DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Pitcher
Mallory Kinahan joined rare company on Wednesday night as the junior threw just the fifth no-hitter in program history in a 6-2, 10-0 doubleheader sweep of Chowan at Radiology Associates Field. She's just the fourth member of the Blue and Gold to ever accomplish the feat, becoming the first to do so since Jayla Jackson in 2020.
Embry-Riddle (14-8) also excelled offensively, picking up a combined 16 runs and 24 hits in the first two meetings between the two programs.
GAME 1: Embry-Riddle - 6, Chowan - 2
A throwing error on a pick-off play at third in the top of the second led to the Hawks (4-11) scoring the first run of the game, but that would be the only lead the visitors had on the day.
ERAU responded immediately in the bottom half of the inning. It took just two hits to even the score after
Karina Ortiz-Munoz led off with a single up the middle and
Sydney Linn followed with her first collegiate double to left to score the runner.
Shelby Morse then stepped in and smacked a hit to left to plate Linn and
Mia Macchia kept the hit parade going with a slapper to second that she beat out.
With two on,
Kerry O'Sullivan found open space in left to send pinch runner
Kelsey Kressler home from second. Then a rare two-RBI sacrifice bunt occurred when
Raissa Bianco laid one down the left side. Macchia sprinted home with O'Sullivan following right behind her. Even though the bases were cleared, the home team continued to find scoring opportunities.
Emma Wood reached base with a single to second, and
Delaney Morgan brought her in to score with a double to the right center gap to make the game 6-1 Eagles.
Embry-Riddle threatened again in the fourth with back-to-back one-out singles from O'Sullivan and Serenity Jaenichan, but the Blue and Gold were unable to add to their run total.
Chowan got one back in the sixth, starting with a leadoff single. A groundout and a stolen base put the runner on third. A single then brought the Hawk home to make the contest 6-2.
Though a triple started the top of the seventh, that runner was erased when Wood fielded a ground ball and threw it to
Leah Oberkehr on third to force the runner home. Oberkehr hastily tossed the ball to
Katriana Bain, who applied the tag at the plate.
Ten different Eagles registered a hit in the game led by multi-hit efforts from Linn (2-for-3) and O'Sullivan (2-for-2), both of whom earned a run and an RBI each. Bianco produced a single-game season-high two RBIs.
Morse (W, 4-3) gave up just one unearned run and three hits over five innings with a trio of strikeouts. Wood pitched two innings of relief with one run allowed.
GAME 2: Embry-Riddle - 10, Chowan - 0 (5 Inn.)
From start to finish, the Eagles controlled game two. The Hawks were only able to put one batter on base for the entire contest, which came on a fielding error in the fourth inning. Kinahan and the Eagle defense were air-tight. She fanned a batter in four of the five innings and recorded multiple strikeouts in the third. Not only that, but the left-hander limited Chowan to ground balls and pop outs in all but one at-bat.
Meanwhile, Embry-Riddle's offense was feasting by scoring runs in every inning. With two outs in the first, Morgan walked to set up for a two-run blast by Ortiz-Munoz. It was the seventh of her career, which is tied for the fifth-most all-time.
One frame later, Macchia and O'Sullivan found their way into scoring position, giving Bianco another two-RBI opportunity that she converted on with a single that bounced into center field to make it a 4-0 contest.
Another run was tallied when Linn used a single and stolen base to stand on second. Bain hit her second double of the game to score the run and become the fifth Eagle this season to tally multiple two-base hits in a game.
The flood gates opened in the fourth when ERAU added five runs to the scoreboard. A two-RBI single from Morgan and a two-RBI triple by Ortiz-Munoz put the Eagles ahead 9-0. The scoring was capped off when
Ginna Mohr put a ball in play that the shortstop mishandled, allowing Ortiz-Munoz to jog in for a run.
Once again, the Eagles matched their single-game season-high hit total with 12 from eight different players. Ortiz-Munoz had a monster game, going 2-for-3 with two runs on a triple and a home run. Her seven total bases tied for the 10th most in a game in program history while her four RBIs were tied ninth-most all time. Additionally, Ortiz-Munoz became just the sixth Eagle to accumulate four or more triples in a season. It also gave her seven for her career to move her into sole possession of fifth on the all-time list. Also of note, Ortiz-Munoz made her 112th and 113th career starts, the eighth-most in the program's history.
Bianco finished 2-for-3 with a run and two RBIs, Macchia was a perfect 2-for-2 from the batter's box with a run, Bain also went 2-for-2 with an RBI, and Morgan scored twice and drove in a pair on one hit in two at-bats.
Kinahan (W, 4-2) displayed pure dominance in her five hitless innings. She fanned five batters, tying her season-high mark to earn her 27th career win, sending her into fifth in the all-time ERAU record book. It was also the Sayville, New York native's eight career shutout. That broke a four-way tie for the third most by an Eagle.
Embry-Riddle concludes its stretch of six games in three days with a doubleheader against King on Thursday at 4 p.m.
