SPRINGFIELD, Mass. The American International College softball team split with Northeast-10 Southwest Division foe Le Moyne College at Groff Field Wednesday afternoon, winning game one, 1-0, and falling the night cap, 8-4.
With the split, AIC moves to 5-5 overall and open 1-1 in NE-10 play. The Dolphins move to 13-6 and also open at 1-1 in conference games. The 1-0 win was the first AIC victory over Le Moyne since a 1-0 result in 2013.
AIC junior pitcher Alyssa Camargo (Covina, Calif.), fresh off a brilliant first week of play, was at it again Wednesday. The righty threw her third career complete-game shutout and second in five starts.
Amidst a pitchers dual with no runs on the board for either side in the home half of the seventh, freshman Kaley Kempf () came up to bat first. The rookie promptly singled to center field and Head Coach Mairin Dudek replaced her with classmate Ashley Hughes (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) to run the base paths.
In the ensuing at bat, junior third baseman Jorrdin Miller (Garfield, N.J.) singled down the left field line, advancing Hughes into scoring position. AIC sophomore Jamie Mainez (Redland, Calif.) hit a sacrifice to third and Hughes ended up 60-feet from home. Lyndsey Letourneau (Paxton, Mass.) got under the ball, but popped it up to short and the Jackets faced their final out.
With sophomore Alexa DiLeo (Cheshire, Conn.) in the box, Dolphins pitcher Alexis Eastman threw over her catchers head, but Hughes remained at third until the throw-back to Eastman went awry, allowing her to scamper and slide into home for the walk-off error.
AIC's first hit of four came in the third inning, a DiLeo single in the first at bat. Miller singled in the fourth before the dramatics of the seventh. Camargo allowed just three Le Moyne hits and struck out four with no walks.
Camargo was back on the mound to start game two, but the Dolphins bats awoke early as Emily Mascari pushed Sabrina Riley home from second to take a quick 1-0 after one.
The Jackets bats responded in the home half of the inning. With one out, junior Keymell Cartwright (Johnstown, Ohio) posted an infield single to third base and stole second with Kempf at bat. Kempf popped up to short, but on the ensuing at bat, Miller launched an RBI single to right center to knot the score at one. Mainez singled to center to send Miller home and AIC left the frame with a 2-1 advantage.
The Jackets added a run in the second as freshman Sarah Baganz (Kingston, N.Y.) blasted her first career home run over the left field wall top open the bottom of the second. Cartwright notched her second hit of the game, but was left stranded.
The fourth proved treacherous for AIC as the Dolphins registered four runs to take the lead. The eventual game-winning fifth run was an RBI double to left center that plated Courtney Case. Jacket junior Jillian Bedard (Meriden, Conn.) took over for Camargo after 3.2, but the loss was given to the starter. Camargo (4-2) allowed one earned off four hits and struck out two. She walked just one batter.
Le Moyne added an insurance run in the sixth, but Baganz wiped it away in the bottom half with her second RBI of the game, singling to center and sending Kristen Steele (Newburgh, N.Y.) home.
Baganz and Cartwright ended the game 2-3 with a run scored apiece, while Mainez knocked in a run and went 2-4 from the dish. Miller went 3-6 for the day with a run scored and an RBI.
The Yellow Jackets return to action Thursday, Mar. 17 when Post University visits the Groff for a non-conference twinbill. First pitch against the Eagles is slated for 2 p.m.
