FLEMINGTON, N.J. - The Gators got a late start to the 2021 season due to COVID-19 related issues. Combine that with their third straight, of four road trips to begin the campaign, and it appears the softball team is still trying to find it's groove. Cairn University swept today's doubleheader where rain sprinkled in periodically, 8-0 (5 innings) and 16-0 (5 innings). NDMU (1-5, 1-5) remains in eighth place in the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC). However, the gap between eighth, and the all-important fifth place to get into the playoffs widened with Cairn (7-9, 5-3) moving into fifth place over Rosemont. (4-4, 4-4).
Game 1
One of the best table setters in the conference,
Maci Lopez, led off the game with a single. Her 2-for-2 effort in game one elevated her season batting average to tops in the CSAC, and after game two, her average sits at .615. Lopez' .688 on-base percentage also is best in conference. Unfortunately, her two hits were only two of three the Gators could muster in the first game of the day.
It was a pitcher's duel for a while in this contest as
Jessie Leatherwood was on point early. The score was 2-0 in favor of Cairn after four innings. One of the two runs were unearned and the Highlanders had scattered just five hits to this point.
Leatherwood had struck out two and walked four, but Cairn's bats started to heat up in the fifth. Seven hits, including two triples, had Cairn scratch across six runs making it 8-0, and sealing the first game for the Highlanders.
Game 2
The struggles at the end of game one carried over into game two with Cairn setting the tone, leading off with a triple. Four triples and a double in the inning contributed to eight runs scored in the home half of the first. Jessie Leatherwood would settle in a bit in the second inning retiring the side after a giving up a leadoff single.
Miranda Burton threw out the runner trying to steal second, while Leatherwood picked up a K, and then assisted with a putout to quickly get out of the second frame.
The left-handed sophomore continued pitching well in the third, inducing a soft ground ball handled by
Kayla Grube at 1B, then a strikeout looking. But costly errors would put the game out of reach. Cairn plated five runs in the third inning, all with two outs. Only one of those runs would be charged to Leatherwood, four unearned. The score stood 13-0 after three.
The Gators scattered five hits in this one, but went three-up, three-down, with three ground outs in the top of the fourth. Senior,
Rena Dyson, who saw her first pitching action in Wednesday night's game at Keystone, would take to the pitchers circle to start the Highlanders half of the fourth. She recorded three outs and didn't allow a hit. But six walks would aid in plating three more highlander runs.
Leading off the fifth, Junior,
Andreina Franco-Ramos got her first hit of the season, a single back up the middle to center. After two outs, Maci Lopez singled to left, then stole second putting two Gators in scoring position. With a chance to erase the shutout,
Angelica Medina put the ball in play, but would result in a ground out beating her by a half step, ending the game at 16-0.
Next up
The Gators are back on the road this Monday, April 19
th, heading to Cedar Crest College. The Falcons are 6-2 overall and in conference, and will host Centenary on Saturday. In their most recent action, they split a doubleheader with Wilson College last weekend. First pitch of game one of the double header is at 3:00pm. Notre Dame of Maryland split with Cedar Crest in 2015 and 2016, but the Falcons have won the last six meetings between the squads.
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