Briganti and Patinella With Three Hits Each In Win Over Waynesburg

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Washington College softball team split a pair of non-conference softball games at the DiamondPlex in the Rebel Spring Games on Thursday.  The Shorewomen won their second game of the day over Waynesburg 8-2 after falling in the first game in nine innings to #2 Montclair State, 6-0.  The Shorewomen are 9-1 on the season, the best record after 10 games in the history of the program.

In the Waynesburg (1-4) contest, the Shorewomen jumped out with a pair of runs in the top half of the first inning.  With two outs, junior Suzanne Patinella (Fallston, Md./Maryvale Prep) singled home sophomore Paige Briganti (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) for the game's first run and freshman Caitlyn Kirby (Glen Burnie, Md./Glen Burnie) scored on a Yellow Jackets' fielding error.

In the top of the second, the Shorewomen put together two runs with two outs to increase their lead to 4-0.  Briganti doubled home senior Claire Mattox (Arlington, Va./Potomac School) to make it 3-0 and Kirby chased home Briganti on a two-bagger of her own to give Washington a four-run lead.

Senior Lauren Dockrill (San Diego, Calif./Cathedral Catholic) scored on a one-out RBI groundout to shortstop by junior Kristin Cooper (Georgetown, Del./Sussex Central) to give the Shorewomen a 5-0 lead in the top half of the third.  The Yellow Jackets got onto the scoreboard in their half of the third when Jasmine Blackwell singled home Jessica Dorazio to trim the Shorewomen's lead to 5-1.

Washington would score once in the top of the fifth and added two more in the top of the seventh to stretch its lead to 8-1 and Waynesburg would plate a run in the last of the seventh inning to provide the final margin.

Junior pitcher Christine Anderson (Palmer Lake, Colo./Lewis-Palmer) got the win in relief as she went the final four innings, striking out five, walking two, giving up two hits and one earned run to improve 2-0 on the season.  She relieved sophomore hurler Sydnee Schorr (Easton, Md./Easton) who went the first three innings.  She allowed four hits, one unearned run and struck out five.  At the dish, Patinella went 3-for-4 with two RBI, while Briganti went 3-for-4 with two runs score and a personal high two doubles.  Dockrill scored a pair of runs for Washington, which had 12 hits in the victory.

Carrie Maier took the loss for Waynesburg and drops to 1-2 as she went two innings.  The Yellow Jackets had six hits in the loss.

Versus #2 Montclair State (5-0), the Red Hawks got a base hit with two outs by Lauren Guillen in the top of the third inning and sent Tara Petrucelli home from second base, but Petrucelli was tagged out at home by senior Kylie Nottingham (Ocean City, Md./Stephen Decatur) on a throw from centerfield by Briganti to keep the game scoreless. 

The Shorewomen got their first runner of the game to second base in the bottom of the sixth with two outs, but could not score.  In the last of the seventh, Cooper hit a deep fly ball to centerfield, but was grabbed by Sophia Ivezaj as the wind coming in from the outfield and kept the ball in the yard. Anderson then singled to left and took second on a fielding error with one away.  She tried to reach third base, but the throw from Brooke Powers in left to Dana Amato at third got Anderson for the second out and the Red Hawks got out of the inning unscathed. 

Montclair State would breakthrough in the top of the ninth inning with six runs which was aided by three Washington errors.  With one out, Amato scored on a fielding error off the bat of Melany Zeller for the game's first run.  Zeller would make it 2-0 when she scored on a Washington throwing error.  Alisha Cumberton would score on a sacrifice fly off the power of Jaclyn Allegretta to give the Red Hawks a 3-0 lead.  With two away, Powers launched a three-run home run to also plate Alex Hill and Petrucelli to cap the six-run outburst. 

Powers had three RBI to lead all players, while Hill and Guillen both had two hits as the Red Hawks had six hits.  In the circle, Hill got the win to improve to 4-0.  She went the entire way, scattering six hits, walking one and striking out 12.

Dockrill had two hits to lead Washington as the team had six hits total.  Pitching wise, Cooper was the hard luck loser and drops to 3-1.

The Shorewomen are back in action tomorrow in Auburndale, Fla. for their final two games at the Rebel Spring Games.  Washington will take on reigning NCAA Division III Softball Finalist and winner of the Ithaca Regional that Washington was a part of, #5 Cortland at 9:00 a.m. and at 11:00 a.m. will play Muskingum.