The softball team went 0-3 against Army in its final home series of the season last week. Despite closely contesting all three games, the Leopards failed to secure a victory, including one game that extended into extra innings.
The Leopards (5-10 Patriot League, 7-28 overall) showed promise versus the Black Knights (13-2 Patriot League, 30-20 overall), as they led the first game of the series 3-2 going into the sixth inning. The Black Knights replied harshly, scoring four runs in the sixth and five runs in the seventh, ultimately defeating the Leopards 11-4.
Before the doubleheader on Sunday, senior catcher Kaya Ciccone-Cozart and senior outfielder Mary Grace O’Neill were recognized for Senior Day.
Although Ciccone-Cozart has been sidelined this year due to injury, head coach Kelliner Croushore described her as the “heart of this team who has been a constant voice in the dugout.”
O’Neill boasts the highest batting average in the Patriot League at .435.
“She’s the definition of quiet confidence,” Croushore said. “She leads by example.”
Kicking off Sunday’s action, Army took an early 1-0 lead at the top of the second. O’Neill racked up a double to left field before securing a run off an error on Army’s behalf.
“The defense in the second game was really clean,” O’Neill said.
The game remained knotted at 1-1 ball through seven innings. Transitioning into extra innings, Army scored a run on an RBI double at the top of the eighth, and the Leopards failed to respond, resulting in a 2-1 loss.
In the bottom of the second during the final game of the series, junior designated player Dani Rosner doubled on a bunt, driving in a run and putting the Leopards on the board with their first run. This 1-0 lead was held until the Black Knights collected six runs during innings four and five, to take a 6-1 lead.
The Maroon and White showed signs of a potential comeback in the final inning, rallying to score three runs courtesy of hits by junior outfielder Olivia Catalina, sophomore catcher Regan Dillon and sophomore infielder Katie Harrington, but fell short by a final score of 6-4.
“This journey has been a great experience,” O’Neill said in reflection of her time with the team. “I’m sad to say goodbye, but I’m thankful for the opportunity to have been a part of this.”
Army, Boston and Lehigh have already clinched spots in the Patriot League Tournament. One more spot remains between Colgate University, Bucknell University and Lafayette, depending on the results of the final weekend.
The Leopards will travel to Boston University (11-4 Patriot League, 33-17 overall) for their final regular season series.
“Our approach will be to simply win as many games as we can to try and make the tournament,” O’Neill said. “We’ll need to remember the positives and flush out the negatives from this season.”
Croushore expressed being “extremely proud of all that this team has accomplished” this season.