After suffering two losses in a row, the Setters offense showed up to stop the skid.
Pace defeated the Yellow Jackets of American International College by a final of 7-1 on April 17. The Setters turned in a strong performance on the mound and hit with the lumber to get the win.
Offensively, the Setters roared to life from the games first at bat. A double by sophomore business management major Hana Wright set Pace up early in the top of the first. Wright would come around to score on an error and give Pace a 1-0 lead.
Later in the inning, the Setters were handed another run on the Yellow Jackets second miscue of the inning. A passed ball by Steph Belanger of AIC enabled junior journalism major Rachel McMahon to score from third and give Pace a 2-0 lead.
The offensive output continued for Pace in the top of inning number one in a more conventional manner. Sophomore business management major Jeane Drury notched an RBI groundout to give the Setters their third run of the inning.
With that third run, the Setters ended an unflattering streak. Against AIC, Pace scored three runs in an inning for the first time since April 7 against Southern New Hampshire University.
Yet Pace’s offense was not done on the afternoon. The Setters put up two more runs in the top of inning number three.
The first run was manufactured by small ball. A single by sophomore criminal justice major Natalie Gellos got the ball rolling. Gellos would come around to score on an RBI bunt single by freshman physical therapy major Erin Wood that gave Pace a 4-0 lead.
Later in the inning, the Setters got their second run of the inning on an RBI groundout by junior biology major Kimberly Duffy.
The Setters stomped out the Yellow Jackets in the top half of inning number six by scoring two runs on one swing. Wright belted a two-run homer that landed somewhere on Interstate 91 to give Pace a 7-1 lead.
While the offense re-emerged for Pace, the pitching came on strong, as well.
Senior psychology major Chelsea Shea was a human bug zapper against the Yellow Jackets. The Babylon native pitched a complete game and gave up just three hits and one run.
Shea struck out four batters, as well, and relinquished a lone walk as she earned win number seven on the season.
With the win, Pace improves to 12-15 overall with a conference record of 7-14. The Setters currently sit in the number seven position in the Southwest Division.
Pace will take on Southern Connecticut State on April 24 as their push towards the playoffs continues.