From NYU Athletics

The New York University softball team opened its University Athletic Association (UAA) season by hosting Case Western Reserve University for a doubleheader on Friday, April 13, at Bahoshy Field in the Bronx. 

The Violets (12-10, 1-1 UAA) erased a three-run deficit with four home runs and then held on for a 6-4 win over the Spartans (18-7, 5-5 UAA) in the doubleheader opener.

Case Western Reserve won the second game by a score of 9-1.

NYU trailed 3-0 heading to the bottom of the fourth of the opener, but Caroline Saccacio started a two-out rally with a double and Ashley Mains followed with a two-run home run. Next up, Jacqueline Finn hit a solo job to tie the game 3-3. 

Diana King's two-out solo home run in the fifth gave NYU its first lead of the day.

Finn hit her second round-tripper following Mains' double in the bottom of the sixth, accounting for the final two NYU runs.

However, Case Western Reserve mounted a comeback in the top of the seventh, scoring one run and getting runners to second and third with no outs.

However, Cassi Parulis came in to relieve starter Karissa Zubulake and stranded the runners, recording two strikeouts and getting the final Spartan batter to fly to left field for the final out. 

Parulis' performance resulted in her first career save, while Zubulake recorded her fourth win (4-1) of the season.

In game two, the Spartans took the lead in the second inning on a sacrifice fly and NYU knotted the score in the bottom of the third on a fielder's choice grounder to third by Sam Sicignano. 

However, the Spartans broke the game open with three runs in the fifth and five more in the sixth.

Olivia Mould started for the Violets and went three innings before being relieved by Scarlett Murphy to start the fourth. Parulis pitched the final two-thirds of an inning for NYU.

Sidney Brannam went the distance for Case Western Reserve, picking up her team-leading ninth win of the season.

FRIDAY THE 13TH HIGHLIGHTS:

- Finn went a perfect 5-of-5 on the day.

- Dakota Damiani went 2-for-2 and scored NYU's only run in the nitecap.

- King recorded her team-leading 19th stolen base in the second game. 

"Wins are tough to get in the UAA, so I'm happy we got the first one today," said Head Coach Now-Allah James. "But, I'm disappointed because we couldn't sustain any momentum for the second game. It's a pattern we've gotten into lately, and we need to figure out a way to improve in that area."