CLERMONT, Fla. – Simmons softball (1-2) split Monday morning's double-header against regional opponents Bridgewater State (2-2) and Johnson & Wales University (1-0). The Sharks won convincing over the Bears, 10-8, but dropped an offensive slugfest to the Wildcats, 12-8, in game two.
SIMMONS 10, BRIDGEWATER STATE 4
The Shark bats woke up in the game one against Bridgewater State. Senior Allie Mulhern poke a one-out single through the right side of the infield, then got herself into scoring position with a pair of steals. Classmate Christie Bott lined a 3-2 pitch in the right-center field gap to bring home Mulhern with the game's first run.
In the circle, senior Paige Concannon kept the Bears off balance, facing 10 batters through the first three innings – including retiring three by way of the strikeout. Following a 1-2-3 top of the third, the Sharks batted around in the home half to put up a crooked number five and take a 6-0 advantage.
Bridgewater was threatening a rally of their own a half inning later. After back-to-back base-hits and a double-steal, the Bears were finally on the scoreboard. The Bears scored their second run of the frame on a sacrifice fly from Megan Sharon to cut the Shark lead to three, 5-2. However, senior right-hander Maddie Castigliego came on in relief of Concannon to get the final two outs and minimize the damage.
Seniors Shannon McMahon and Alex Morang added a pair of insurance runs in the home half of the inning. McMahon slugged a solo homerun to left field before Castigliego ripped an opposite field triple and came into to score on a line drive back up the middle by Morang.
After the Bears pushed two runs across in the top of the six to cut the lead in half, 8-4, but the Sharks with a pair of their own. Castigliego earned her first win of the season, tossing 3.2 innings of relief allowing two unearned runs, while striking out two.
JOHNSON & WALES 12, SIMMONS 8
The offense picked up where it left off from the last game. Castigliego helped her own cause roping a two-out, two-RBI double into the left center field gap to bring home Bott and senior Allie Mulhern and give the Sharks a 2-0 lead early. But the Wildcats answered in the home half, taking advantage of free passes, they put up a four-spot to go in front, 4-2.
Simmons would not go away and chipped away at the Johnson & Wales lead. Castigliego laced her second RBI double of the game to plate Bott, before coming in to score on a laser into left-center off the bat of Morang but the Sharks back within a run, 5-4.
The Wildcats extended its lead back to three, 7-4, pushing across two runs in the third. Simmons cut the deficit down to two, scoring once in the top of the fourths, before re-gaining the lead in the fifth.
In the top of the fifth, junior Sam Barr poked a one-out triple into the right-center field gap to plate Jordyn Rubin with the sixth Shark run. Two batters later, fellow junior Kylie Collins kept the inning alive with a single through the left side to bring home Barr to tie the game at seven. Moments later, Mulhern roped a double into left-center to bring home Collins take their first lead since the top of the first.
But the Wildcats answered with three runs of their own in the home half to take aa 10-8 lead, before scoring a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth to seal the game.
SIMMONS HIGHLIGHTS
- Senior catcher Shannon McMahon slugged her third collegiate career homerun in bottom of the fourth inning against Bridgewater.
- McMahon went 3-for-7 with a double, homerun and three RBI.
- Senior Maddie Castigliego went 5-8 with a double, triple, three RBI and four runs scored in two games.
- Senior Alex Morang also 5-for-8 with a double and three RBI in two games.
UP NEXT
Simmons returns to the diamond on Wednesday, March 9 with two games against John Carroll (10 a.m.) and RPI (12:15 p.m.) at Legends Way in Clermont, Fla.