SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Erin Leddy (Great Mills, Md./St. Mary's Ryken) knocked in four runs including the go-ahead run in the eighth to lift Mount St. Mary's past Bryant 12-5 in the opener of a Northeast Conference (NEC) softball doubleheader on Saturday. The Bulldogs won the nightcap 5-2 in six innings after the game was called due to darkness.

Leddy went 3-for-4 with four RBIs in the opener and was a key part of the Mount (8-21, 2-4 NEC) victory. Trailing 3-1, the junior smacked a three-run homer to give Mount St. Mary's a 5-3 lead and then plated the decisive run with an RBI single down the left field line in the eighth inning.  

Liz Christiansen (Etters, Pa./Red Land) added a grand slam in the eighth inning of the first game and posted a hit and an RBI in the nightcap. Holly Buckel (Finksburg, Md./North Carroll) added two hits, two runs scored and an RBI while Rachel Teti (Mount Airy, Md./Linganore) had three hits, including her first collegiate home run on the day.

Madeline Velasquez fueled the Bulldogs (7-15, 1-1 NEC) with four hits, two RBIs and two runs scored while Laura Bowen registered a 4-for-4 performance with two RBIs and a run scored in the opener.

In the opener, the Mount rallied from a 3-1 deficit to take the lead before winning the game in eight innings 12-5.

After Bryant tied the game in the bottom of the sixth thanks to solo home runs by Bowen and Aubrey Mable, the Mountaineers scored seven times in the eighth to come away with the victory.

Teti led off the eighth with a walk and Bre Lohman (Sharpsburg, Md./Boonsboro) reached on a fielder's choice before Leddy gave Mount St. Mary's the lead for a good on a single down the left field line. An error on the play also plated Lohman for a 7-5 lead. After Leddy was tagged out at the plate when Alexa Tuck (Chester, Va./Thomas Dale) reached on a fielder's choice, Chloe Mizianty (Carlsbad, Calif./Carlsbad) walked and touched home on Buckel's opposite field double. Alyssa Silipino (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) walked to load the bases before Christiansen belted a 1-2 pitch over the center field fence for a grand slam for her 20th career homer and a 12-5 lead.

The Mountaineers jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second when Teti drilled her first collegiate round tripper on a 1-0 pitch.

The Bulldogs answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning thanks to one run scoring on an error and a bases load walk by Bowen. Bryant added a run in the third on Kendall Corder's RBI single to right center for a 3-1 edge.

Mount St. Mary's answered in the sixth to take a 5-3 lead. Katy Bobbitt (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim) walked and touched home on Kelly Hickman's (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) double. After Teti then reached on a single down the left field line to put runners at the corners, Leddy smacked a three-run homer to left field on a 1-2 pitch for a two-run lead. The Bulldogs then set the game into extra innings thanks to back-to-back homers in the sixth, but the Mount used a seven-run eighth to earn its second NEC win of the year.

Danni Cummings (Owings, Md./Northern) picked up her second win of the season after allowing three hits in the final 2.2 innings with two strikeouts. Nicole Pagano (Berlin, N.J./St. Joseph) allowed five runs on six hits with three strikeouts in 5.1 innings pitched.

In the nightcap, Bryant scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning and went on for a 5-2 win in six innings.

In the bottom of the first, Velasquez tied the game at 1 on a single through the left side and then Christina Eringis nailed a two-run homer for a 3-1 lead. The Bulldogs added two runs in the third on a Mable run-scoring triple to right center and a Velasquez RBI single to right center for a 5-1 advantage.

Cat Clifford (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay) trimmed the margin to 5-2 after she smacked a solo homer in the fourth, but the Mountaineers could get no closer and the game was called after six innings due to darkness.

The Mount jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the game after Buckel was hit by the pitch and came around to score of Christiansen's RBI double.

Amanda Sadowl (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) took the loss after allowing five runs on five hits three innings with two strikeouts. Cummings came in relief and allowed three hits in two innings.

Mount St. Mary's returns to action on Sunday at Central Connecticut State. First pitch is 12 p.m.