Cadets Cap Regular Season with Fourth Straight Win

Sunday, May 6

West Point, NY

11 AM

Army West Point

26-26, 0

Lafayette

7-42, 0

LAFAYETT

Army

Cadets Cap Regular Season with Fourth Straight Win

May 06, 2018 | Softball

Box Score

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Army West Point softball team picked up its fourth straight win after defeating Lafayette 11-4 on Sunday afternoon to complete the Patriot League series sweep.

The Black Knight (26-26, 10-8 Patriot League) bats were locked in against the Leopards (7-42, 3-15 Patriot League), totaling 11 runs off of 16 hits.

Ally Snelling paced the squad with a three-hit effort, while driving in a team-best four runs. Emily Ballesteros picked up a pair of hits in three at-bats, driving in two and crossing the plate twice.

Lacey Swafford, Carrie Reilly, Taylor Drayton and Nena Riccoboni also recorded multi-hit games on the afternoon.

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

The Black Knights won their fourth consecutive game.
The Cadets captured their sixth straight win over the Leopards.
It was the fourth straight contest and 11th time this season that Army compiled double-digit hits.
The 11 runs scored and 11 RBIs were the second most this season by the Cadets.
Army's six extra-base hits was the second most in a game this year.
The Cadets picked up their first Patriot League series sweep of the season.
The top four batters in the Army lineup scored eight of the team's 11 runs.
The first six batters in the lineup accounted for 12 of the team's 16 hits.
Courtney Springman posted her 16th collegiate win, allowing just one hit in four innings of relief work.
Swafford tallied her first triple of the season and raised her season average to .302.
Riccoboni earned her third start of the year and recorded her second consecutive multi-hit game.
She notched her first extra-base hit of the season.
Snelling's four RBIs and three hits were both career-highs.
Reilly became the first Cadet this season to eclipse the 50-hit mark.
She hit her 10th two-bagger of the season.
Reilly and McPeek extended their hitting streaks to seven games.
Taylor Livingston scored her 20th career run.
Ballesteros crossed the plate for the 20th time this season.
Drayton recorded her 40th collegiate hit.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Army offense got off to a hot start and did some damage in the opening frame. Swafford and McPeek got the offensive barrage started with back-to-back triples and one run was in. McPeek then came in to score on a Reilly RBI base knock. Following a single by Ballesteros, the Leopards turned a timely double play, but Army got one more run to cross in the inning on a Snelling RBI single into left.
The Black Knights returned to the plate in the second, leading 3-0, and tacked on three additional runs. The first two runners reached safely after Livingston and Swafford both singled before advancing a base on a passed ball. McPeek then drove in Livingston on a sacrifice fly, before Livingston scored on a Ballesteros RBI two-bagger. Drayton was due up next and she shot a ball into left, allowing Ballesteros to cross.
Lafayette was quiet offensively in the first two innings, but erupted for four runs in the third off of five hits. The Leopards had a chance to add to their run total, but Poirier forced the Maroon and White to leave the bases loaded.
It remained a two-run contest, 6-4, until the fourth. With two Cadets in scoring position, Ballesteros hit a sacrifice fly to deep center and both runners tagged on the play. Snelling then picked up an RBI with her second hit of the afternoon.
Springman replaced Poirier in the circle to start the fourth and pitched brilliantly. The first-year pitcher kept the Leopard bats in check, allowing just one hit in four shutout frames.
Army was not done at the dish and tacked on three additional runs in the sixth. With one out and two runners in scoring position, Snelling came through again. This time, the freshman roped a two-RBI single into center and Army led 10-4. Julia Wyatt came in to pinch run for Snelling and she came around to score on a Katie Ontiveros double into left that rolled to the wall.
In the seventh, Lafayette had runners on first and second with two outs, but Springman got through the inning unscathed to preserve the Black Knights' seven-run lead and secure the win.

UP NEXT

Army will head up to Boston on Thursday for a meeting with the top-seeded Terriers in the opening round of the Patriot League Tournament. First pitch is slated for 12 p.m.