Softball Battles Owls and Rams in Florida

CLERMONT, Fla. (March 15, 2017) – In the fourth day of their spring break trip in Florida, the Franklin Pierce University softball team suffered two losses on Wednesday, a 3-0 setback to Northeast-10 Conference opponent Southern Connecticut State and a 11-3 five inning defeat at the hands of Philadelphia University. The losses were the seventh and eighth of the year for the Crimson and Grey and the Owls improve to 1-2 and the Rams run to 2-6 on the campaign.

Game One: Owls 3, Ravens 0 (Final)

Sophomore right hander Sabrina LoMonaco (Franklin, Mass.) took the mound for game one and pitched a complete game allowing three runs – one earned on six hits. For SCSU, Victoria Ceballos opposed LoMonaco and fired seven innings scattering three hits while punching out seven Ravens.

Junior outfielder Jillian Ostrander (South Glens Falls, N.Y.) picked up where she left off versus Bridgeport going 2-for-3 at the dish with a double.

Ostrander began the home half of the first with a leadoff single to centerfield. Junior Cassidy Sorenson (Billerica, Mass.) sacrificed Ostrander to second base and it resulted in a runner in scoring position with one down. That's the furthest Ostrander would go as the next two Ravens batters were retired via a fly out to center and a grounder to short which ended the frame.   

With the game still scoreless in the bottom of the sixth, Ostrander led off with a double to left field and Sorenson, as she did in the first frame, sacrificed Ostrander up to third. With the go ahead run a few feet away, Abbigael Cook (Smithfield, R.I.) reached first on a fielder's choice, but Ostrander was tagged out at the plate trying to score.

In the top of the seventh, the Owls pushed three runs across the dish on a passed ball, an RBI single to short and a triple down the right field line. The Ravens couldn't get anything going in the bottom of the seventh as they were retired in order to conclude the contest.

Game Two: Rams 11, Ravens 3 (Final – 5 Innings)

Sophomore backstop Ashley Deyo (Dover, N.H.) paced the Ravens with a 2-for-2 performance with a two bagger, RBI and one run scored. Junior shortstop Jaclyn Cortese (Upton, Mass.) went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a double.

The Rams notched the first run of the game in the bottom of the first as Stephanie Pepper smoked a single to left field that scored Madison Heno from second base. FPU got the run back in the next half inning as Deyo, who reached via a single, dashed home on a passed ball that tied the score at one all.

Philly U regained the lead in the following frame when Shannon Weaver plated Kayla Caltabellotta on a single to center and Naomi Stas grounded out to second base which scored Megan Letos to move the home team ahead 3-1.

The seesaw affair continued as Cortese drove home Amelia Mamone (Wynantskill, N.Y.) with a double that was stroked into the right center gap. Cortese took third base on a passed ball and Deyo brought in her teammate with another extra base knock to knot the score at 3-3.

LillyAnn Yoakum smoked an RBI single to short in the bottom of the fourth to move the Rams back in front 4-3. The fifth saw Philly U tally seven runs on seven hits without manufacturing an out to take the game by a 12-3 margin.

FPU concludes their spring break trip tomorrow with a doubleheader versus West Chester at 3:30 p.m. and a night cap against Southern Connecticut State at 8:30 p.m.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce softball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).