The Albertus Magnus softball team cruised to two Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) victories on Sunday afternoon at Rivier University in Nashua, N.H. The Falcons won game number one 8-3 and downed the Raiders in game number two 12-7.
With the two victories, the Falcons improved to 8-8 on the year and 2-4 in league play, while Rivier fell to 7-13 overall and 1-7 in league play.
In game two, the Falcons scored seven runs in the fifth inning en route to a 12-7 win over the Raiders.
Albertus tallied a run in the first three innings thanks to RBIs by Devon DeLallo (Redding, Conn.) and Megan Kelly (Bronx, N.Y.) as well as a solo home run by Britney Urciuoli (Newington, Conn.).
Despite scoring in the opening innings, the Falcons trailed 7-3 after three frames.
In the top of the fifth, Albertus recorded seven runs on six hits. DeLallo walked with one out before sophomore Michelle Barillaro (Meriden, Conn.) came in to run for the freshman. A Carli Matrisian (Milford, Conn.) double put runners into scoring position before Rachel Cataudella (Shelton, Conn.) walked to load the bases. With the go-ahead run in the on-deck circle, Veronica Hribko (East Haven, Conn.) singled through the left side of the infield to advance the runners and plate the Falcons' fourth run of the ballgame.
Alyssa Puccilli (Milford, Conn.) followed with a single that plated two more Falcons to cut the Rivier lead to one. A sacrifice fly by Jessica Seaver (North Haven, Conn.) allowed Hribko to score and tie the game at seven. Urciuoli, whose bat has been hot as of late, singled to left center to add two more runs to the Falcons' tally before Elaina Maio (West Haven, Conn.) singled up the middle to tally another Falcon run as Albertus jumped ahead 10-7 after five innings.
The Falcons added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning as a Kelly hit and a Shyleen Ortiz (New Britain, Conn.) put runners on with one out before Kelly stole third and scored on the throw into the infield. Urciuoli recorded an RBI single to tally the Falcons' final run of the ballgame.
Brianna Longley (Milford, Conn.) earned the win, her second of the day, as she allowed six earned runs on 12 hits in seven innings of work. Destiny Lord took the loss in today's second game, while she gave up 10 runs on 13 hits in five innings.
Kelly and Urciuoli finished the contest 3-for-4, while Urciuoli added three runs scored and four RBI. Puccilli added two hits and two RBI to the Falcons' line.
The Falcons will head to New Rochelle on Tuesday night to take on CNR in a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 6:00 p.m.
