Box Score
AMHERST, Mass.—The Big Red softball team started off well in its first game of the NCAA tournament, but No. 24 Massachusetts proved to be too much for Cornell and picked up an 8-0 six-inning win. Cornell totaled four hits, while the Minutewomen had 10. In the double elimination first round, Cornell will play Sacred Heart on Saturday afternoon.
Alyson Intihar, Elise Menaker, Meg Risica and Devon March notched hits for the Big Red. Sophomore Elizabeth Dalrymple pitched five innings and notched four strikeouts in the loss. Classmate Ali Tomlinson had two strikeouts in the last inning.
UMass was led by Mollica, who went 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBI. Samantha Salato notched a two-run homer, while Serio was 2-for-3 at the plate. Brandice Balschmiter struck out nine Cornell batters and moves to 32-4 for the season.
The Big Red led off the game batting as the visiting team against the Minutewomen. UMass pitcher Brandice Balchmiter held the Big Red hitless retiring three-straight batters. Sophomore hurler Elizabeth Dalrymple followed suit with a strikeout, a ground out, and fly ball that Risica caught in centerfield.
Balchmiter struck out three-straight Big Red batters in the second inning. Darlymple retired the first two Minutewomen she faced before walking the next two batters. Risica ran in to make her third catch from centerfield to end the inning and keep the game scoreless.
With one out in the top of the third, junior Vanessa Leonhard hit a hard ground ball to short stop and reached base when the UMass shortstop bobbled the ball. Freshman Katie Watts came in to run for the Big Red on first base. Devon March looked to be hit by a pitch, but the umpire ruled that it came off the end of her bat on a check swing putting the count at 0-2. March notched the first hit of the game, tapping the ball over shortstop. Alyson Intihar followed with a line drive that dropped into leftfield to load the bases. Freshman Cassie Walisiak attempted a suicide squeeze, but with a called strike UMass picked off Watts at third base for the second out of the game. Balchmi handed Walisiak strike three to end the inning.
With the momentum in its favor, the Minutewomen were able to figure out Dalrymple in the third, scoring twice to grab the lead. The sophomore hurler struck out the first batter in the bottom of the inning on a 3-2 count before three consecutive hits plated the two runs. Carly Normandin launched a deep ball to left centerfield. Risica dove to try and make a spectacular catch, but the ball dropped in and the fast running Normandin headed to third base for a triple. Williams then doubled just out of the reach of Risica again to score the first run, followed by a Mollica double to left center between the two outfielders to make it 2-0. Dalrymple got out of trouble with a flyout and a strike out to limit the damage.
Cornell ran itself out of a fourth-inning rally, as the Big Red had a pair of hard-hit singles erased on attempted steals of second, but UMass couldn't take advantage in the bottom of the frame despite a little two-out infield hit and a walk, as Dalrymple escaped trouble with a pop-out to end the inning.
Balschmiter made quick work of the Big Red in the fifth and sixth inning, as Balschmiter allowed just one baserunner, that coming on a hit batter. UMass was able to capitalize on the quick innings by extending the lead in the fifth. Samantha Salato crushed a 3-0 delivery with two outs and one on to extend the lead to 4-0. The Minutewomen got a lead-off double in the sixth by Serio off relief pitcher Ali Tomlinson, but after retiring consecutive hitters on strikeouts, UMass got an insurance run after a walk and a line drive single by Mollica, her third hit of the day, to make it 5-0. That lead grew to 6-0 when Sarah Reeves drove a pitch through the left side to score Whitney Williams from second. The home team loaded the bases with two outs, and Tomlinson walked in the Minutewomen's seventh and eighth run to end the game with a Minutewomen win.
The Big Red will play Sacred Heart at 5 p.m. on Saturday. The winner will play the loser of the No. 3 Washington vs. No. 24 Massachusetts at 7:30 p.m.
