Posted: Mar 16, 2018
CLERMONT, Fla. - Plymouth State rallied for three runs in a 9th inning tie breaker to hold off Westfield State, 5-2, at Hancock Park in the Owls final game of the spring break week road trip to the Spring Games.
The Panthers, on the first day of their spring trip, came off the bus swinging as leadoff hitter Nina Murray rocked the initial offering from Owls' starter Emily Woodworth over the right center field fence for a home run and a 1-0 lead.
Westfield tied the game in the third inning, as Bri Tortora reached on a fielder's choice and eventually came around to score on an error.
In the fourth inning, the Owls took a 2-1 lead, as Kayla Soucie walked, took second on Madison Philbrook's single, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Maddie Keigwin's ground out.
The Panthers answered in the top of the fifth as Murray led off with a single, stole second, then advanced and scored on a sacrifice bunt and a throwing error.
In the eighth inning tie breaker after runner Lindsay Cordopatri advanced on a fly out, Plymouth loaded the bases with one out with intentional walks to Angelica Banning and Caitlin Hughes, but Panthers' starter Caitlyn Miller worked out of the jam with a pop up and a strikeout to end the inning.
Plymouth scored three times in the top of the ninth. After successfully bunting runner Nora Butler to third, Murray singled to left, but Butler, who had held up to make sure the ball was not caught, was thrown out at the plate by Lindsay Cordopatri.
Murray advanced to second on the throw, then scored when Cassidy Emerson followed with another base hit to center that the Owls' Tortora made a diving attempt to catch, but could not survive the ground, which allowed Murray to score.
Abrie Davis followed with an rbi single and an Owls' error allowed the fifth run to score.
Westfield was unable to plate a run in their half of the ninth. The extra inning loss spoiled seven innings of strong work from Owls starter Emily Woodworth, who tossed 8.2 innings, allowing eight hits, striking out four and walking one. She was saddled with her second extra innings loss of the trip after allowing 1 and 2 runs, respectively in regulation play.
Karly Mastello had a pair of hits for the Owls.
Westfield's tough-luck trip continued, as the 1-9 record on the trip includes three extra inning losses, two one run losses, and a loss to nationally-seventh-ranked Amherst.
The Owls fell to a strong Wisconsin-Stout team in the day's opener, by a 10-2 final. Mastello had a pair of hits in the game. Westfield plated both their runs in the fourth inning, as Soucie scored on a throwing error, and Banning drove in Hughes with a groundout.
Freshman pitcher Emily Arredondo took the loss. Stout improved to 10-2 on the season with the win.
