The Sea Gull Softball Stadium played host to Salisbury’s final regular season home games of the year against Southern Virginia on Saturday.
Before the game, Salisbury quickly honored the Knight’s four seniors, as well as their own: outfielders Amelia Trotter and Cat Ramagnano and pitcher Shannon Powell.
“They are just outstanding people,” head coach Margie Knight said. “I think they’re going to do wonderful things once they leave [Salisbury] just like they did while they were here.”
While Trotter and Powell played for Salisbury all four years, Ramagnano, a Severna Park native, only played two years for the Burgundy and Gold after transferring.
“I wish I had more years,” Ramagnano said. “Coach Knight is a legend here, so it was an honor to be coached under her.”
Game 1: Salisbury 7, Southern Virginia 3
The Sea Gulls scored two runs on back to back RBI singles by Ramagnano and junior shortstop Dakotah Fraley to take a 2-0 lead. Ramagnano brought Trotter in to score and Fraley brought sophomore second baseman Kendall Dixon in to score.
In the fifth inning, the Knights would tack on three runs to take a 3-2 lead before Sea Gull third baseman Kayleigh Edwards homered in the bottom of the inning, tying the game 3-3.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Sea Gulls would score 4 runs to regain the lead 7-3. Sophomore catcher Madeira Alexander’s RBI single that scored Fraley to bring home the game winning run.
Junior first baseman Emily Allen scored next on a wild pitch, followed by Alexander on a Trotter RBI base hit and junior third baseman Kayleigh Edwards on a Dixon RBI sac fly.
Sea Gulls held on in the top of the seventh to preserve a 7-3 come from behind victory over Southern Virginia in game one.
Game Two: Southern Virginia 4 Salisbury 3
Game two was a very back and forth game between both teams which saw four lead changes.
After falling down 1-0 early in the game, the Sea Gulls tied the game in the bottom of the second with Trotter scoring off a Southern Virginia error. Sophomore outfielder Sami Mumford stole home to give Salisbury the lead.
Trotter brought the crowd at Sea Gull Softball Stadium to their feet with a defensive highlight that saw her going up to make the catch on the wall on a ball destined to leave the park, robbing Southern Virginia of a homerun.
The Broomfield, Colorado native credits practice drills for allowing her to make the highlight when it mattered most.
“We practice catches just like that at practice and I almost never made the catch,” Trotter said. “I kind of just reached for it and then I was like ‘Oh my god, the ball is in the glove.”
After the Knights tied the game up in the top of the fifth, Salisbury retook the lead in the bottom of the inning with a Fraley RBI sac fly, scoring Mumford. But the Knights would take back the lead in the top of the sixth with a two-run homerun by junior Mykayla Johnson.
The Knights were able to get the final six outs and prevent a seventh inning rally to take the 4-3 victory over Salisbury, splitting the double header.
Powell pitched back to back complete games, striking out a combined eight batters, including a season high five strikeouts in game two.
The Rockville native credits her cardio and the great play by her defense for being able to endure 14 straight innings on the mound.
Salisbury (22-11; 6-4) will travel to Frostburg for their final regular season games vs their cross-state rivals, the Bobcats (16-16; 5-5)
“We’re always really confident, no matter what happens we keep our heads up,” Alexander said. “We’re just looking forward at this point and we’re on to our next game.”
By BRANDON STARK
Staff writer
Featured photo: Shannon Powell takes the mound for the Sea Gulls April 20 (KB Mensah image).