UNION, N.J. (4/20/13) – Sophomore Courtney Yard pitched 18 nearly-flawless innings and hit a walk-off double in game two as the Kean University softball team handed Montclair State University (31-1) its first loss of the season. Kean triumphed 2-1 in nine innings after falling 1-0 in nine innings in the day's first game.
Game One
Megan Cegielski (pictured left) gunned down the first batter of the game from rightfield trying to stretch single into double. Neither team could have known how precious baserunners would be, with Yard and Alex Hill putting on a fantastic pitching display in game one. The pitchers combined for 20 strikeouts and allowed just six hits in 18 innings pitched.
The two hurlers dueled into extra innings, and in the eighth Montclair appeared to score but had their run erased when Kean appealed that the runner left early on a sac fly. After a lengthy discussion, the appeal was upheld and the game remained scoreless through eight.
In the ninth, Montclair scored the runner placed on second on a wild pitch and though the Cougars got their runner to third with one out, they could not bring her home and fell to Montclair State 1-0 in nine innings. Fittingly, the only run scored in game one was unearned.
Game Two
The same two pitchers took to the circle in the second game, and the results stayed the same through the first eight scoreless innings. Both teams had a few baserunners during the first seven, but only once did a runner reach third base safely, and that was in the bottom of the second.
The pitchers were again masterful, combining for 13 strikeouts and 11 hits in 17 and one-third combined innings. The Red Hawks threatened to score the placed runner in the eighth, but Yard induced a pair of popups to keep the game scoreless.
In the fateful ninth inning, Montclair scored on an RBI single by Alisha Cumberton but alert defense by the Cougars helped hold MSU to one run.
In the home half, Katie Schuh sacrificed placed runner Kelsey Hannan to third before Cegielski pulled a single into right field to drive in the first Kean run of the entire afternoon and tie it up. Sandra Binkiewicz followed with a bloop single to left to set the stage for Yard.
The sophomore strode to the plate with the winning run on second and tattooed the first pitch she saw over the centerfielder's head. After waiting to see if it would be caught, Cegielski tore around third base and sprinted home into a mob of teammates there to greet her. Kean finished the game with three-straight hits to hand their rivals their first loss of a heretofore perfect season.
The Cougars will remain home and host Fairleigh Dickinson University on Sunday.
