MELBOURNE, Fla. The American International College softball team split day one of the 2016 season, blanking fellow Northeast-10 foe Stonehill College, 3-0, but falling in the opener to host Florida Institute of Technology at Nancy Bottge Field, 10-2.
The Yellow Jackets shutout the Skyhawks (1-4), but could have put up more. The two teams went into the top of the sixth scoreless as AIC left eight runners stranded through five.
AIC finally broke free in the top of the sixth. Freshman Kaley Kempf (Oxford, Conn.) opened the inning with a double to center and was pulled for pinch runner Ashley Hughes (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.). AIC senior Lyndsey Letourneau (Paxton, Mass.) was plunked and sent to first on the next at bat.
Sophomore Alexa DiLeo (Cheshire, Conn.) laid down a sacrifice bunt, advancing Hughes and Letourneau into scoring position. Up next, Jacket junior Keymell Cartwright (Johnstown, Ohio) singled to left, plating both runners. Senior Jenna Costa (Turners Falls, Mass.) singled to third, but a foul and ground out left two more stranded. However, the damage was done as junior hurler Alyssa Camargo (Covina, Calif.) was ready to close out the game.
In the bottom half, Letourneau made two spectacular outs in the middle infield, snagging a hard hit line drive and hauling in a pop fly. Camargo tallied her seventh strike out of the game in the inning.
The Yellow Jackets gave Camargo some insurance in the seventh. Pinch hitting for sophomore catcher Jaime Mainez (Redlands, Calif.), freshman Kayla Riley (Haverhill, Mass.) singled up the middle. Hughes laid down a sac bunt to advance Riley and Letourneau sent her home with an RBI single to center.
The Skyhawks put two on in the final half inning of play, but Camargo finished what she started with a put-out to first to seal a great season debut. The junior allowed eight hits and struck out seven.
Kempf went 2-3 for the game with a double, while Cartwright and Costa batted 2-4.
In the season opener to FIT (20-6), the well-tuned Panthers used their already 26-game experience to get the best of AIC. Florida Tech used a four-run second and three-run fifth and sixth innings to down the Jackets.
AIC plated Cartwright on a throwing error by the third baseman by a ball put in play by Kempf in the fifth. In the sixth, DiLeo sent a long single center that jumped off the wall and back in play, but gave Letourneau just enough time to score from first.
Jacket junior Jillian Bedard (Meriden, Conn.) went 4.1, allowing three earned off eight hits while striking out two. Freshman Sarah Beliveau (Bristol, Conn.) pitched an inning, allowing three earned off two hits.
Cartwright, DiLeo and Letourneau all went 2-3 for the game, notching six of AIC's eight hits. Cartwright finished the day 4-7 with an RBI and a run scored.
The Yellow Jackets return to action Tuesday, Mar. when they play two at Embry-Riddle University. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m.
