LITTLE RIVER, S.C. – Junior Lilah Demmy pitched eight innings and allowed just one unearned run while striking out eight, and the Keene State College softball team eventually broke through with a pair of runs in the top of the eighth in an eventual 2-1 win over the State University of New York-Polytechnic Institute Monday morning as part of the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic at the North Myrtle Beach Sports Complex.

Records

• Keene State:  4-6
• SUNY Poly:  7-2

How It Happened
Demmy and Wildcats starter Trinity Critelli were trading zeros throughout day until the Owls manufactured a pair of runs in the eighth in an eventual one-run win to close their spring trip with four consecutive wins after six losses to start the season.  The game-deciding frame began with pinch-runner Emma Chenette, who started on second base to begin the inning, stealing third while Abbie Monkevicz was up.  Monkevicz then reached on a bunt single with no advance from Chenette, and KSC kept using small ball to take the lead.  Two batters later, Megan Strzegowski sacrificed Chenette home for the first run of the game while also reaching on an error, and Carissa Miller then recorded her own bunt single to first to make it 2-0.  In total, KSC bunted four consecutive times with two reaching on hits and the other a sacrifice.

The Wildcats got a run back with one out in the bottom of the eighth when Taylor Hunter singled home automatic runner Ashley Reid to make it 2-1.  Ava Faragon then reached on a grounder to second that was mishandled, but pinch-runner Gabriella Ellixson was thrown out trying to go to third when first baseman Liv Whittier threw across the diamond.  The game then ended with an umpire conference and, ultimately, a changed call.  Initially, it appeared Alivia Turk had reached on an infield single to second to put the tying run at second and the winning run at first as Molly Murray was screened by Faragon going from first to second.  However, after a conference, the umpires deemed there to have been an interference and called Faragon out, ending a low-scoring, tight contest in the teams' second meeting of the trip (SUNY Poly won 7-5 on Saturday).
Pitching carried the day on both sides, but it was a fitting end to the trip for Demmy, who finishes with a 0.42 ERA and two earned runs allowed in 33.1 innings with 31 strikeouts over six appearances (four starts).  Today, the only inning the Wildcats had a runner in scoring position with less than two outs prior to the eighth was in the sixth, when Faragon singled into left to lead off and then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt.  However, Demmy induced two non-threatening outs thereafter to end the inning and keep the game scoreless.

KSC's offense had to solve Critelli, which also proved difficult in regulation.  The Owls' best chance came in the fifth when Demmy and Monkevicz (bunt) reached on consecutive singles with one out, the latter of which advanced Demmy to third when nobody was covering the bag.  Monkevicz then stole second to put two in scoring position with less than two outs, but a pair of strikeouts ended the inning.  Critelli (2-2) had 12 K's overall on the day and allowed six hits and two runs (none earned) in eight innings.

Demmy improved to 2-3, striking out eight over eight innings while allowing six hits and one unearned run.

Around the Horn

• Whittier ended the trip with a .429 (15-for-35) batting average while rookie Elyse Picard had a team-high 15 RBI.
• Opponents hit .225 against Demmy on the trip.
• KSC is 16-14 over three trips to Myrtle Beach in the last three seasons.

Up Next

• The Owls return to New England and then venture to New Jersey for two against Montclair State University (6-6) on Sunday, March 24 at 2:00 p.m.
• SUNY Poly visits the State University of New York at Adirondack on Saturday (March 23) at 2:00 p.m.