Apr. 14, 2011

Box Score Gm. 1
Box Score Gm. 2

One of the telltale signs in gauging the direction a team is going is how it bounces back from disappointment.

Through 12 games, the Lehman Lightning had experienced plenty, starting the season 2-10.

And after a 12-0, five inning loss in the first game of its doubleheader with Brooklyn College on Thursday afternoon, to expect a similar lopsided result in the second game was not out of the question.

But with ace Natalie Martinez on the mound, the Lightning rebounded, and despite a 6-2 loss, showed marked improvement around the diamond.

Martinez, in particular, threw one of her better games of the season, allowing a season-low one walk to the Bulldogs' hitters. Freshman Nicole Pinero, 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, was solid in the field at both second and short and helped gun down Brooklyn's Danielle Maresca at the plate in the sixth inning on a nifty relay from leftfielder Melanie Dones.

Trailing 4-0 entering its half of the fifth, the Lightning plated two runs thanks to some sloppy play by the Bulldogs to cut its deficit to 4-2. Brooklyn, though, came right back in the top of the sixth with two more runs for the final 6-2 margin.

In the first game, the Bulldogs jumped on Lightning hurler Genesis Batista, normally the starter for the back end of doubleheaders, with six runs in the opening frame. Allison Donovan, Meagan Cranston and Norah Marley all contributed run scoring hits in the inning for Brooklyn.

After adding another run in the second, Brooklyn iced the game by tacking on five more in the third, the big blow coming on Donovan's three-run homer to left centerfield.

With the doubleheader loss, Lehman now sits at 2-12 while the Bulldogs improve to 11-12-1.

Next up for the Lightning is SUNY Old Westbury on Friday afternoon.