HAMILTON – Colgate delivered nine home runs in a doubleheader split against UAlbany, taking the first game 9-1 before dropping the night cap 11-5, Tuesday afternoon at Eaton Street Complex.
Nora Megenity took the spotlight after making history in the opening game, hammering her 17th home run of the season – surpassing Melissa Rawson '03 for the most long balls in a single-season in program history. Megenity pelted two of Colgate's six home runs in Game 1.
Raffaelli hit three home runs on the day, followed by Megenity's two, while Tealla Rivera, Marina Taveras, Kayla Martin, and Lily Haluska all left the yard once.
COACH LAMISON-MYERS' COMMENTS
"When you come out as hot as we did in the first game, the results of the second game were a little disappointing. It was nice to see our bats come back alive and
Kelcie McGraw pitched a great game as well. We'll have to focus on the positives. We have a few days before we head to Lafayette to focus on what we need to. I can't say enough about
Nora Megenity and her leadership. She steps up to the plate with confidence. I'm really proud of her and what she and the team have accomplished this year."
Game 1 | Colgate 9, UAlbany 1 (5)
Haluska ignited the home run barrage with a solo shot in the second, and then the Raiders sent three over the wall in the third. Megenity and Raffaelli went back-to-back, before Rivera drilled a three-run opposite-field blast to expand Colgate's lead to 7-0.
Deanna Grahek put the visitors on the board with an RBI single in the top of the fourth but Colgate's bats went right back to work. Megenity homered for the second time in as many at-bats before Martin triggered the eight-run rule with a walk-off solo homer in the bottom of the fifth.
Kelcie McGraw struck out two in the complete-game victory, allowing one earned run on three hits over five innings. The first-year improved to 11-10 with the win. Megenity's two hits paced the team, while she and Rivera had three RBIs apiece.
Game 2 | UAlbany 11, Colgate 5
UAlbany responded in the night cap with four runs in the top of the first. Haluska and Rivera worked bases-loaded walks to cut Colgate's deficit in half, 4-2, but a three-run homer by the Great Danes' Jenny Nardelli extended the visitor's lead to 8-2 in the third frame.
Raffaelli and Taveras drilled back-to-back homers in the fourth as Colgate chipped into the deficit, 8-4. Raffaelli's third home run of the day pulled the Raiders within 9-5, but UAlbany tacked on two more runs down the stretch to take the nightcap, 11-5.
Taveras was 3-for-4 to lead the Raiders offensively. Raffaelli also had two hits.
UP NEXT
Colgate (21-24, 7-5 PL) returns to Patriot League action this weekend, heading to Easton, Pa., for a three-game series at Lafayette. The teams open with a doubleheader on Saturday starting at noon.
