By: VINCENT MENDOZA / STAFF WRITER
Before heading into the NEC Tournament, the LIU Sharks sought wins against the Le Moyne Dolphins to close their amazing regular season. The first game of the doubleheader was extraordinary since it was not only Senior Day but also Alumni Day.
The Sharks came into the game with an overall record of 30-19, 15-7 against conference opponents and an impressive 12-4 at home.
The first inning saw Kira Bucker get off to a hot start on the mound for LIU, allowing nothing for Le Moyne. On offense, the Sharks jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead after LIU second baseman Mari Narvaiz doubled off pitcher Arianna Exarchakis to score Dallas Andrews and Emma Niece.
The second inning saw much of the same, as Buckner continued to shut down the Le Moyne offense. In the bottom of the second, Exarchakis walked catcher Victoria Zatko and outfielder Priscilla Gillies. Shortly after, Zatko scored off of a double from Andrews and Gillies was sent home on a wild pitch fumbled by le Moyne’s catcher. Because of LIU’s hot start, Le Moyne quickly took out Exarchakis. She faced eight batters in her two innings pitched, allowing three walks and four runs.
While still in the second inning, the Dolphins’ new pitcher Michaela Stockwell allowed hits to the Sharks’ next four batters. Two of those players scored, namely third baseman Gabby Padilla and outfielder Emma Niece for her second run of the game. These two runs put LIU up huge, leading Le Moyne 6-0 in just the bottom of the second. The Dolphins finally caught a break after utility Jazmine Cuffie grounded out to the shortstop for the third out of the inning.
Buckner continued her perfect game through the third inning, matched by Stockwell on the other end who also went one, two, three. Unfortunately for Buckner, her perfect game bid ended in the fourth after she walked corner infielder Frankie Larobardiere. Le Moyne’s defense would continue to hold up, getting three quick outs on Padilla, Niece and SS Alexia Castro.
Buckner and the Sharks stayed persistent and consistent, keeping Le Moyne scoreless with three quick outs in the top of the fifth. In the bottom half, LIU found their stride once more. A single to left field by Gillies left room for Narvaiz to score following her double to lead off the inning. Soon after, with the bases loaded, Andrews hit a sacrifice fly which allowed pinch runner Nyae Dick to mercy rule the Dolphins 8-0.
Buckner finished the game with a no-hitter while only allowing one walk and Narvaiz went 3-3 with three RBI’s.
In a postgame interview with Buckner, she compared the outing to her other memorable performances throughout the years. She stated, “Today’s performance was definitely one for the books…I want to make sure the other seniors and the rest of the team recall this day with a smile on their faces and I know they definitely will. I am incredibly proud of everything my team has accomplished today. I could absolutely not have accomplished what I did today without them”.
The two teams squared off again shortly after, where the Sharks defeated the Dolphins 6-3 to end the season with an impressive 32-19 record. LIU Softball returns to the field on May 9 for the NEC Tournament, where they look to win their second straight NEC title.
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