Army Falls Twice To Canisius Final Day In Florida

Wednesday, March 18

Clearwater, Fla.

12:00 PM

Army West Point

7-14

Canisius

7-9

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Canisius	0	0	1	1	2	0	2	6	9	2
Army West Point	0	1	1	0	1	0	0	3	7	1

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Army West Point	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	4	1
Canisius	0	0	2	2	3	0	X	7	13	1

Army Falls Twice To Canisius Final Day In Florida

March 18, 2015 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

March 18, 2015

Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Erika Mackie threw hitless ball over the final two innings to earn the save in the opener game, and went the distance on a four-hitter in the nightcap as Canisius swept a doubleheader from Army, 6-3 and 7-1, Wednesday afternoon at the Eddie C. Moore Complex as the Black Knights closed out their spring trip to Florida.

In the opening game, the Black Knights jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning on Gladys Esparza-Gallegos' one-out single to right center field. She drove in Alee Rashenskas, 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI, who led off the inning with a walk and moved into scoring position when starter Madi Weathers issued her second straight walk to Alex Gaff.

After getting the second out at home plate, Weathers left bases loaded on a fly ball to right field.

Canisius, scoring runs in four of the next five innings, tied the game 1-1 in the top of the third on Jessica Berzins' two-out single to left field, but she was stranded at third when starter Aja Brechtel struck out the next batter.

Army retook the lead, 2-1, in the bottom of the third on Rashensaks' RBI single delivering Xiomara Perez, who led off with a walk and moved in scoring position on Hailey Megge's hit followed by a passed ball. Megge was thrown out at home plate as a groundout and fly ball limited Army to just one run.

The Golden Griffins tied the game in the top of the fourth, 2-2, on Samantha Sharkey's run-scoring single delivering Alexis Roman, who tripled, then snapped the deadlock with a pair of runs in the fifth inning to pull out to a 4-2 lead.

The Black Knights answered with a run in the home half of the fifth on Bechtel's two-out single up the middle sending home Rashenskas, who singled and stole second base , drawing to 4-3. Weathers stranded a pair of runners in scoring position in nipping Army's rally.

Sophomore Kristen West took over from Brechtel in the sixth inning with runners at first and second with no outs. She retired the side in stranding both runners as the Black Knights headed into the bottom half trailing by a single run.

Mackie relieved Weathers in the bottom of the sixth and threw hitless ball over the final two frames retiring all six batters on groundouts to preserve the win for Weathers (4-4) along with picking up her first save of the season. Canisius staked her to a pair of insurance runs in the top half of the seventh.

Army collected seven hits in the game with Rashenskas belting a pair along with freshmen Kristen McPeek, Perez, Megge, Brechtel and Esparza-Gallegos each getting a hit.

In the nightcap, Mackie went the distance scattering four hits, struck out two and walked three with Bethany DeMarco (2-for-3) scoring twice and driving in a pair of runs.

Canisius (8-9) jumped out in front 2-0 in the bottom of the third inning, but Army answered with a run in the top of the fourth on Esparza-Gallegos' two-out RBI double knocking home Megge, who was hit by a pitch and moved to second on Caroline Smith's single up the middle to close to 2-1.

With Smith at third and Esparza-Gallegos at second, Mackie denied Army in getting the next batter on a lineout to the second baseman.

The Griffins added a pair of insurance runs in the home half of the fourth to pull away 4-2 with DeMarco's three-run homer in the fifth stretching their advantage to 7-1.

Mackie (4-4) held Army to just one hit, a double off the bat of pinch hitter Sam Hartman, over the final three frames retiring nine of the final 11 batters she faced. She yielded the hit to Hartman with one out in the seventh, then issued a walk with two outs before retiring the side on a groundout.

Freshman Chelsea Zerman pitched in here first collegiate game and yielded a hit in the final seventh.

In the doubleheader, Gallegos-Esparza was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI, and Rashenskas was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI.

Army (7-15) opens Patriot League play this weekend (March 21-22) hosting Colgate at the Army Softball Complex with a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m. and a single game on Sunday, also at 1 p.m.