Hamilton College kicked off 2013 with a 10-inning loss against the University of Wisconsin-Superior before the Continentals rebounded with a 6-2 win against Smith College at the Cape Coral Sports Complex in Fort Myers, Fla., on March 18.
Hamilton (1-1 overall) was edged 3-2 by the Yellowjackets. The tiebreaker rule was in effect for the eighth, ninth and 10th innings. A runner was placed on second base at the start of each team's at-bat.
Sam Miller '14 led the Continentals' offense against Smith with two hits and two runs batted in. Melissa Kaknis '13 doubled and Lisa Faraci '13 scored twice. Monique St. Jarre '15 allowed two runs and scattered eight hits in the circle. St. Jarre struck out two and didn't walk a batter.
Smith (2-2) grabbed a 2-0 lead with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Hamilton cut its deficit in half with a run in the fourth. Miller singled with one out, advanced to second on Kaknis' sacrifice bunt and moved to third on a single by pinch hitter Talia Mercado '15. St. Jarre drove in Miller with a single.
The Continentals broke the game open with a four-run fifth inning that was aided by three Smith errors. Ellie Kiernan '15 led off with a single and Faraci and Jenn Rougeux '14 reached base on infield errors. Olivia Gozdz '16 tied the score with a bases-loaded single that plated Kiernan. Miller put Hamilton in front for good with a two-run single, and Gozdz made it 5-2 when she scored on Kaknis' drive that was misplayed in the outfield.
The Continentals added an insurance run in the sixth inning. With two outs, Faraci reached base on an outfield error and advanced to third. Rougeux drove her in when her ground ball to shortstop was misplayed.
Leonard was the story for Hamilton against UW-Superior. She didn't allow an earned run in 9.1 innings, gave up four hits, walked two and fanned three. Kaknis and Rougeux singled and drove in one run apiece.
The Continentals scored in the top of the first inning. Faraci led off the game by reaching on an infield error. She went to second on a sac bunt by Rougeux and advanced to third on a groundout to short. Kaknis' two-out infield single plated Faraci.
The Yellowjackets (3-7) tied the score in the bottom of the third inning. Neither team scored again until the eighth. Hamilton had the best chance to win before extra innings. The Continentals stranded runners at second and third in the sixth.
Rougeux gave Hamilton a 2-1 lead in the top of the eighth with an RBI single down the left field line. But UW-Superior responded with a run in the bottom of the inning. The Yellowjackets finally prevailed in the 10th when a sacrifice bunt and a single to center field scored the winning run.
The Continentals take on NYU-Poly and Worcester State in Fort Myers on Tuesday, March 19.
