CLERMONT, Fla. | The Farmingdale State College softball team opened its season with a trio of doubleheaders on its spring break trip to Florida, with the Rams earning splits in each.

Sunday, FSC posted a five-inning, 12-1 victory to open the season against SUNY Brockport, before dropping a late 3-2 decision to New England College. After falling by an 8-0 final in six innings to start Monday play against McDaniel College, the Rams responded with a 4-1 triumph in the nightcap against Milwaukee School of Engineering. On Tuesday, Farmingdale State dropped a 5-3 decision to Bowdoin, before earning a come-from-behind 5-4 win over Endicott.

Sunday: Farmingdale State 12, SUNY Brockport 1 (5 inn.)

Against Brockport, Farmingdale State jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning, with senior Alyssa Cowen (Garden City South, N.Y.) scoring the first run of the season on a bunt single by sophomore Madison Sturtz (East Islip, N.Y.), before Sturtz came home on a fly out by freshman Madison DeMaio (Elmont, N.Y.) – who tossed a complete-game one-hitter in the pitcher's circle to open her collegiate account.

FSC and Brockport traded one run apiece in the third inning, with senior Angelina Capuano (Sayville, N.Y.) scoring her team's third run of the day on a single to left-center field by junior Samantha Stolfi (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.). The Rams' offense exploded for nine runs in the top of the fifth inning to put the game out of reach, with sophomore Bailey Hammock (Port Jervis, N.Y.) accounting for four runs in the rally. Stolfi's single to right-center field plated Hammock to start the scoring spree, with Hammock later driving in DeMaio and freshman Nikole Galgano (Levittown, N.Y.) on a one-out single to left. The 12th run of the day came when Hammock and freshman Kaysee Mojo (Riverhead, N.Y.) executed a successful double steal, with the sophomore coming home on the play courtesy of an infield error.

Hammock and Stolfi each recorded two hits and drove in two runs, while Sturtz finished 2-for-3 with a pair of runs. Sophomore Isabella Marchini (Hicksville, N.Y.) went 2-for-2 at the dish with one stolen base for the Farmingdale State offense, with DeMaio helping herself at bat with one run scored and two RBI. The freshman needed just 74 pitches to capture the win in her debut, striking out four Brockport hitters and facing just three batters over the minimum.

Sunday: New England College 3, Farmingdale State 2

The Rams fell behind from the outset, with the Pilgrims notching an unearned run in the top of the first inning, before Mojo tied the score in the bottom half of the stanza when her sacrifice fly to center field scored Capuano.

FSC went ahead 2-1 one inning later, when Marchini followed a one-out triple by sophomore Ashley Toro (Islip, N.Y.) with a run-scoring triple of her own. New England College scored single runs in the sixth and seventh innings to level the game and eventually take the lead. The Rams had runners in scoring position in their half of both innings, but were unable to cash in.

Six players had one hit apiece for Farmingdale State, including Capuano's leadoff double in the first inning, while Galgano finished the contest with two stolen bases.

Monday: McDaniel 8, Farmingdale State 0 (5 inn.)

Galgano went 2-for-2 with a stolen base against the Green Terror, who scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning to jump ahead and closed things out with a six-run sixth inning. Toro reached base safely twice with a single and one walk, while Sturtz worked two walks in the batter's box.

Monday: Farmingdale State 4, MSOE 1

After spotting MSOE a single run in the top of the first inning, the Rams scored all the runs they would need in the game by registering six-consecutive hits to start their four-run fourth inning. Hammock scored the tying run on Stolfi's single to right field, before a bunt by Sturtz turned into a double with heads-up baserunning and chased Capuano across the plate with the go-ahead tally. From there, Marchini singled to center field to bring pinch-runner Anna Gibbons (Sr.; East Northport, N.Y.), with a right-field single by Toro scoring Sturtz with another insurance run.

Junior Deanna Ebert (Bay Shore, N.Y.) earned the victory in the pitcher's circle with 4.1 innings of work, scattering six hits and one unearned run, with sophomore Nicole Echevarria (Bayport, N.Y.) notching a save with 2.2 innings of one-hit, three-walk ball – an outing that included entering the top of the fifth inning and inducing a pair of force outs to leave the bases loaded. Hammock was 2-for-2 with a walk and two stolen bases, with Stolfi finishing the nightcap 2-for-3 at the plate. 

Tuesday: Bowdoin 5, Farmingdale State 3

The Rams trailed 2-0 after the top of the first inning, but responded with a run in the bottom half and two more in the second to jump in front, 3-2. 

Bowdoin knotted the game in the third and tallied a two-run home run in the fourth to take the 5-3 lead. FSC was held to just three base runners down the stretch as they fell, 5-3.

Tuesday: Farmingdale State 5, Endicott 4

Farmingdale State was down 3-0 in the fourth before Mojo hit a game-tying, three-run home run over the left field wall. 

Endicott quickly responded with a run in the bottom of the inning and took the advantage into the final inning. In the top of the seventh,Gaglano led off with a single, Hammock reached on a fielder's choice and Capuano produced a walk to load the bases. Stolfi batted next and hit an RBI single to right field to tie the game at 4-4. Sturtz followed with a sacrifice bunt to score Capuano to put the Rams in front, 5-4.

DeMaio (W, 2-1, 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 SO) pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh as FSC secured the come-from-behind victory.


FSC is back in action on the diamond from the Legends Way complex in Clermont on Thursday morning, playing Babson College at 9 a.m. before an 11:15 a.m. tilt with Coe College (Iowa).