Softball Splits Two Games at NEC Tournament; Defeats Quinnipiac, 12-3, in Elimination Contest

(vs. Wagner) / (vs. Quinnipiac)

5/13/05 -- Second-seeded Long Island notched a 12-3 victory over No. 4 Quinnipiac at the Northeast Conference Tournament in Moon Township, Pa. after dropping a 16-12 shootout with No. 3 Wagner.

Freshman Vanessa Mejia (Roanoke, Va.) closed the day batting 7-for-8, including 4-for-5 vs. Wagner to tie the single-game tournament record for most hits.

The Blackbirds (22-27) face Wagner in an elimination game Saturday at 10:00 am. The winner advances to the championship round against top seed Robert Morris, starting at 12:30 pm.

LIU broke open the Quinnipiac game with an eight-run fourth inning in which it sent 14 batters to the plate, had nine hits and benefited from four errors for the final margin.

Juniors Leah Glenn (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and Alissa Villanueva (Pacoima, Calif.) led off with bunt singles, senior Briana Mathiesen (Sylmar, Calif.) added an infield hit and sophomore Jessie DePippo (Westlake Village, Calif.) moved everyone ahead one base with an RBI single for a 5-3 game.

Sophomore Randi Gillespie (San Jose, Calif.) followed with a fielder's choice that scored DePippo. Mathiesen and Villanueva also crossed home on the play thanks to errors by second baseman Jenna Henry and catcher Brianna Sloane.

Junior Krystal Mejia (Sylmar, Calif.) had an RBI single later in the inning, freshman Celina Castillo (Redwood City, Calif.) touched home on an error and Mathiesen added a two-run single to close the scoring as the Blackbirds won after 4 1/2 innings by mercy rule.

LIU in the second took a 2-1 lead as Villanueva blooped a two-run double on the right-field line. Vanessa Mejia extended the margin to 4-1 in the third, hitting a 1-2 pitch to right center for her fourth homer of the year.

Westminster, Calif. senior Jackie Brown (13-13) permitted three runs and seven hits over five innings for her 11th victory in 14 decisions. Vanessa Mejia batted 3-for-3 for LIU, which rapped 13 hits in this game and 28 over the two contests.

Kristin Sheriff (5-11) surrendered 12 runs -- nine earned -- and 13 hits over four innings for the Bobcats (19-29-1).

Against Wagner, the teams combined for 28 runs to break the tournament mark of 22 set last season between LIU and Quinnipiac in the championship game, a 15-7 Blackbirds' win.

LIU grabbed a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the first thanks to RBI hits from Gillespie and Vanessa Mejia. Wagner plated five runs in the top of the third for a 9-3 lead, aided by Christy Sykora's three-run double.

The Blackbirds closed to 9-6 in the bottom of the third as Vanessa Mejia and Glenn each had RBI hits, and Mejia scored on a throwing error. LIU whittled the deficit to 9-8 in the fourth thanks to Mathiesen belting her 12th homer of the year and Krystal Mejia, named second team All-NEC, getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Wagner was not done as a five-run fifth made it 14-8, beginning with Katie Stevens' two-run homer. The teams added a run apiece in the sixth with Villanueva getting an RBI single and the Seahawks plated one in the seventh on a solo blast by Christina Hopkins, who also had four hits, for a 16-9 cushion.

LIU mounted a rally in the bottom of the seventh as sophomore Holly Erwin (Riverside, Calif.) drilled a one-out, three-run homer to close the gap to 16-12. Kate Refsynder came on in relief and allowed Vanessa Mejia to single and Castillo to walk. But the momentum stalled there as Krystal Mejia lined into a double play to end the 3 hour, 30 minute contest.

Gillespie, a first team all-conference pick along with Mathiesen and DePippo, notched three of the Blackbirds' 15 hits. Brown permitted seven runs and 10 hits over 4 1/3 innings with a strikeout.

Dara Gadziala (7-3) gave up five runs and six hits over 3 1/3 innings for the Seahawks (29-16). Sykora tied the single-game tournament mark with five RBI.