BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – Senior Ashley Melendez hit a walk-off home run in game one and sophomore Hanna Finkelstein hit two homers during game two to help lift the LIU Post softball team past the New York Institute of Technology in the 2019 opening series of the Battle of the Boulevard rivalry on Tuesday, April 9.
 
With the sweep, the Pioneers improve to 10-2 in ECC play after the first cycle of conference series. The Pioneers hold a two-game lead over the University of Bridgeport and Saint Thomas Aquinas College for first place in the ECC standings.
 
Finkelstein led the Pioneers with three hits on the day, including the two long balls to help drive in four runs. Junior Allie Laird and senior Julia Seader highlighted a group of four Pioneers with two hits, as the pair drove in two runs each.
 
The LIU Post pitching staff had another outstanding day in the circle, allowing just one earned run over 14 innings, as junior Katie Humhej and senior Hannah Olshevski combined to strike out 14 batters.
 
Game One: LIU Post 2, NYIT 1
 
Humhej retired the first five batters of the game and allowed just two hits through the first four innings. Although Humhej induced two ground balls during the top of the fifth, the Pioneers committed two errors to allow the Bears to take a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly.
 
The Green and Gold took advantage of an NYIT error during the bottom half of the inning, as Laird reached on an infield single to tie the game at 1-1. Humhej stranded one runner in scoring position during the sixth inning and struck out two during the seventh to keep the score level heading into the Pioneers' final at-bat.
 
With one out, Melendez re-entered the game at the designated player position and promptly ended the game when she lifted a 2-1 pitch just inside the foul pole down the left-field line to give the Pioneers the 2-1 victory.
 
Game Two: LIU Post 7, NYIT 5
 
It was the story of clutch hitting in game two, as the two sides combined for six unearned runs. NYIT took an early lead during the top of the second inning when a two-out infield single sparked a three-run output with two outs, giving the Bears a 3-0 lead.
 
Finkelstein connected for her first home run of the game during the bottom of the second, cutting the deficit to one run at 3-2. The offense continued to roll, scoring during the next four LIU Post at-bats to take the lead. Seader leveled the scoring at 3-3 with an RBI-single during the third and Laird drove in the go-ahead run during the fourth with a single to left field.
 
NYIT tied the game during the top of the fifth when the sibling of game one hero, Samantha Melendez, hit a two-run home run to make it 4-4. The tie score did not last long though as Finkelstein responded with a homer to straight-away center field to give LIU Post a 6-4 lead. Seader tacked on an extra insurance run during the sixth when she placed a double down the left field line to drive in Laird for the game's final run.
 
LIU Post returns to action on Thursday, April 11 when it hosts Mercy College at 3:00 p.m.