WATERBURY, Conn. – Although Post University Softball would be shut out in game two of their Thursday afternoon doubleheader against Southern New Hampshire University at home, 5-3, it came after a theatrical back-and-forth game one that saw the Eagles snap a nine-game losing streak against the Penmen in walk-off fashion.
For the second time in less than 24 hours across Post Athletics, it was a walk-off walk issued to graduate infielder
Nyla Sapia that gave the Eagles a 6-5 victory, after Post University Baseball walked off the same way last night against Felician University at home. The Eagles overcame a pair of deficits, 2-0 in the sixth, and 5-4 in the seventh, to pick up the non-conference win at LaMoy Field, heading back into conference play against the University of Bridgeport tomorrow afternoon at home.
THE BASICS
Post University 6, Southern New Hampshire University 5
Post University 3, Southern New Hampshire University 5
Post University (6-21)
Southern New Hampshire University (17-11)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1: Post University 6, Southern New Hampshire University 5
After the first four innings saw junior right-handers Julianna Colbert and
Allysa Calabrese duel to a scoreless tie, it was the Penmen who got on the board with a pair of runs and only one out. Before that, both sides had just a combined three hits with Southern New Hampshire getting two in the top of the third, which was a one-out, runners on the corners jam that Calabrese escaped.
Colbert's one hit allowed was in the fourth when sophomore outfielder
Isabella Oliver attempted to sacrifice sophomore infielder
Alexandra Bisceglia over the second, but reached first safely on a dive attempt by senior infielder Abby Lineman. Colbert would retire the next three Eagle hitters, ending her start, allowing no runs on one hit with eight strikeouts and a walk.
After sophomore outfielder Alyssa Abbott doubled in one run and senior infielder Peyton Feldman sacrificed in another run, sophomore right-hander Meghan O'Boyle looked to secure the game one win for the Penmen, but ran into trouble in the sixth. Walking the first two batters and eventually loading the bases, Sapia hit a two-run single to tie the game at two, before graduate catcher
Sydney Jones gave Post the lead with her two-run double on the first pitch of her at-bat with two outs.
But finding a way against sophomore right-hander
Meghan McGurk, three consecutive hits, including a two-run double by junior infielder Kaysie DeMoura, allowed Southern New Hampshire to tie things back up at four, with nobody out still. Graduate right-hander
Katelyn Lipsky would relieve McGurk, getting the next three batters out, but junior outfielder Mikaya Alto's sacrifice fly resulted in the Penmen pulling ahead by one, 5-4, meaning the Eagles would need another comeback.
Post would do just that as a one-out single by Bisceglia started the rally, in which they loaded the bases with two outs, before Calabrese reached safely on a Lineman error, tying the game at five. O'Boyle would proceed to work her way into a 3-2 count, walking Sapia with the bases loaded, as the Eagles completed the comeback win with a 6-5 victory to start the afternoon.
Game 2: Post University 3, Southern New Hampshire University 5
Five runs, all off Lipsky, would be all the Penmen needed to force a doubleheader split, holding off a late comeback by the Eagles in the 5-3 victory. It was DeMoura who got the scoring started in the first with her RBI single off the graduate right-hander, while two more runs came across on an RBI single from Alto in the third.
Alto would end up finishing with three RBIs after walking in the fifth inning to plate another run with the bases loaded, while senior outfielder Sidney Rose singled in the fifth and final run Southern New Hampshire had in the affair. Meanwhile, freshman right-hander Sophie Roussel earned her first win in the circle this year, allowing three unearned runs in the seventh on nine hits with three strikeouts, three walks, a wild pitch, and throwing 124 pitches overall.
With two outs in the seventh, sophomore infielder
Angelica Tompkins started the Eagle rally with a double, followed by an infield hit for freshman infielder
Haley DiBona, before the Penmen had a chance to end the game, as sophomore infielder Livi Sousa extended the game with her two-out error at second, scoring the first run of the frame for Post. Following a two-run double from Sapia, Roussel would be relieved by sophomore right-hander Julia Parise, as she would earn a save, forcing Jones, the tying run, to ground out for the final out.
BY THE NUMBERS
- The walk-off win for Post University was its first walk-off win since March 15th, 2024, when the Eagles took down Ursuline College in eight innings, 5-4, during their spring break trip
- Allysa Calabrese had her best start of the season in the circle for Post University, allowing just two runs on six hits with three walks, two strikeouts, and two extra-base hits allowed across 5 1/3 innings
- So far this season, Post University holds a 6-3 record when committing no fielding errors in a game – The Eagles played clean ball in game one of the twin bill, before having one error in the game two loss
- The game one victory for Post University snapped a nine-game losing streak for the Eagles in the all-time series against Southern New Hampshire University and was only the second win in the head-to-head, which started in 2010
WHO'S NEXT
Heading back into conference play, Post University faces the University of Bridgeport at home tomorrow afternoon with its third doubleheader of the week, starting at 2:00 PM. The Eagles have lost nine consecutive games to the Purple Knights since the 2018 season and 10 of their last 11 overall.
