Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
UNC Wilmington
Dragons Split With Seahawks In Softball Doubleheader
3/31/2007 4:54:58 PM | Softball
Wilmington, N.C. - After a commanding 10-2 victory in game one in Saturday's CAA doubleheader against UNC Wilmington, Drexel's bats came up just short in the nightcap, falling 3-2 to the Seahawks. Sandi Wambold and Kristen Beaver went deep for the Dragons (9-5, 3-2 CAA) in game one and freshman pitcher Breanna Gomez picked up the victory from the circle. Two-time defending Rookie of the Week Katrina Gaudier held one of the CAA's top offenses to just three runs in game two, but the Seahawks managed to evade a day-one sweep with a one-run victory. The teams will meet for the third, and deciding game, tomorrow at noon.
Game One
Sandi Wambold and Kristen Beaver led the way for the Dragons with a pair of two-run home runs to put away a 10-2 Drexel victory in game one. The blasts gave Drexel 14 homers on the season, which is a new single-season high for Dragons. Brianne Brown went 2-for-4 in the game with a pair of RBIs and was one of five Dragons with two hits in the contest. Drexel knocked out 14 in the opener and lit up starter Brittney Lehrschall, the reigning CAA Pitcher of the Week, for 10 earned runs in seven innings of work.
Breanna Gomez worked seven solid innings for Drexel, scattering six hits and allowing one earned run in seven innings from the circle while walking two batters and striking out one for her third victory of the season.
The Dragons got on the board in the first inning with an RBI single by Molly Dacey. A rattled Lehrschall walked in Drexel's second run of the inning after loading the bases. She then settled down to strike out Beaver to end the inning with Drexel leading 2-0.
Brianne Brown drove in a third run with a double in the second inning to push Drexel's lead to 3-0. Wilmington made it 3-1 in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single by Morgan Walters. Brown plated another run in the fourth inning with a single with runners on first and third.
UNC Wilmington would get one more run in the bottom of the fifth on an error by Wambold at first base. But the Dragons would soon put the game out of reach, courtesy of Beaver and Wambold's two run shots in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively.
Game Two
Both teams put two runs on the board in the first inning and the teams played to a 2-2 draw through three innings of a pitchers' duel in game two. But the Seahawks broke the tie after a lead-off double in the fourth inning and an error by right fielder Amanda Hastings allowed the home team to push across a run. UNCW held on for the 3-2 victory as neither team scored for the remainder of the game
Reigning CAA Rookie of the Week, Katrina Gaudier threw six innings without allowing an earned run. She scattered six hits and walked three batters while stiking out two. Lisa White anchored the Seahawks pitching in game two, earning her second win of the season after scattering seven hits and allowing one earned run in seven innings of work.
Drexel got its pair of runs by way of two Seahawks errors in the first inning. Lisa Williams led off the game with a walk and Lena Aiken bunted her to second. The Seahawks tried to pick Williams off at second on Aiken's sacrifice but White threw the ball into centerfield. But the relay from center caught the aggressive Williams trying to score on the overthrow. The play set the tone for an inning of miscues for UNC Wilmington. Aiken took third on a past ball and scored when the third baseman couldn't handle a ball off the bat of Molly Dacey. Brown came in with the second run on a single by Sandi Wambold that was mishandled by the left fielder, making it a 2-0 game.
White helped atone for the Seahawks' miscues in the bottom of the first, however, when she hit a bases-loaded single to drive in two runs and tie the game. Drexel would knock out five more hits in the game, but the Dragons stranded 10 baserunners through the next six innings.
The teams settle the series tomorrow with the third and decisive game at noon.
