took the loss in the circle for the Cardinals in game one. Fedyshyn took over in the sixth inning for Heather Loughran, who left the game when the two teams were tied at three.
Trailing 2-0, Amy Woo and Danielle Gjergji supplied the Cardinals with much needed singles that resulted in the duo scoring the team's first two runs in the fifth inning. Plattsburgh took the lead when Nicole Diemer hit an RBI single that drove Nicole Pomponio across the plate, making the score 3-2 in favor of the Cardinals. Pomponio was pinch running for Ashley Napear.
Plattsburgh was one out from winning the game when Gia Calabrese hit a two-out single in the top of the seventh to tie it at 3.
In extra innings, the teams start with a runner on second base. Westfield scored four runs, but Plattsburgh managed just two, on Diemer's steal of home and Corinne Gioia's RBI single.
"Westfield is a really good team and we really showed a lot of guts trying to come back," said head coach Stephanie Zweig. "When we began the international tie-breaker, they took advantage of it and, unfortunately, we did not."
Sophomore Madeline Tomich struck out 14 in going the distance for the victory.
Against Wesleyan, Ashley Marshall earned her third win of the season after tossing a complete game for Plattsburgh. The freshman hurler from Malone struck out eight, walked one and allowed eight hits.
Gjergji produced once again at the plate for the Cardinals, going 3-for-4 with two singles, a double and a walk. Gioia chipped in with a double and a single while Ashley Napear and Diemer also contributed two singles.
Plattsburgh continues its trip in the NTC Dot Richardson Tournament with games against Bethany and Ithaca today.
"We're 5-1 right now; it's the best start this program has seen in a long time and we've been playing good competition," Zweig added.
"The pitchers have been just outstanding, especially for a young squad with two sophomores and one freshman. They haven't given up many runs."
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Westfield 7, Plattsburgh State 5, 8 inn.
Westfield 000 020 14 — 7 8 1
Plattsburgh 000 030 02 — 5 5 1
Tomich and Calabrese. Loughran, Fedyshyn (6) and Florkiewicz. WP- Tomich. LP- Fedyshyn.
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Plattsburgh State 9, Wesleyan 5
Plattsburgh 202 300 2 — 9 13 2
Wesleyan 102 000 2 — 5 7 3
Marshall and Florkiewicz. Gurdzinski, Levy (4) and Zavadsky, McLaren (5). WP- Marshall. LP- Gurdzinski.
