Heidelberg’s Seventh Inning Stings Softball, 8-3

CLERMONT, Fla. – With a tied 3-all game in the top of the seventh, Heidelberg's bats came alive and put up five runs, which proved too much ground for Suffolk softball to make up as it fell to the Student Princes, 8-3, Thursday afternoon at Legends Way at The Spring Games. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 3 | Heidelberg 8
RECORDS: Suffolk (6-5) | Heidelberg (4-3)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• On a shallow fly ball to first off Julia Mills' bat Ava Lanza tagged up on third and ran in. Thankfully the throw from the first baseman was offline and Lanza slid into home to give the Rams a 1-0 lead in the first. Suffolk's baseman reached on a fielder's choice and landed on third when Catherine Carignan knocked a double to left center. 
• Suffolk added to its advantage in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs and Lily Newhall on first after she reached on a fielder's choice, Roma Braid laced a deep double down the left field line that brought Newhall in to give the Rams a 2-0 edge. 
• Heidelberg started to figure out Cynthia Rucinski in the circle in the top of the sixth. Back-to-back base hits put two ducks in the pond. Cara Meyer's deep ball to the right field fence, good for a triple, cleared the bags and locked things at 2-all. The damage did not stop as a fielder's choice, walk and sac bunt put runners in scoring position for the Student Princes with two outs. A fielding mishap when Adyson Bowe put the ball in play allowed the go-ahead run to come in and put Suffolk in a 3-2 hole. 
• The Rams responded in the home half of the inning. Dana Still barreled an infield single and swiped second to get into scoring position. Lanza plated the tying run on a double to left to even things at 3-3 as the game headed to the seventh.
• Rucinski was one out away from bringing up the blue-and-gold bats, but Hannah Hashm had other things in mind when she stung a single to right center. Meyer came up big once again for Heidelberg as she barreled another deep ball to the outfield, this time to the center field fence, to give the visitors their first lead of the day. The two-out rally continued for the Student Princes as three more base hits resulted in four more runs to make it a five-run, 8-3 margin. 
• Kamryn Rastigue came in to twirl and commanded the circle as she retired the circle to seal Suffolk's setback.  

PITCHERS PICTURE

• Rucinski took the loss as she let up eight runs, seven earned, on 10 hits and three walks with five strikeouts in the complete-game performance. 
• Haley Gockstetter picked up the win behind a three-run, two-earned, nine-hit, two-walk, four-punchout effort over 6.0 innings. 
• Kamryn Rastigue closed for the Student Princes and tossed 1.0 inning of scoreless, hitless release. The closer needed just five pitches to retire the Rams and wrap up the game.  

STATISTICALY SPEAKING

• Still supplied a 2-for-2 plate performance with one run and one walk. 
• Lanza added two hits as well with one double to go along with one RBI and one run scored. 
• Carignan chipped in two hits included one double. 
• Braid registered one hit, a double, and one RBI. 
• Mills notched one hit, a double, and one RBI on a sac fly. 

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk and Heidelberg met for the second time, first since March 12, 2013. 
• Both battles between the Rams and Student Princes have taken place on neutral diamonds in Clermont, Florida. 
• Jolie Quintana (6 games, 8 hits), Lanza, four games, 8 hits), Carignan (4 games, 6 hits) and Mills (8 games, 14 hits) extended their hit streaks. 
• Still recorded a career-high two hits.  

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk concludes its Spring Training trip this afternoon against Haverford.