KISSIMMEE, Fla.  – It was a tale of two different games Wednesday, but the William Paterson softball team (7-5) prevailed in both, defeating Millsaps 3-1 by way of international tiebreaker before exploding for an 18-1 barrage to defeat Centenary (N.J.), Mar. 14.
 
Game One: WP 3, Millsaps 1 (Eight innings, international tiebreaker)
 
Tied 1-1 with two outs and runners on first and second in the top of the eighth, junior third baseman Christine Griffith (Upper Saddle River, N.J./Northern Highlands Regional) put a ball in play that Millsaps junior center fielder MK Bozeman couldn't handle, scoring two Pioneers as WP held on to win 3-1 in an eight-inning international tiebreaker.
 
The Majors (11-6) had runners on second and third with one out in the bottom of the eight, but senior left fielder Kara Molnar (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial) caught a line drive off the bat of senior second baseman Blair Little before doubling up the runner at third, stymying the threat.
 
Freshman righty Sarah Byrnes (Cherry Hill, N.J./Camden Catholic) and Millsaps senior hurler Kayla Davidson kept the game at a 0-0 stalemate until junior shortstop Kendall Carder tagged a solo home run to right center in the bottom of the fifth.
 
WP promptly responded with a run in the top of the sixth as freshman shortstop Syndey Pace poked an RBI single up the middle to plate senior center fielder Eleni Lutas (Pompton Plains, N.J./Pequannock), knotting things up at 1-1.
 
Using the two Pioneer runs in the eighth, Byrnes only surrendered a single and a hit by pitch the rest of the way to earn the win and improve to 4-3 in the circle. The Cherry Hill, N.J. native fanned four and walked two while only allowing one earned run on six hits in the eight-inning complete game.
 
Davidson (5-3) was the hard-luck loser despite going the distance and allowing three runs, all unearned. She punched out seven batters, allowing three hits, one walk and one hit batsman.
 
Pace provided the lone Pioneer RBI and Lutas led the Pioneers with two runs and a single. Sophomore Lexi Reale (Smithtown, N.Y./St. Anthony's) would score the eventual game-winning run after being placed on second base to start the international tiebreaker in the eighth inning.
 
Freshman third baseman Lindsay Obson went 2-for-3 as the lone player with a multi-hit day. Carder went 1-for-1 with a home run and two sacrifice bunts.
 
Game Two: WP 18, Centenary (N.J.) 1 (Five innings)

Seven runs in the first, six in the third and five in the fourth gave WP a resounding 18-1 against Centenary (0-6) and the Pioneers' most runs in a single game since defeating Rutgers-Newark, 18-2, as part of a doubleheader sweep April 23, 2009.

William Paterson's seven-run first inning saw five hits, two hit batsmen and one walk as nine of the first 10 batters reached base. Griffith drove in Lutas and sophomore right fielder Ryan Tighe (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) with a single and Lutas also provided a two-RBI double as the two biggest blows in the frame.
 
Five players notched at least one RBI as eight hits were strung together in WP's six-run third inning. Sophomore right fielder Vanessa Archibold (Saddle Brook, N.J./Saddle Brook) plated one on a single with the bases loaded followed by RBI groundouts from Griffith and freshman designated player Caitlyn Massaro (Madison, N.J./Madison). Sophomore first baseman Susan Mather (North Andover, Mass./North Andover) plated two with a double and Molnar added an RBI base knock.
 
Sophomore shortstop Justine Stefura stifled sophomore hurler Andee Lupica (Maywood, N.J./Immaculate Conception)'s chance at a no-hitter in the top of the fourth and came around to score on senior first baseman Carolyn Clites' RBI single, breaking up the shutout.
 
The Pioneers' onslaught continued in the bottom of the frame though, as the first six Pioneer batters posted hits. Griffith clubbed a two-RBI double to score junior right fielder Xiomara Taylor (North Bergen, N.J./North Bergen) and Archibold before consecutive singles from junior shortstop Karley Jo Greulich (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills), Massaro, Mather and Molnar made it 18-1 after four innings.
 
Seven Pioneers had multi-hit performances as WP put up 19 hits. Mather was 3-for-3 with two runs and three RBI, Griffith drove in a game-high five runs and Lutas and Taylor combined to go 4-for-4 with three runs in the leadoff spot.
 
Stefura, senior second baseman Ashley Eisenstein and Clites recorded a single apiece.
 
Lupica (1-2) garnered the win, punching out five in 4.0 innings. Freshman righty Caitlyn Brennan worked a scoreless fifth inning, walking one while striking out two.
 
Senior Sammie Darling (0-5) started and took the loss, allowing seven earned runs on 11 hits and two walks while striking out one.
 
WP will battle Plattsburgh State at 11:15 a.m. and Springfield College at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Mar. 15.
 
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