LOCATION: PC Softball Complex - Clinton, S.C.
 
SHORT STORY: Junior Mary Kate Murray hit the Great Danes' first home run of the season as the Great Danes went 1-1 to start the year, Friday.
 
GAME ONE
 
RECORDS: UAlbany 1-0, 0-0 America East | Mercyhurst 0-1, 0-0 NEC
 
SCORE: UAlbany 6, Mercyhurst 0
 
KEY STATS

• For the second season in a row, junior Taylor Quinn went 3-3 in the first game of the year. 
• Freshman Katie Parisi and senior Kasey Conn added two hits each.
• Sophomore Vanessa Meyers led with two RBI.
• Four Great Danes hit for multiple bases - Quinn, Meyers, and junior Kristina Langdon hit a double and Parisi added a triple.
• Sophomore Hayley Wieczerzak pitched seven strikeouts and allowed just two hits in five innings for the win. Freshman Julia Pike took over in the final two innings with four strikeouts and one hit allowed.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Taylor Quinn led off the game with a double to right center. 
• Vanessa Meyers took advantage of an error to get the Great Danes' their first run in the first.
• Hayley Wieczerzak struck out her first batter of the year in just four pitches.
• Katie Parisi opened the second inning with her triple, the first at bat of her collegiate career. She later scored to make it a 2-0 UAlbany lead after two innings.
• All three outs in the bottom of the third came from Wieczerzak with three strikeouts.
• Parisi made it to second base in the top of the fourth with a single and a stolen base. A double from Kristina Langdon brought her home for a 3-0 UAlbany advantage.
• After two scoreless innings, the Great Danes added three runs, with two outs on the board, in the sixth.
• As a team, UAlbany put together four consecutive hits - Kasey Conn single, Quinn single, senior Sara Anderon single, and Meyers double - for three total RBI.
• Julia Pike closed out the game for the Great Danes with four strikeouts in eight batters throughout the sixth and seventh innings.

 
GAME TWO
 
RECORDS: UAlbany 1-1, 0-0 America East | ETSU 1-0, 0-0 SOCON
 
SCORE: ETSU 8, UAlbany 7
 
KEY STATS

• Mary Kate Murray led the team going 2-3 at the plate. 
• In total, five athletes tallied two hits against the Buccaneers - Sara Anderson, Murray, Katie Parisi, senior Deanna Grahek, and sophomore Ava Beal.
• Deanna Grahek drove in a team-high three runs while Anderson totaled two.
• Four Great Danes hit for multiple bases - Taylor Quinn, Anderson, and Grahek hit a double; Murray hit a home run.
• Sophomore Hailey Errichiello started in the circle with three strikeouts in 3.2 innings. Freshmen Becca Munslow and Julia Pike also saw time at pitcher.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• For the second time in a row, Taylor Quinn started the game with a double.
• A second consecutive double from Sara Anderson brought Quinn home for the Great Danes' first run. 
• Mary Kate Murray's home run made it 3-0 after the top of the first.
• Despite two strikeouts from Hailey Errichiello, ETSU scored a run to make it a 3-1 game after one.
• Anderson added a second RBI in the second but two runs from the Buccaneers tied the game at three after two complete innings.
• Throughout the third and the fourth, ETSU took the lead, 5-3.
• Taking advantage of an error to get on base and advance, the Great Danes tied the game with two RBI from a Deanna Grahek single.
• The Buccaneers answered by scoring three runs for an 8-5 advantage after five complete innings.
• UAlbany wasn't able to score again until the top of the seventh when two consecutive hits and a sac fly made it a one-run game. But ETSU was able to get the final out and earn the win, 8-7.

 
NEXT: The Great Danes will return to the PC Softball Complex for two games on Saturday (Feb. 14).
 
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