MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. – Colgate Softball scored 11 runs in the top of the seventh to complete a 16-9 comeback win over Illinois Chicago before resuming Friday's game against Monmouth and dropping a 4-3 decision Sunday afternoon at the Make it Happen tournament.
Game 1 | Colgate 16, Illinois-Chicago 9
Colgate erupted for 11 runs on eight hits in the top of the seventh. The Raiders batted around, sending 14 to the plate, and Lily Haluska homered twice in the inning to turn a 9-4 deficit into an 11-4 victory.
Trailing 9-5 in the seventh, Nora Megenity and Marina Taveras sparked the inning with back-to-back singles before Haluska launched a three-run bomb to cut the deficit to 9-8. Down to their final out, Tealla Rivera ripped her first collegiate home run to tie the game at 9-9.
A two-run triple by Analisa Raffaelli gave Colgate the lead 13-9, before Haluska stepped back to the dish and drilled her second three-run blast of the inning – this one to right field – extending the Raider advantage to 16-9.
McGraw re-entered the circle and shut the door with a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh to complete the comeback. Alexa Acker entered in the fourth inning and conceded four runs on five hits over two innings innings, securing her third win of the season in the circle.
Six Raiders recorded multi-hit games, led by Haluska's three hits and six RBIs. Taveras, Haluska (2), Megenity, and Rivera all went yard as Colgate racked up a season-high 14 hits and five home runs. Mackenzie Lewis was 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Game 2 | Monmouth 4, Colgate 3
Taveras homered and Izzy Ervin-Agudelo worked an RBI single before Monmouth scored three runs to take a 4-2 lead in the top of the fifth. Play was halted for lightning and resumed action Sunday afternoon with Mackenzie Lewis leading off the bottom half of the fifth.
Colgate's seventh-inning magic came up one run short. Raffaelli roped a single to right, scoring Sydney Berg to cut the deficit to 4-3. With Megenity on third, a strikeout ended the game as Monmouth held on to take the 4-3 final score.
UP NEXT
Colgate (7-13) returns to action Tuesday, March 17, for a doubleheader at Maryland Eastern Shore.
