LITTLE RIVER, S.C. – Sophomore Molly Murray hit her first career home run – an inside-the-park version no less – and reached base safely five times on the day with four hits, but it was not enough to prevent the Keene State College softball team from dropping two, 8-7 to Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham and 9-1 in five innings to Mount Aloysius College, on Friday afternoon at the North Myrtle Beach Sports Complex as part of the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic.

Records

• Keene State:  4-6
• FDU-Florham:  7-2
• Mount Aloysius:  5-5

How It Happened – FDU-Florham
The Owls shrunk what was a five-run deficit through five to one with a four-run sixth, but ultimately could not overcome allowing 15 hits and stranding nine on base as they dipped below .500 ahead of the trip finale against Mount Aloysius later.  KSC trailed 4-0 after one, but used Murray's inside-the-park home run as a spark in the third to score a pair, and then drew within 4-3 in the top of the fourth when Lynnsey Bumpus singled to lead off and moved up on two grounders before scoring on a passed ball.  However, the Devils answered with a tally in their half of the inning and then scored three in the bottom of the fifth on four hits and a KSC error to push their lead back to 8-3.  The inning starting with a pair of infield singles and a sacrifice bunt before a sacrifice fly from Colleen Conway made it 6-3.  Abigail Wittig followed with a single up the middle to plate another before Natalie Decena doubled to right to move Wittig to third, who scored on an error.

Every run FDU-Florham scored proved to be important in the end, as Amanda Cerretani began a big KSC sixth with a single and stole second before CC Chadwick walked.  Both advanced on a wild pitch and then Molly Murray also took a free pass to load the bases with nobody out for the dangerous Sara Cote.  The Owl shortstop came through, smoking a double to right center with a nice piece of hitting to plate two and leave runners at second and third in an 8-5 game with the tying run coming to the plate, still with nobody out.  That was all for FDU starter Bella Hills, and in came Sydnee Leeser.  KSC did plate both runs – one on a wild pitch and one on an error – and put the tying run at third later when Liv Whittier walked, stole second, and then moved to third on a wild pitch.  However, the Owls overall did not have many answers with the bats against either Leeser or Ciara Hoffman, who combined to strike out four in two innings without allowing a hit.

Hills (1-0) got the win despite getting hit around to the tune of 11 hits and seven runs (six earned).  She walked two and did not strike anybody out.  That is because the Owls got off to a slow start and had to play from behind, trailing 4-0 after one thanks to the Devils scoring three runs on four hits before recording an out.  Kacie Centineo had a big two-run double in the inning that made it 3-0.

Owls starter Mia Ferry (2-2) settled down for a pair of scoreless innings after the first to allow her team to draw back within one, but then hit another speedbump in the fourth and then a bigger one in the fifth.  She allowed 14 hits and eight runs (seven earned) in five innings, striking out two.

Murray finished 3-for-4 at the plate with the momentous round-tripper.  She also added a walk.  Cote (2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R), Bumpus (2-4, R), and Cerretani (2-4, R, SB) also all had multi-hit games while Whittier tripled.

How It Happened – Mount Aloysius
The second contest of the day and the finale of KSC's second-ever trip to Myrtle Beach (or more specifically Little River) unraveled quickly as the Mounties scored eight times in the first two innings and cruised to a 9-1 run-rule win while outhitting the Owls 12-5.  KSC was held to only five singles offensively from five different people, and did not score until the fifth off Mount Aloysius starter Madison Hillard, who ended the day having allowed just three runs (one earned) in her last 10 innings after allowing 10 earned runs in her first 10 innings.

Keene State left a runner on in the first after the hot-hitting Murray led off the game with a single, and then was in quick trouble in the bottom half when Ella Pearson walked and stole second right away.  Carissa Miller struck out Sarah Henninger, but Anna Peterman poked a single through the right side to put the Owls in a 1-0 hole.  Another base hit to right later in the inning from Alysha Cutri made it 2-0, and then an error put one more on the board.

A five-run second for Mount Aloysius blew the game open early, and KSC did not record the first out of the frame until four runs had crossed the plate.  Pearson and Henninger, remarkably, hit consecutive RBI triples (one with two strikes) to make it 5-0, and Peterman came up next with a double to right for a sixth run.  The Mounties were a home run shy of a cycle in the first four batters of the inning, while KSC did not have an extra-base hit in the entire game.  A double steal of Maya Capozzoli and Peterman, and a base hit to left from Hillard to help her own cause ballooned the Owl deficit to 8-0 in the second.

Unlike the day's opener and other games, Keene State did not have much of a response offensively, as Hillard put up a 1-2-3 third and then easily worked around a two-out single to Lilah Demmy in the fourth.  They got on the board in the top of the fifth when Allison Adams reached on an error and Cerretani and Miller followed with consecutive singles to make it 9-1, but the Owls left two runners in scoring position and could not extend the game, falling to 4-6.

Miller (0-4) took the loss, allowing nine hits and eight runs in two innings.  She issued two free passes and whiffed one.

Hillard allowed one unearned run and five hits in her four frames, striking out one.

Cutri went 3-for-3 offensively and drove in a run for Mount Aloysius, while Pearson (2-2, 2B, 3B, RBI, BB, 3 R, SB), Henninger (2-3, 3B, 2 RBI, R), and Peterman (2-3, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB).  The Mounties won four the fourth time in five games after a 1-4 start that included a 10-run loss in the group.

Miller drove in KSC's lone run.

Around the Horn

• The Owls close the trip with a .385 team batting average, 20 doubles, four triples, and a home run.  Whittier is a scorching 12-for-24 (.500) at the plate with a pair of doubles and a pair of triples.  Murray is hitting .467, Hallett .409, and Cerretani .407 while Ferry is at .385 with a team-high 13 RBI.
• KSC has lost three straight to FDU-Florham (all since 2014) and consecutive games to Mount Aloysius after losing to them 4-1 at the same venue on March 17 of last year.
• The Owls went 8-2 in South Carolina a year ago, their first trip there after numerous trips to Florida for many seasons.

Up Next

• KSC is off until they travel to Montclair State University (9-1) for a doubleheader on Saturday, March 25 with games at 2:00 and 4:00 p.m.  The Red Hawks went 23-18 a year ago, 7-11 in in the New Jersey Athletic Conference.
• FDU-Florham goes to Neumann University (5-10) on Thursday, March 23 for a twinbill that begins at 3:00 p.m.
• Mount Aloysius (18-14 a year ago) visits Thiel College (3-5) for two games on Monday (March 20) (3:00 p.m.).