MADISON, N.J. (April 21, 2010)- After almost four hours of lightning threats the Drew Rangers fell to the United States Merchant Marine Academy Mariners 4-2 Wednesday afternoon in Madison. The Rangers and Mariners got through the cloudy skies and four and a third innings before the game was temporarily postponed.
After three mutual scoreless innings the Rangers finally got things going in the bottom of the fourth. Junior catcher
Nicole Spiotta (Morris Plains, N.J./Morristown) doubled with one out and fellow junior first baseman
Jillian Lusk (Scotch Plains, N.J./Scotch Plains) followed with a single up the middle to put Spiotta 60 feet away from a run. Senior
Rebecca Skedzielewski (Cedarville, N.J./Gloucester County Institute) was next in line and delived a clutch single up the left field line to plate Spiotta. The Rangers tacked on another run when junior righty
Adriana Durso (Old Tappan, N.J./Old Tappan Northern Valley) helped her own cause with an RBI-single and the game's second run.
On the mound Durso was cruising. The righty struck out the side in the second and fanned a total of eight Mariners before the game was postponed in the top of the fifth.
The squads played three batters worth of softball in the fifth after the first delay, the Mariners put runners on first and second before the game was called off again.
When the cloud cover passed, the Mariners took advantage of cold pitching and utilized their best hitters to rally for four runs. Durso struck out the two-batter Sarah Marino but walked the right fielder, Nicole Soto to load the bases. The defending Landmark Conference Player of the Year, Jesselyn LaValley came through with a double in the right center gap that drove in two Mariners’ runs. Kaitlyn Robbins who entered the game hitting over .500 followed with a single up the middle good for two more runs.
Durso dominated the remaining two innings and the Rangers put runners on in both the fifth and sixth but couldn’t get anything across the plate.
LaValley, who also serves as the Mariners’ ace on the mound, focused in on nothing but retiring Rangers after the weather delay. The Rangers were held hit-less the final three innings of play.
Durso struck out ten batters in the loss, her record fell to 6-13 on the year.
LaValley, with nine strikeouts, worked her way to her eighth victory of the season and boosted her record over the .500 mark at 8-7.
The Mariners improved their overall record to 10-12 and are now 2-4 in the Landmark. The Rangers fell to 11-23, 1-8 in the conference.
Drew will take on Montclair State University at 1:00 on Sunday April 25 in Montclair, N.J.