The Dominican University softball team closed out its first undefeated spring trip to Fort Myers, Florida, picking up a pair of one-run wins on Saturday to go 12-0 at the 2017 Gene Cusic Classic. For the third time on the seven-day road trip, sophomore left-hander
Sydney Kuderna picked up the wins in both contests, improving to 9-2 on the season and lowering her ERA to 2.23.
The Stars, now 13-3 overall, will sit idle for two weeks before returning to the diamond on Saturday, March 25, with a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader against the North Park University Vikings. The twin bill closes out the non-conference portion of the Stars' 2017 schedule with Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play opening on March 30.
Game One: Dominican 3, Brockport 2
Alyssa Domico staked the Stars to a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning when she belted a home run over the fence in centerfield.
The Brockport Golden Eagles got one of those runs back in the top of the fourth, as Casey Danko homered to left-center. It was just the third hit to that point for Brockport off of Dominican sophomore
Sydney Kuderna who got the start in the circle.
The Stars tacked on an insurance run in the top of the fifth.
Abby Maike singled up the middle to lead off the frame. After Domico popped out and
Ali Woitovich laid down a sacrifice bunt,
Gabi Alfaro brought home Maike when she singled through the right side of the infield.
That run proved to be the difference as Brockport scored in the sixth when Danko doubled to bring home Alison Missavage. Fortunately for the Stars, Kuderna kept the lead in tact when she got the next two hitters to strand the tying run at second.
After the Stars went down in the top of the seventh, Dominican brought in freshman
Cat Klostermann for the save. The rookie got into a spot of trouble after walking the leadoff hitter and Stars' miscue in the field, when Maike gunned down the potential tying run at the plate for the second out of the inning. Klostermann then got Missavage to pop out for the final out of the game.
Kuderna scattered five hits and one walk over six innings while striking out three to pick up the win.
Offensively, the Stars managed six hits, one each for six different hitters.
Game Two: Dominican 6, Pitt.-Bradford 5
The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford Panthers were just the second team all week to take a lead on the Stars when the scored on an RBI single in the bottom of the first. The lead was short lived though thanks to freshman
Alena Valenzuela who blasted a three-run in the top of the second.
Dominican than added to its lead in the top of the third, stringing together three hits and an error. The big hit, a two-out single by
Marissa Burns that plated Domico to open a 4-1 lead.
After a scoreless fourth, Domico extended the Stars' lead to 6-1 when she roped her second home run of the day, this time a two-run shot with Maike aboard.
Pitt.-Bradford cut the Stars' down to three with a pair of runs off
Anissa Becker in the bottom of the sixth and then loaded the bases off Becker in the seventh before Kuderna returned to the circle. After a hit batter and a walk cut the Stars' lead to one, Kuderna got the final out of the game as Melissa Nye grounded back to the circle.
Kuderna worked 2.1 innings total over two relief appearances in the game to pick up the win. The lefty is now 9-2 in the circle with a 2.23 earned run average.
Offensively, Maike went 4-for-4 with a double while Alfaro and Burns collected two hits apiece.
