May 9, 2008

Box Score

Albany, N.Y. - Junior Molly Kestranek (St. Mary's, Ga.) went 3-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored as the Stony Brook softball team topped No. 1 University at Albany, 7-2, Friday at Albany Field. With the win, Stony Brook advances to the championship game. No. 2 Boston University will play No. 4 UMBC later today for the right to play Albany, with the winner of that game facing Stony Brook in the final game Saturday at noon.

The Seawolves came out of the gate aggressively with sophomore Vicki Kavitsky (Cherry Hill, N.J.) stealing second after reaching base on a fielder's choice. Two batters later, junior Marissa Fleury (Mahopac, N.Y.) lined a single to left, scoring Kavitsky and giving the Seawolves an early 1-0 lead.

Stony Brook kept the pressure on in the second inning with Kestranek hitting a leadoff home run over the leftfield fence. Sophomore Casey Jacobs (Davie, Fla.) followed that with a walk and junior Kelly Oberto (Spring Lake Heights, N.J.) singled to center putting runners on first and second. After a single by senior Ashley Westphal (Huntington Beach, Calif.) loaded the bases, Kavitsky hit a sacrifice fly to right to score the Seawolves second run of the game.

In the bottom of the third, the Seawolves strung together five-straight singles to score twice more, highlighted by RBI by Oberto and sophomore Crista Cerrone (Floral Park, N.Y.).

Junior Kelsi Fanelli (Audubon, N.J.) led off the fourth inning for the Seawolves with a solo-homer to right centerfield. Stony Brook added another run in the fifth as Oberto scored from third on a passed ball.

Sophomore Alyssa Struzenberg (Cooper City, Fla.) did a great job of keeping the Great Danes in check, allowing just two hits over the first four innings of the game. Albany rallied in the fifth scoring its first run of the game on an RBI single by Megan Butsch. The Great Danes then loaded the bases with just one out, but Struzenberg handled a hard liner back to the mound to record the second out of the inning at home and then got the next batter to pop out to short to end the inning.

Albany pushed another run across in the sixth to pull within five, but Struzenberg retired the side in order in the seventh to end the game, 7-2.

Due to the double-elimination setup of the Championship, the Seawolves will have two opportunities tomorrow to clinch the America East Championship.