TAMPA, Fla. - Colgate softball was dominant in Saturday's doubleheader, taking down Boston College 7-4 and beating Marist 6-1 in the nightcap at the USF Softball Stadium.
Pitching ruled the day for the Raiders. Kelcie McGraw pitched a complete game against Boston College, and Alexa Acker followed suit with five strong innings of her own.Â
On the offensive side, three Raiders homered, with Marina Taveras hitting a grand slam, her fourth long ball of the season, to propel Colgate to a Game 2 victory. Analisa Raffaelli and Nora Megenity also homered, as the Raiders logged 20 hits on the afternoon.
COACH LAMISON-MYERS' COMMENTS
"It was a great bounce back after a tough stretch of games. I am so proud of the way we played a complete game from offense to defense and our pitching had what it took today. This was a total team effort! Great energy in the dugout impacted the performance on the field."
Game 1 | Colgate 7, Boston College 4
McGraw limited the damage to one after a leadoff triple in the first for Boston College. In the bottom of the frame, Taveras took advantage of two base hits and leveled the score with an RBI groundout, but that was all that Colgate would muster, stranding runners on the corners.
Colgate would grab the lead in the second when Megenity smacked a two-run home run, her third of the season, to put Colgate up 3-1.Â
Taveras drove in her second of the game an inning later, bringing in Lily Haluska on a triple to extend the Raider lead to three. Taveras would come around to score on a Mia Cascio double to make it 5-1.
McGraw faced plenty of traffic in the first four innings, yielding six base hits, but was very effective, holding the Eagles to a single run. However, Boston College would start to chip away, adding an unearned run in the fifth to make it 5-2.
The Raiders knocked in an important insurance run in the fifth, as Martin scored on an error to bring the lead back to four. They'd add another in the sixth when Raffaelli hit an inside the park home run, her fourth round-tripper of the season, stretching the lead to 7-2.
Boston College would score two in the seventh, but the Raiders held on to win 7-4 and take the Saturday opener behind a complete-game, six-strikeout performance for McGraw. It was the third win and third complete game of the season for the first-year hurler.
Colgate's offense also thrived, registering 11 hits, with eight batters reaching base in the win, highlighted by Megenity, who homered in a 2-4 performance that raised her batting average to .326, and Raffaelli, who went 2-3 with a home run, a double, and a walk.
Game 2 | Colgate 6, Marist 1
Acker dominated early on the mound, holding Marist scoreless early, before Colgate exploded in the bottom of the third. An RBI walk for Haluska loaded the bases for Taveras, who launched a grand slam to left to give the Raiders 5-0 lead in Game 2.Â
The Red Foxes would get on the board in the fifth, when Peyton Pusey drove in Sienn Kunze on a groundout, but the Raider defense, which was strong all day, limited the damage to one as Acker continued to shut down Marist. She would finish the day with five one-run innings before handing the ball to Maya Servedio.
Colgate would add on in the fifth when Cascio singled in Haluska to give the Raiders a five-run lead.
Servidio took control, shutting down Marist the rest of the way and giving Colgate a 6-1 victory to sweep the doubleheader.
Acker took home the win for Colgate, allowing only one run over five strong innings. Megenity continued her strong day, going 3-4 with a double. Taveras, whose grand slam proved to be the difference, went 1-3 with four RBI.
UP NEXT
The Raiders (5-9) close out the South Florida Showdown on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. with a matchup against South Florida.
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