Thoroughbreds notch a winning week

It was a winning week for Skidmore spring sports, as four teams posted victories. Women’s lacrosse and men’s lacrosse earned hard-fought wins and softball and baseball each posted wins to open the 2015 campaign, while women’s tennis took on two top-10 opponents.

Women’s lacrosse scored five goals in the final 9:18 against Utica, earning a 10-7 come-from-behind victory. Brittney Dioneda ’15 started the charge 9:18 into the second half, scoring her third goal of the season. Tyler Phillips ’17 evened the score at 7-7 and Peggy Healy ’15 gave the team its first lead with 5:44 remaining in regulation. Spencer Morgan ’15 and Paige DiAntonio ’15 netted goals 46 seconds apart to seal the win. Phillips finished with four goals, Morgan had two goals and Dioneda added an assist, four groundballs and two caused turnovers. The Thoroughbreds head west to take on Colorado College at 3 p.m. Wednesday, March 18.

Men’s lacrosse rebounded from a 16-7 loss to No. 9 Amherst with a 10-7 win over Clark. Jack Metzler ’17 followed his two-goal performance against the Jeffs with five points (3G, 2A) against the Cougars, leading Skidmore to its second win of the season. Brendan Halloran ’18 potted his first career hat trick, Josh Trachtenberg ’15 and Cody Legeza ’18 each chipped in a goal and an assist and RJ Caruso ’18 added a pair of assists. Metzler and Halloran scored back-to-back goals in a 43-second span in the fourth quarter to help the team pull away for good. In goal, Chris Baughan ’18 stopped eight shots for his second career win. The team takes on Kean University at 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 18, in Virginia Beach, Va. The Thoroughbreds host St. Lawrence in their Liberty League opener at 1 p.m., Saturday, March 21. 

Softball split its opening games at the Rebel Spring Games in Winter Haven, Fla. The first game was a pitcher’s duel as Skidmore and Husson combined for seven hits. Amanda Carilli ’18 went the distance on the mound, allowing two runs on six hits, but the Eagles secured the win with four runs in the top of the eighth. Skidmore’s bats came alive in the second game against McDaniel, as the Thoroughbreds scored five runs in the first two innings. Lauren Fortunato ’17 put the team in front in the first inning with an RBI single and Mackenzie Whiting ’16 drove her home on the next at bat. Lizette Roman-Johnston ’18 made it 3-0 in the top of the second, scoring on a passed ball and Fortunato extended the lead with her second RBI single of the day. Pitcher Cassie Fishkin helped her own cause, plating Fortunato with a single. Fishkin also went four innings on the mound, allowing one earned run on six hits. Carilli gave up one run on six hits in three innings of relief, recording her first career save in the 5-2 game. Fortunato finished 2-for-4 while Dani DeGregory ’16 went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.

Baseball went 1-1 against Lasell in its season-opening doubleheader, winning the first game 9-6 before falling 6-5 in the second. In the first game, the Thoroughbreds scored four runs in the first inning. Matt Barra ’15, Nick Barra ’15 and Jeb Clarke ’16 cranked out back-to-back-to-back RBI doubles and Mike LaVita ’16 drove in Clarke with an RBI single. Josh Brown ’17 recorded RBI single in the top of the third and the team added two more runs in the top of the fourth to pull ahead 8-1. Lasell chipped away at the lead, but Daniel Dasgupta ’17 managed to close the door in the bottom of the seventh for his first save of the season. In the second game, the team kept the score close despite recording only four hits. Dasgupta led the offense, going 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Women’s tennis suffered setbacks in matches against two of the country’s top-10 teams with losses coming against No. 10 Middlebury and No. 3 Williams. Michelle Fuca ’18 posted Skidmore’s lone win of the weekend, knocking off Margo Marchese of Middelbury, 6-3, 7-5 at number-five singles. The 20th-ranked Thoroughbreds go on the road to face Washington and Lee at 3 p.m. Wednesday, March 18. ~ By Dan St.-Jacques