Murfreesboro, N.C. - Felician softball (3-5) made their return to the field after almost a month hiatus to compete in the Chowan University Hawks Classic Friday afternoon in North Carolina. In day one, the Golden Falcons faced off with Bowie State and tournament hosts to ultimately sweep both of them 10-3 and 3-2 respectively.
Game One vs. Bowie State
In their first inning back in action, the Golden Falcons put a quick run on the board to pile on nine more for the 10-3 game one victory over Bowie State Friday afternoon. The game one contest would record the first ever meeting between the green-and-gold and the Bulldogs.
Here's What Happened:
- Jenna O'Reilly (Suffern, N.Y.) ignited the day with a leadoff walk and eventually stole second to be sent home on an Alexis Velotta (Menifee, C.A.) right field single.
- The bats soon became hot for the green-and-gold when they tallied eight through two innings. In the bottom fourth, the Golden Falcons trailed the Bulldogs, 1-3, but with aggressive baserunning and capitalizing on Bulldog errors, the squad put runners on the bases to flip the score 4-3 in their favor.
- Mikayla Brown (Las Vegas, N.V.) clinched the lone double of the contest to start the fourth inning rally and then at bats by O'Reilly, Hannah Ramirez (Carson, C.A.), and Katie Steinmetz (Chula Vista, C.A. aiding in the lead advantage.
- Felician's five run inning happened in the bottom of the fifth when the Bulldogs committed three errors and three Golden Falcon hits.
Box Score Insights:
- O'Reilly went 2-2 at the plate with three walks and a RBI to lead the team in the victory. Velotta went 2-3 with two walks and two RBI while Brown went 3-4 with two runs.
- Riley Williams (Corona, C.A.) started in the circle for the green-and-gold and secured the victory after pitching a complete game of 7.0 innings and striking out three.
- As a unit, the Golden Falcons swiped seven bases – O'Reilly having two.
Game Two vs. Chowan University
Game two was a pitching duel between the teams. Chowan was able to get out in front early on a home run, but the Golden Falcons would bomb two of their own to eventually close out the day with their second victory over of the day after the 3-2 victory.
Here's What Happened:
- After the hosts would record their first run of the contest in bottom one, the Golden Falcons took all momentum from their Bowie State 11 hit performance and brought it to the plate as Steinmetz recorded her first home run of the season to tie, 1-1.
- By the top of the fourth inning, Alessandra Colon (North Brunswick, N.J.) made an effective pinch hitting appearance and secured a double to become the go-ahead run for the green-and-gold after a Mia Martinez (Bronx, N.Y. at bat), 2-1.
- Chowan tied it up once again in the bottom of the fourth on swift triple and a few Felician errors. However, Ramirez featured her first home run of her career to propel the Golden Falcons in front, 3-2, while Williams sealed the deal with three strike outs for the save.
Box Score Insights:
- Kylie Sharapan (Las Vegas, N.V.) took charge inside the circle for game two. She pitched 6.0 innings and struck out one to improve her record to 1-2 on the season.
- Steinmetz and Ramirez both went 1-3 with an RBI while Colon went 1-2 with a run.
The Golden Falcons will return to action bright and early tomorrow morning to once again face Bowie State at 9:00am and Saint Anselm at 1:00pm.