DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. – The LIU Post softball team took one of two from Mercy College Sunday to maintain a two-game lead over Molloy College for first place in the East Coast Conference standings April 22.
 
Sophomore Abbey Fortin finished 5-for-9 at the plate with three runs batted in and three runs scored on the day, while junior Julia Seader added four hits, three RBIs and four runs scored to lead the Pioneers offensively. Junior Leah Mele added four hits at the plate and freshmen Breanna Klaiber and Patricia Dun compiled three hits each.
 
In the circle, sophomore Katie Humhej earned the win in game two, striking out five batters during a complete game effort.
 
Game One – Mercy 10, LIU Post 4
 
The Pioneers took an early lead in game one on RBI-groundouts by Klaiber and sophomore Megan Sneeden to take a 2-0 lead in the first inning. The Mavericks stormed back in the bottom of the third, however, plating three runs on three hits.
 
The Green and Gold took its final lead of game one in the top of the fourth when the team plated two runs on a groundout by Seader to jump ahead 4-3. Mercy's hot bats continued in the bottom of the frame and carried into the fifth, as the Mavericks plated seven runs over their next two at-bats to put the game out of reach.
 
Game Two – LIU Post 10, Mercy 7
 
Game two saw a combined 27 hits and 17 runs, but the Pioneer offense outlasted the Mavericks to take the backend of the doubleheader. LIU Post again took the lead in the top of the first when Klaiber drove home the game's first run with a single through the left side and Sneeden added a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0 early.
 
Mercy got one run back in the bottom of the frame on an LIU Post throwing error before the Pioneers extended the lead back to two runs with an RBI-single by Fortin in the second stanza. Seader extended the lead again with a solo home run in the top of the fourth inning, putting LIU Post ahead 4-1.
 
The Pioneer lead vanished in the fourth inning, however, as the Mavericks blasted two home runs in the bottom of the frame and added another run in the fifth to take their first lead of the game at 6-4. This time it was the Green and Gold putting together a rally to deliver the knockout punch, as Fortin started a big sixth inning with an RBI-single through the middle and Klaiber followed with an RBI-single of her own. Mele laid down a perfect squeeze bunt and reached first safely in what proved to be one of the biggest plays of the game, giving the Pioneers an 8-6 advantage. Sneeden capped off the big inning with an RBI-single to give the Pioneers a 9-6 lead at the end of the frame. LIU Post added another run on a double steal in the seventh inning to put Mercy away for good, hanging on for a 10-7 victory.
 
LIU Post wraps up its 10-game road trip on Tuesday, April 24 when the team travels to Molloy College for a doubleheader with the second-place Lions in a series that could potentially determine the regular season champions. First pitch is slated for 3:00 p.m.