MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – For the second time in as many games, SUNYIT senior Erica Hovey (Dexter, NY / Jefferson CC) pitched the Wildcats to a tight win, 4-3 over Mitchell College in the morning game of Wednesday's doubleheader. SUNYIT would follow that up with a 9-1 shellacking of Gordon College in the afternoon to improve to 3-1 on the young season.
GAME ONE – SUNYIT 4, Mitchell 3
The Wildcats won in dramatic fashion in Wednesday's opener, scoring two in the top of the 7th inning for a come-from-behind 4-3 victory. After scoring two runs in the top of the 1st, the Wildcats saw their lead evaporate as Mitchell answered right back with 3 in the bottom of the inning. Both teams would go scoreless over the next five innings until Wildcat senior Nicolette Kennedy (Yonkers, N.Y. / Good Counsel Acad.) hit a clutch 2-run homer in the top of the 7th. Even more impressive, the Wildcats had managed only 2 hits as a team prior to Kennedy's dinger, and came up with the win despite being out hit 9 to 3.
Hovey was masterful on the mound for SUNYIT. After surrendering a big first inning, the senior settled down to throw six scoreless innings for the win. The right-hander pitched her best when it mattered most, too, getting the next two batters in the bottom of the seventh after allowing a one-out single.
GAME TWO – SUNYIT 9, Gordon 1
In the afternoon game the Wildcats decided they'd had their fill of suspense. The team tallied 11 base hits on the day for a runaway victory in six innings.
Senior catcher Lauren Marleau (Prospect, NY / Holland Patent) led SUNYIT with 2 RBI's on 2-for-2 with a double, while Lyndsey Brognano (Rome, N.Y. / RFA) and Fallon Reinold (Holland Patent, N.Y. / Holland Patent) also added two-baggers while each scored two runs as well.
More importantly for Reinold, the rookie rebounded from a tough day earlier in the week against Waldorf to pick up the win for SUNYIT. Reinold threw all six innings, striking out five while allowing just 1 earned run.