HOBOKEN, NJ (March 13, 2021) -- The King's College Monarchs softball team dropped both of their Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) opening games on the road at Stevens as they fell to the host Ducks in game one, 9-4, and in a heartbreaking 8-inning effort in game two, 10-9.

Game 1:
The Monarchs (0-2) trailed early as the Ducks (2-0) jumped out to a 6-0 lead after one inning of play. King's came alive in the second thanks to a sophomore trio as Bailey Loyack knocked a one-out double to right center. Loyack advanced to third on a single by Gabrielle Visconti and scored on an RBI single to left field by Hannah Farr. The runners advanced on a wild pitch, and Visconti scored on a Ducks throwing error off first-year Molly Gillette's at bat as the Monarchs trailed, 6-2.

The Ducks responded and tacked on runs in the bottom of the second and the bottom of the fifth to push their lead to 8-2. King's made one final push in their season-opener in the top of the 7th as Farr got the offense started with a single to right field. A Stevens error allowed Gillette to reach successfully with Farr advancing to second. Junior Lindsey Leppo knocked a one-out single to score Farr from second and advance Gillette to third before senior Mindina Lieback recorded the final RBI of the game with a two-out single to left field, posting the game one final, 9-4.

Farr led the Monarchs offense, going 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Loyack recorded the lone extra-base hit for King's as she went 1-for-3 with a double and a run.

Visconti recorded the loss on the mound for King's, throwing all six innings and giving up just six earned runs on six hits.

Jessica Guerrero led the Ducks offense going 2-for-4, including a double, with three RBIs and a run scored. Jessie Masur earned the win, pitching a complete 7-inning game for Stevens.

Game 2:
King's jumped out to a hot start in game two as first-year Kiersten Krouse hit a lead-off single to the short stop and stole second promptly after. Lieback advanced Krouse to third on a single through the left side before stealing second to put runners in scoring position. Loyack delivered again as she knocked in Krouse on a single up-the-middle. With two outs, senior Gabriella Medina singled to right field, scoring both Lieback and Loyack to give the Monarchs a strong 3-0 lead after one.

Stevens responded in the bottom of the first as they put a runner on with a lead-off bunt, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on a single down the left-field line, cutting the Monarchs lead to just 3-1 after one inning of action.

First-year Sydney Bachman kept the offense rolling in the top of the second with a lead-off single to center field and showed some speed as she stole second during the next at bat. Leppo advanced Bachman to third on a sacrifice bunt, and Krouse got on with an infield single to put runners on the corners for the Monarchs before adding another stolen base to the stat sheet. Junior Kristi Ann Skok delivered with a two-out single to right field, scoring Bachman and advancing Krouse to third before Loyack brought in Krouse on a single through the left side. King's pushed their lead to five, holding a 6-1 advantage over Stevens, as Farr singled to short before Skok scored on a Ducks error.

The Ducks chipped on five runs off solo home runs from Siobhan Cottell in the second and Abigail Circelli in the fourth before taking their first lead of the game, 7-6, on a three-run shot to left field from Guerrero in the bottom of the fifth.

King's regained the lead, 8-7, in the top of the sixth on a two-out single by Skok, scoring Krouse and Leppo, and they held Stevens scoreless in the bottom of the inning after getting a runner on third. A quick top of the seventh gave the Ducks the chance to tie the game in the final inning in regulation as Madison Gemma laced a double to right field to score Guerrero and tie the game at eight to force extra innings.

The Monarchs struck first with a leadoff double by Leppo, and she advanced to third after Krouse's at bat. Lieback delivered the tiebreaking run on a one-out double to right center, but Stevens recorded the final two outs of the inning, trailing 9-8.

Stevens secured the heart-breaking loss over the Monarchs after a leadoff walk and sacrifice bunt put a Duck in scoring position. A single to left field tied the game at nine before Stevens loaded the bases and scored on a single to center field, defeating the Monarchs, 10-9, in extra innings.

Krouse, Lieback, Loyack, Medina, and Skok all recorded two hits in the loss. Krouse also led the Monarchs with three runs, and Skok led with three RBIs.

Graduate student Kristina Kocher recorded the loss in extra innings, pitching 4.1 innings in relief and striking out six. Sophomore Nora Zubillaga got the start on the mound for the Monarchs as she recorded 3.0 innings of action, giving up just five hits.

Six Ducks posted multi-hit games, and Samantha Schattin and Guerrero led with three RBIs each. Erin Kreis secured the win for the hosts, recording a complete 8-inning game.

The Monarchs bounce back as they host the Ducks in their first home doubleheader at Betzler Athletic Complex in just under two years. The second half of the home-and-home series with Stevens is set for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch in Wilkes-Barre, PA tomorrow afternoon.