Softball Ends Season In Grand Fashion; Hickman's Grand Slam Lifts Mount To Split With LIU

Game 2
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
LIU Brooklyn (22-33, 13-7)	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	6	0
Mount St. Mary's (17-34, 8-12)	0	0	0	4	0	0	X	4	5	1
@ Emmitsburg, Md. | Meadows Field

Pitching
Win: Nicole Pagano (11-11) - Mount St. Mary's
Loss: REYNOLDS, Sarah (7-19) - LIU Brooklyn

LIU Brooklyn Batting
2B: CERVANTES, Karina; KAKUSKA, Emily
3B: none
HR: none

Mount St. Mary's Batting
2B: Liz Christiansen
3B: none
HR: Kelly Hickman

full stats

Game 1
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
LIU Brooklyn (22-32, 13-6)	1	0	0	0	3	1	0	5	8	0
Mount St. Mary's (16-34, 7-12)	0	2	1	0	1	0	0	4	8	1
@ Emmitsburg, Md. | Meadows Field

Pitching
Win: SHEAF, Megan (6-7) - LIU Brooklyn
Loss: Amanda Sadowl (1-11) - Mount St. Mary's

LIU Brooklyn Batting
2B: SHIPP, Paris
3B: none
HR: HOHAM, Sterling

Mount St. Mary's Batting
2B: Kelly Hickman
3B: none
HR: Liz Christiansen

full stats

EMMITSBURG, Md. – Kelly Hickman (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) smacked a grand slam to lift Mount St. Mary's past LIU Brooklyn 4-3 in the second game of a Northeast Conference (NEC) softball doubleheader on Saturday. The Blackbirds won the opener, 5-4.

With the bases loaded, Hickman drilled a 1-0 pitch over the left field fence to erase a 2-0 deficit and give the Mount (17-34, 8-12 NEC) the lead for good on her first collegiate homer. The junior went 2-for-5 in the two games with two runs scored and four RBIs.

Liz Christiansen (Etters, Pa./Red Land) posted three hits on the day, including her team-leading ninth home run of the year. Cat Clifford (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay) added three hits and two runs scored on the day while Taylor Beebe (Olympia, Wash./Capital) had two hits, an RBI and a run scored in the opener. Nicole Pagano (Berlin, N.J./St. Joseph) picked up her 11th win of the year in the nightcap after allowing three runs (one earned) on six hits with six strikeouts in a complete-game effort.

Karina Cervantes paced LIU Brooklyn (22-33, 13-7 NEC) with five hits and four runs scored while Sterling Hoham registered two hits, including a three-run homer in the opener.

LIU Brooklyn was playing for the No. 2 seed in the NEC Tournament next weekend, but Hickman had something to say about the Blackbirds seeding and helped push LIU Brooklyn to the No. 3 seed. It marks the second year in a row the Mountaineers have affected the NEC Tournament after the squad eliminated Monmouth from the postseason contention in 2011.

Trailing 2-0 in the fourth, Maria Santiago (Buena, N.J./Buena Regional) started the rally after being hit in the helmet. With one out, Clifford walked and Lindsey Ruhle (Wanaque, N.J./Lakeland Regional) loaded the bases on a line-drive single to center. Hickman then took the second offering that she saw over the left field fence to give the Mountaineers the lead for good at 4-2.

The Blackbirds scored a run in the fifth on a Paris Shipp sacrifice fly to center on a nice catch by Erin Leddy (Great Mills, Md./St. Mary's Ryken) to trim the margin to 4-3. Emily Kakuska hit a pinch hit double in the seventh with one out, but a pop out and a strikeout ended the game.

LIU Brooklyn took a 2-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a Mount St. Mary's error. Madison Zymkowitz hit an RBI single and Nichole Toven scored on a wild pitch to give the Blackbirds the early lead before Hickman's first career homer in the fourth gave the Mount the victory.

While the Mountaineers rallied for the victory in the nightcap, it was LIU Brooklyn who came from behind to earn the win in the opener.

Trailing 3-1, Hoham hit a three-run homer in the fifth to give the Blackbirds a 4-3 edge.

The Mount answered in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at 4. Clifford reached on an infield single and touched home on a wild pitch.

LIU Brooklyn scored the decisive run in the sixth when Cervantes scored from first on a gap double to right center by Shipp to give the Blackbirds the 5-4 win.

Mount St. Mary's threatened in the seventh after Clifford singled and Ruhle walked. Pinch runner Kendra Hayward (Kingston, Pa./Coughlin ) went to third on the walk thanks to a passed ball to put runners at first and third with two outs. Beebe hit a bloop over the pitcher's head, but the shortstop was able to throw out Beebe in time to end the game.

The Blackbirds grabbed a 1-0 lead in the game in the first inning when Cervantes scored on an error. In the inning, LIU Brooklyn tried to push another run across on a bunt, but Mount St. Mary's was able to get a double play by recording outs at first and home.

The Mount responded with two runs in the second. Hickman led off the inning with a double to left field and came around to score of Beebe's single through the right side. Chloe Mizianty (Carlsbad, Calif./Carlsbad) brought home Beebe on a single through the left side to give the Mount a 2-1 edge.

Christiansen then drilled an opposite field homer to give the Mountaineers a 3-1 edge. LIU Brooklyn scored four of the final five runs to come away with the win.

Amanda Sadowl (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) took the loss in the first game after pitching the first 6.1 innings while Danni Cummings (Owings, Md./Northern) registered the final two outs.

Beebe finished her career as the all-time leader in program history in walks (72) while ranking second (34), third in runs scored (93) and seventh in games played (172). Sadowl ends her career third in games pitched (98), sixth in wins (24), sixth in innings pitched (439.2) and ninth in strikeouts (181). The day also marked the final collegiate contests for Mizianty.

Mount St. Mary's finished the season 17-34 and 8-12 in league play.