MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – LIU Brooklyn posted a five-run fifth and never trailed, defeating the Monmouth University softball team, 7-0, Saturday afternoon in the Northeast Conference Tournament at the North Athletic Complex on the campus of Robert Morris University. With the loss, the Hawks end their season at 31-16, while the Blackbirds (19-37) advance to the NEC Championship series with second-seeded Central Connecticut.
Christine Scherr (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area) and Kayla Weiser (Vandergrift, Pa./Kiski Area) posted the only two hits in the game for Monmouth. Lauren Sulick (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) took the loss in the circle, allowing five runs, four earned, on eight hits and a walk. For their efforts in the tournament, Vanessa Cardoza (Santa Ana, Calif./Ocean View) and Weiser were named to the NEC All-Tournament Team.
Cassie Vondrak hurled a two-hit shutout for LIU Brooklyn, striking out six while walking three. Lauren Morizi delivered the crushing blow in the game with a grand slam in the fifth. She had two hits and scored twice. Nichole Toven also went 4-for-4 with a two-run double in the seventh. Ariana Lopez went 3-for-3 for the Blackbirds.
The game began Friday afternoon, but was suspended due to a thunderstorm in the area. LIU Brooklyn was batting in the top of the second with no score, two outs, runners on first and second and a 1-1 count on Emily Kakuska. When play resumed, Sulick got Kakuska to fly out in foul territory to end the inning.
After four scoreless innings, the Blackbirds broke through with five runs in the fifth. Madison Green, Kakuska and Lopez each singled to open the inning, before an error on a Karina Cervantes ground ball scored Green. Kakuska was then ejected for having a second offensive conference on the base paths. Following a Whitney West fielder's choice that cut down pinch runner Celinna Cosio from third, Morizi launched a grand slam to put LIU on top, 5-0.
LIU added two in the top of the seventh on a two-run double to right center by Toven. The Hawks got a one-out walk from Shannon Fitzgerald (Santa Clarita, Calif./Valencia) in the bottom of the inning, but that was all as the Blackbirds came away with the victory.
