FT. MYERS, Fla. – The Suffolk softball team continued its solid play at the Gene Cusic Classic, holding off Edgewood, 4-3, and sweeping Wooster, 8-0, in five innings, in its second day of action on its spring break trip. With the sweep, Suffolk improves its record to 4-0 on the young season.
The Rams continued their trend of early-inning scoring against Edgewood, playing two runs in the top of the first inning. Meredith Ball drew a walk to lead off the inning and stole second. With one out on the board, Delaney Sylvester single up the middle and advanced to second on a throw while Ball crossed home to put Suffolk on the scoreboard. Devlin Frost advanced Sylvester and Jill Pulek, who walked, with a ground out to the second-baseman. Madison Eucalitto continued the hot start for the Rams, driving in Sylvester with an RBI single to the right side for a 2-0 lead.
The Eagles broke through in the bottom of the inning, however, to chip at Suffolk's lead. Pulek, the reigning GNAC Corvias Player of the Week notched her first RBI of the day at the top of the third, brining in Karina Miranda, who pinch ran for Sylvester, to push the score to 3-1 in favor of the Rams.
Edgewood's defense kept it in the game with its offense leveling the playing field at 3-all after four complete innings. Pulek's bat was yet again responsible for an RBI, this time the game winner. Littlefield opened the fifth with a single down the left line and stole second. With one out on the board, Pulek singled to left center to bring in Littlefield.
Kim Crucioli stepped in the circle for Ali Yamakaitis for the remaining three innings. The combination of Crucioli and Suffolk's fielding, the Rams secured the 4-3 victory. Yamakaitis held Edgewood to five hits and three runs in the first four innings of play, striking out two. Crucioli faced 12 batters and allowed two hits in three innings of relief.
In the second game of the day, Taylor Holmes picked up right were she left off after the first day of the season, keeping Wooster (1-2) off the scoreboard in the 8-0 victory. Holmes twirled a complete-game shutout, allowing just five hits and two walks, while punching out one.
Suffolk broke a scoreless tie in the top of the second inning, where Morgan Parmeter reached base on an error by Wooster's third baseman Maddy Chase. With two outs, Evelyn Marquis singled to the shortstop to push Parmeter to second. Meredith Ball banged a ball up the middle to bring Parmeter home to score the game's first run.
The Rams nearly went through their entire lineup in the third. Sylvester and Pulek each singled up the middle and Frost followed suit, but this time she brought Littlefield, who pinch ran for Sylvester, in. After Parmeter popped up to second, McKenzie McGrath singled to left field and Lindsay Pagano's two RBI single pushed the lead to 4-0 in the third.
Suffolk added two more runs in the fourth and fifth, respectively, and Holmes sat down the Rylee Bouillion and the Rams fielders took care of the final two outs to seal the 8-0 win.
