Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 NORTHAMPTON, Mass.--The Smith College softball team fell in a doubleheader to visiting Clark University by scores of 5-0 and 5-4 on Saturday afternoon.  The game was originally scheduled to be played at Clark, but was moved to Smith due to an unplayable field.  Clark batted as the home team.


Game One

Smith (4-10, 0-6 NEWMAC) could not score despite outhitting Clark (8-4, 3-1 NEWMAC) 7-6 in the opener.  The Pioneers nearly had the first breakthrough, as Tori Brown (New Market, Md./Linganore) beat out an infield single with two out, and moved to third on Edie Richardson (Franklin, Mass./Fontbonne Academy)'s double to center.  Gina Martucci (Pompton Plains, N.J./Pequannock Township) walked to load the bases, but the rally ended when Brittany Purington (Weare, N.H./John Stark) flew out to right field.

The game stayed scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning, when Clark pushed two runs across.  Alyssa Wright and Tatiana Chunis hit consecutive doubles to put runners on second and third, and Shawna Amatucci walked to load the bases.

Corrie Derosier hit into a fielder's choice for the first out of the inning, but Rachel Kraytenberg drew a walk that broke the scoreless tie.  Clark would add two more runs with two outs when Maya Clark drove in a pair on a single to right field.

Tessa Clark (Calais, Maine/Calais) led off the fifth inning with a walk, and a Brown single combined with an error put runners on second and third.  Richardson lofted a sacrifice fly to center, and the relay throw cut down Clark at the plate to end the threat.

Clark added two more in the bottom of the sixth when Maya Allen was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Kraytenberg scored on a fielder's choice.

Brown went 3-for-4  to lead the Smith attack.  Derosier had two of Clark's six hits.  

Martucci went the distance, striking out four in six innings of work.  Nicole Meuse went the first four for Clark, with three strikeouts, and Hayley Buckheit pitched three innings of one-hit relief.

Game Two

It was the Pioneers who got on the board first in the nightcap.  Martucci opened the second inning with a double, and took third on Purington's groundout.  After Kaela DeAngelis (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford) walked, Jennifer Hsieh (Southport, Conn./Ludlowe) hit a grounder back to the pitcher, whose throw to first was off the mark, allowing Martucci to score.

Two innings later, Smith was up 2-0.  Martucci notched her second hit of the day with her first career home run, clearing the fence in center for a solo shot.  

Clark hit back in the bottom of the fourth with a five run inning.  Derosier led off with an infield single, and moved to third on Kraytenberg's double to center.  After a popup, Molly Clark drove in Derosier with an RBI groundout.  Allen tied the game with single through the left side that brought in Kraytenberg.

Mel Melkonian followed with a single to center, and Wright brought in Allen with a hit of her own to center field.  Chunis brought in both runners with a double to right that made it 5-2.

Clark would need all five runs, as Smith pulled back two in the top half of the fifth inning.  Caroline Kushner (Cheshire, Conn./Cheshire) got things going with a single, and Clark followed up with an infield hit.  The runners moved up on a groundout, and Edie Richardson (Franklin, Mass./Fontbonne Academy)'s grounder to short was mishandled, scoring Kushner.  Martucci drove in her second run of the with a sacrifice fly to center that brought home Clark, making it a 5-4 contest, but the Pioneers could not push the tying run across.

Smith came closest in the sixth inning when Joanna Giordano (South Salem, N.Y./John Jay) singled and stole second with two outs, but she was left stranded.

Tori Brown (New Market, Md./Linganore) started and went the first 3.2 innings, while Martucci pitched the final 2.1 in relief.  Each had one strikeout.  Buckheit had two Ks in a complete game effort for Clark.

Kushner and Martucci each finished with two hits.  Chunis was 3-for-4 with two RBI for the Cougars.

Smith will travel to Amherst College for a doubleheader that starts at 3:30 p.m on April 1.  Clark will be off until April 2, when they will travel to Worcester State for a 4:00 twinbill.