Bay Path Falls to Mount Ida in Season Opener

NEWTON, Mass.– The Mount Ida College softball team captured both ends of a non-conference twin bill against visiting Bay Path College Thursday afternoon in their 2011 season home opener both by scores of 9-4 on a cold, snow laden day in Newton, Massachusetts. The Mustangs, who just returned from their annual spring break tournament in Clermont, Florida, improve their overall record to 3-6 while the Wildcats start 2011 at 0-2 with neither team yet to compete in a conference bid.

After a quiet opening two frames, the visitors kicked off the scoring with two runs in the top of the third inning.  With runners second and third with one out, senior Jessica Priestly (Middleboro, MA/Middleboro) poked a single to left field driving in a deuce for the 2-0 advantage.

Mount Ida came right back in the bottom half of the third tacking on four runs to take the 4-2 lead.  A leadoff single by sophomore second baseman Tiffany Hamann (Newton, MA/Newton South) followed by a fielding error put two on with no one out.  Freshman Kirsten Guerrero (Fairfield, CT/Fairfield Ludlow) stepped up next and cranked a single to left driving in two tying the score (2-2).  Guerrero would be thrown out at second on a fielder choice followed by a strikeout leaving one on with two out.  Freshman Megan Hall (Danielson, CT/Killingly) converted a single to right scoring the runner giving the Mustangs their first lead of the day up 3-2.  Senior captain Erin Dufficy (Shelton, CT/Shelton) got in on the action singling to left center plating Hall for the 4-2 lead to end the inning.

Following a scoreless top of the fourth bid by the visitors, Mount Ida continued their offensive strike with three runs the bottom of the inning.  Back-to-back singles to kick off the frame set up sophomore Devan Meeker (Bantam, CT/Litchfield) who deposited a double into left center driving in a deuce inflating the lead to 6-2.  Meeker would score two batters later on a double that was crushed into right field by junior captain Erica Belliveau (Tewksbury, MA/Tewksbury Memorial) ending the inning with Mount Ida up 7-2.

The visitors added one run in the top of the fifth inning on a double to left field by freshman Emily Serrano (North Adams, MA/McCann Technical) scoring junior Kellie Lastowski (Turners Falls, MA/Turners Falls) who walked two batters earlier cutting the Mount Ida advantage to 7-3.

The Mustangs would finish the scoring with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning starting the frame with two singles, one each from Dufficy and freshman Tiffany True (Haverhill, MA/Essex Agricultural).  Following a strikeout, Hamann would deliver again with her third hit of the game driving in two more runs giving Mount Ida a 9-3 advantage to close the frame.

Bay Path was only able to plate one more score in the top of the sixth inning that was aided mostly by a couple of hiccups in the field by the Mustangs.  Three consecutive errors to kick off the inning by Mount Ida loaded the bases for the Wildcats.  A fielder's choice by junior Vanessa Chaplin (Attleboro, MA/Attleboro) scored the final run of the contest giving the Mustangs their second victory of 2011 winning 9-4 in game one.

Along with a solid day at the plate from Hamann who went 3-4 with two RBI's and a stolen base, Dufficy also chipped in three hits on three at-bats with one RBI.  Meeker and True added two hits including two doubles from Meeker.

Sophomore hurler Denise Picard (Winooski, VT/Winooski) captured the victory for Mount Ida good for her first of the season.  Picard was outstanding surrendering only four hits on four runs adding six strikeouts.  Wildcat freshman Keelin Dougherty (Northfield, NH/Bishop Brady) took the loss giving up seven earned runs and 14 hits adding six K's.

Bay Path started the scoring in game two adding one run to the scoreboard in the top of the first.  A leadoff walk by Dougherty put a runner on eventually advancing to third on a fielder's choice pulling into scoring position.  Dougherty scored on another fielder's choice giving the Wildcats the 1-0 advantage right out of the gate.

Mount Ida countered in the bottom half of the first with three runs that started with a leadoff walk by Hamann followed by seven wild pitches from Wildcat pitcher senior Alex Putnam (Topsfield, MA/Masconomet).  All three runs scored in the inning were off wild pitches giving the Mustangs a 3-1 lead to end the frame.

Bay Path couldn't convert in the top of the second while Mount Ida added three more in the bottom half of the inning.  A walk by junior Tracy Koukol (North Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro), a single from Hamann put two on with no one out.  A fielder's choice would catch Koukol out at third base putting one down with runner's on first and second.  Guerrero would follow by hitting a shot that exited in a hurry over the left field wall for her first homerun of the season giving Mount Ida a 6-1 lead.

The Wildcats scored one in the top of the third inning starting the frame with a base-on-balls putting Dougherty on.  She advanced to second on a wild pitch from Meeker and would get to third after a single by Serrano.  A fielder's choice scored Dougherty pulling the visitors within four runs trailing 6-2.

After an inning and a half with no action the Wildcats started to crawl back adding two runs in the top of the fifth inning.  A two base throwing error by the Mustangs put the leadoff runner on second and would advance to third on an unassisted out at first base.  A single to left by freshman Mercedes Griffith (Malden, MA/Northeast Metro Tech.) plated the first of two scores making it 6-3.  A Mustang error would advance the runners one base and followed on a second error in three batters plating another for the Wildcats ending the scoring at 6-4.

Mount Ida added one in the bottom of the fifth inning.  After a ground out by True, Dufficy cranked a single up the middle and would advance on the next pitch stealing second base.  She moved to third on a passed ball and would plate the run after a fielder's choice by Hall making it 7-4 in favor of the Mustangs.

After a quiet top of the sixth by the visitors, Mount Ida tacked on two more to widen the margin.  Two batters would reach, one on an error and the other after being hit by a pitch putting two on base.  A lineout by Hamann and a pop up by Guerrero made it look as if the Mustangs weren't going to capitalize initially.  But after a walk and two wild pitches, the Mustangs saw themselves scoring two, the first on a wild pitch and the second off a single from True.  The visitors did not get much of a chance to make come back due to the fact that the umpire's had seen enough, or couldn't see at all calling the game because of darkness.  Mount Ida would take the 9-4 win capturing their second victory of the day and their third of the season.

Guerrero led the Mustangs offensively going 2-4 with four runs batted in, a homerun, and a double.  True and Hall added an RBI a piece while Meeker scored three runs for Mount Ida.

Meeker pitched every inning for the Mustangs surrendering four runs on six hits with six strikeouts.  Putnam gave up seven earned runs adding five walks and two K's along with seven wild pitches, all which came in a shaky first inning.

Courtesy of Mount Ida Sports Information