Weehawken, N.J. – Stockton University (1-3) suffered a pair of close defeats in a road doubleheader at Stevens (5-1). The Ospreys outhit their opponents in each game but fell 5-4 in eight innings and 5-3.
Caitlin Cetrulo (Caldwell/James Caldwell) led Stockton with five hits on the day.
In the first game,
Emily Spencer (Southampton/Seneca) went 2-5 with a double and two runs.
Megan Sears (Oakland/Indian Hills) contributed two hits, two runs and two RBI. Cetrulo and
Aubrey Jeffers (Lumberton/Rancocas Valley) knocked two hits apiece.
Stockton jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first as Spencer scored on an error and Cetrulo scored on an RBI single by Sears. The Ducks tallied the next four runs of the game for a 4-2 count after four innings.
Sears brought Spencer home with a sacrifice fly to make it 4-3 in the fifth frame and later scored the tying run on a clutch RBI single by Jeffers with two outs in the top of the seventh. After the Ospreys came up empty in the top of the eighth, Stevens won it 5-4 on a walkoff single in the bottom half.
Freshman pitcher
Lexi Liquori (Union/Union) made an impressive college debut out of the bullpen. Liquori allowed no earned runs and just two hits while striking out two and walking none in three innings, however she absorbed the loss as the tiebreaker runner scored for Stevens in the eighth frame.
Stockton outhit Stevens by a wide 13-5 margin in the second game but could not capitalize and left 12 runners on base. Cetrulo led the attack with three hits followed by Spencer with two hits, including a double, plus Jeffers with two hits and two RBI and two hits from Sears.
Kayla Dollard (Egg Harbor Twp./EHT) made her first career start in the outfield and stroked her first two college hits to go with a run and a stolen base.
Megan Dignam (Philadelphia, Pa./Nazareth Academy) also contributed two hits.
Stevens jumped in front 3-0 with three runs in the first inning, but the Ospreys fought back to tie the game. In the third stanza, a two-run single by Jeffers scored Cetrulo and Sears to make it 3-2. Dollard came home for an unearned run in the fourth inning to knot the game 3-3.
The Ducks went back on top 4-3 in the bottom of the fourth and scored once in the fifth for the 5-3 final. Stockton stranded two runners on base in five of its seven offensive turns.
Stockton will travel to Virginia next week to face a pair of ranked opponents. The Ospreys will play at No. 13 Virginia Wesleyan on Tuesday at 2:00/4:00 p.m. and at No. 10 Randolph-Macon on Thursday at 2:00/4:00 p.m.
