FORT MYERS, Fla. - La Roche softball begn play in the Sunshine State on Sunday, but were unable to get past a pair of AMCC foes to open the trip, falling to Pitt-Bradford and Alfred State.
GAME ONE: Pitt-Bradford 9 LRU 3
La Roche grabbed the early lead but couldn't hold off a late offensive push from Pitt.-Bradford, falling 9–3.
The Redhawks came out strong in the first inning. After Klover Haberthier reached base, Taylor Young moved into scoring position before Finley Hohn delivered a clutch single to right field to bring Haberthier home and give La Roche a 1–0 advantage.
Pitt.-Bradford responded in the second inning, tying the game on an RBI groundout, and took a 2–1 lead in the third with a run-scoring single.
Despite trailing, La Roche fought back in the fifth inning to reclaim the lead. Haberthier again sparked the rally by reaching base and later scoring on a fielder's choice off the bat of Taylor Young, tying the game 2–2. Moments later, the Redhawks capitalized on a defensive error that allowed Ashley Huffman to cross the plate, putting La Roche ahead 3–2.
La Roche's pitching staff kept the Panthers in check for several innings. Maura Wade provided strong relief work, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings and striking out one to keep the Redhawks in front.
However, Pitt.-Bradford broke through in the sixth inning. A run-scoring double tied the game before a two-run single and sacrifice fly helped the Panthers surge ahead. Pitt.-Bradford added three more runs in the seventh inning, extending the lead and putting the game out of reach.
Offensively, La Roche collected eight hits in the contest. Brooke Murgenovich and Finley Hohn each recorded two hits, while Ashlee Bair, Cassidee Fitterer, and Maura Wade also added base knocks. Hohn and Young each drove in a run for the Redhawks.
Haberthier scored twice and also drew two walks, helping generate offense at the top of the lineup.
GAME TWO: Alfred State 11 LRU 10
La Roche erupted for seven runs in the second inning and held the lead late, but Alfred State rallied to edge the Redhawks 11–10 in a back-and-forth battle.
The game featured 21 combined runs and 21 hits, with momentum swinging multiple times before a walk-off run in the final inning.
La Roche struck first in the opening inning when Brooke Murgenovich came around to score on a sacrifice from Klover Haberthier, giving the Redhawks an early 1–0 lead.
Alfred State responded quickly with a big bottom half of the inning. A bases-clearing triple helped the hosts score four runs and take a 4–1 advantage.
The Redhawks answered in a huge way in the second inning, putting together their biggest offensive frame of the game. La Roche scored seven runs, fueled by aggressive baserunning and timely hits. Murgenovich delivered an RBI single and later stole second before Iyarah Hicks swiped home to tie the game. A wild pitch brought Murgenovich home to give La Roche the lead.
Later in the inning, Ashlee Bair drove a single up the middle that plated two more runs, and Gabby Sbraccia followed with an RBI double to cap the rally and push the Redhawks ahead 8–4.
Alfred State chipped away in the third inning, scoring four runs to tie the contest 8–8.
La Roche regained the lead in the fourth when Bair lifted a sacrifice fly to score Finley Hohn, making it 9–8. The Redhawks added another insurance run in the sixth inning when Katie Grimm delivered an RBI single to extend the lead to 10–8.
However, Alfred State continued to battle back. A two-run single in the sixth inning evened the game at 10–10, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.
In the seventh inning, the hosts loaded the bases and drew a walk that forced in the winning run, handing La Roche a tough 11–10 loss.
Offensively, the Redhawks totaled 10 hits. Brooke Murgenovich led the way with a 3-for-5 performance, scoring twice and driving in a run while also stealing a base. Ashlee Bair had a big day as well, finishing with three RBIs, while Gabby Sbraccia added two hits including a double and an RBI. Katie Grimm also contributed an RBI hit during La Roche's late scoring.
The Redhawks were aggressive on the bases throughout the game, recording four stolen bases.
Despite building multiple leads and producing double-digit runs, La Roche could not hold off Alfred State's late comeback in the high-scoring contest.