USMMA Sweeps Season-Ending Twinbill

KINGS POINT, N.Y. - The United States Merchant Marine Academy softball team ended its season on a winning note after sweeping a doubleheader against Baruch College on Sunday afternoon. The Mariners won both games by scores of 6-0 and 4-3. Jesselyn LaValley pitched her third shutout of the season in game one, and Marjorie Marino was the winning pitcher in the final outing of her career in the second game. Eight of the ten Mariner runs were scored with two outs.

USMMA concluded its season 15-23-1 overall. Baruch dropped to 19-21 overall with the losses, and will compete in the CUNY Tournament this week as the third seed.

“We ended on a positive note, which was good,” said head coach Cassie Arroyo after the games. “I think we played pretty well in these last four games, and we did what we tried to do the entire season.”

Karen Taylor, Kaitlyn Robbins and Cheyanne Loppnow each had two hits and an RBI in the first game to pace the Mariner offense. Both of Loppnow’s hits were doubles, while Marino had an RBI triple. Alexandra Orrico had a double for Baruch, while Ashley Brandow and Sonia Sendoya each had a single.

USMMA took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, and both runs were scored with two outs. Loppnow led off with a double. After two outs were recorded, Taylor singled in Loppnow and advanced to second on an error by the center fielder. Dawber came all the way around from first and scored an unearned run on the play. The next batter fanned to end the inning.

The Mariners added two more runs in the third to go ahead 4-0. For the second straight inning, both runs were scored with two outs. Robbins started the hit parade with a single to left field. She scored on the next play when Loppnow doubled down the left field line. Marino then tripled down the right field line on a ball that sent the chalk flying to plate Loppnow. The next batter struck out swinging to end the inning.

USMMA added two more runs for the third straight inning to take a 6-0 lead in the fourth. With one out, Taylor doubled to center field. Thornhill then sliced one past the shortstop for a single that advanced Taylor to second. She stole second, and Jen Swanson drew a walk to load the bases. LaValley came up and hit a bloop single into left field. Taylor scored and Swanson advanced to second on the play. Thornhill, who stayed close to the second base bag in case the ball was caught, was thrown out at third on the force play for the inning’s second out. Robbins then doubled in LaValley, but the next batter struck out swinging to record the third out.

LaValley kept her no-hitter going through 4 1/3 innings and kept the Bearcat batters in check the rest of the way. The Mariners held on for the 6-0 win.

LaValley improved to 8-5 with the win. She also recorded her third shutout of the season. She struck out seven batters and only gave up three hits and one walk. Andrea Tepfer of Baruch fell to 12-7 with the loss. The ace struck out seven, but surrendered 10 hits, five earned runs and three walks.

Loppnow and Marino had two hits to pace the Mariner offense in the second game. LaValley hit her tenth home run of the season in the fifth to tie the game up at 3-3, and Swanson delivered the game-winning hit an inning later on a jack that traveled deep to left center. Baruch was led by Melissa Pena, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI and an inside the park home run to start the game.

Baruch took a 1-0 lead early on Pena’s inside the park home run which traveled to deep center field. After Loppnow flew over the fence, Dawber came in and made a strong effort to get the ball in and keep Pena on third with a triple. However, Pena was able to make it all the way around to give the Bearcats a one-run advantage.

After the Mariners left the bases loaded in the second, the Bearcats added another run in the top of the third to go up 2-0. Sendoya singled to right to start the inning.

Pena then came up and singled to center, and Sendoya looked to plate another run for Baruch. Loppnow’s throw to third to gun down Sendoya went past Thornhill, so Sendoya tried to score. However, Marino was backing up Thornhill and fired a throw to Swanson at the plate. Swanson successfully applied the tag to keep the Bearcats off the scoreboard on the play.

Lillian Gaton then singled in Pena on the next play to put Baruch ahead, 2-0. Marino got out of any further trouble afterwards when Cynthia Duran grounded out to Robbins at short to end the inning.

The Mariners responded with two runs in the bottom of the third to tie the game at 2-2. Thornhill led off the inning with a single. Swanson came up and reached on a fielder’s choice. After the next batter was retired for the second out, Robbins reached on an error by the shortstop, and Loppnow hit a single to center field on the next play to score Swanson. Marino then singled in Swanson to tie the game up. The next batter struck out swining to end the inning, but the Mariners were back in the game.

Baruch took a 3-2 lead with a run in the top of the fifth, but the Mariners answered once again with a run in the bottom half of the same inning. LaValley’s league leading tenth home run of the season to right center was good for the equalizer to tie the game at 3-3.

Baruch threatened to regain the lead in the top of the sixth against Marino. The Bearcats put two runners in scoring position with two outs, but Sendoya fouled out to Swanson to end the inning and keep the score tied.

The Mariners took their first lead of the game in the bottom half of the sixth. Dawber reached on an error by the third baseman to lead off the inning. She was sacrificed over to second by Taylor on the next play. After the second out was recorded on the next play, Swanson hit a bomb to left field which plated Dawber. The next batter flied out, but the damage had been done.

Marino took the hill for the very last time of her career in the seventh to try and seal the win. She sat down the first two batters. Isibella Lluveras then singled on the next play to keep the inning alive. Gaton came up to try and keep the inning going, and hit a rocket at Taylor. However, Taylor made the catch to end the game.

Marino improved to 5-8 this season with the victory. She struck out four and gave up nine runs, two earned runs and a walk.

“It was good (to see Marjie win her last game),” added Arroyo. “She has had a couple of rough outings this year, but she pitched well today and deserved to win.”

Lynn Schiano took the loss for the Bearcats. She struck out two and only gave up one earned run in the game. She also surrendered nine hits.

Marino, Kaitlin Mulgrew and Thornhill were all honored for their contributions to the program before the first game. After the second game, the trio led the crowd in the singing of the Academy’s alma mater. The day was completed with an annual tradition where the seniors get to round the bases for the very last time to a song of their choice. Marino went around to P.O.D.’s “Alive,” Mulgrew rounded the bases to Rascal Flatt’s “Life is a Highway,” and Thornhill took her last trip with Garth Brooks’ “Standing Outside the Fire” playing in the background.

“We have a lot of good people coming back, and we also have a lot of good kids coming in next year,” said Arroyo. “Hopefully they’ll mix in well (with our returners) and allow us to generate more wins next year,” said Arroyo.

USMMA will return six of their nine starters next season, and five of the top seven hitters this spring will also be back in the lineup. Two of the three pitchers, including the ace of the staff for the past two years, will also be back in a Mariner uniform. With a good blend of core returners and talented newcomers, the Mariners should be primed to make a run at improving their win total and earning a bid to the Landmark Conference Tournament next spring.