Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
Penn
Dragons Rout Quakers En Route To Doubleheader Sweep
4/19/2007 5:05:21 PM | Softball
Philadelphia, Pa. – Drexel outscored the Ivy League leading Penn Quakers 26-6 in a pair of lop-sided victories on Thursday. Reigning CAA Rookie of the Week Katrina Gaudier continued to sizzle, holding Penn (21-15) scoreless for the first five innings of game one to pick up her eighth win of the season in Drexel's 8-2 victory. In game two Gaudier did her damage from the plate, going 3-for-3 with four RBIs and her first career home run as Drexel (15-11, 6-5 CAA) trounced the Quakers 18-4 in a mercy-rule shortened five-inning game. Gaudier and Amanda Shattuck combined to hold Penn's Annie Kinsey, the seventh leading batter in the nation, to a 1-for-6 performance on the day.
Game One
Reigning CAA Rookie of the Week, Katrina Gaudier extended her scoreless inning streak to 11 straight frames, before allowing the Ivy League leading Quakers to get on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning and avert a mercy-rule shortened loss. Lisa Williams and Christina Rodriguez both drove in a pair of runs for the Dragons in Drexel's 8-2 win.
Drexel broke open the game with a five-run fifth inning to take a 6-0 lead. Dacey drove in her second run of the game on a single pulled through the left side, which was the third of three straight hits and brought Brianne Brown trotting home from third base to make it a 2-0 Drexel lead. Two batters later, Rodriguez would again step to the plate with bases juiced. this time she would smack a two-RBI single the opposite way into right field to put Drexel up 4-0. Rodriguez's knock bounced reliever Casey Hare in favor of Olivia Mauro, the Quakers third pitcher in the first thee and one-third innings. With one out and runners on first and third, Gaudier helped her cause by drilling a grounder through the drawn-in infield to push Drexel's lead to 5-0. Carla Waldron drove in one more run with a single, but she also ran the Dragons out of the inning after getting thrown out attempting to steal second base.
The Dragons threatened to end the game early when they tacked two more runs on in the top of the sixth inning. Williams hit a 1-1 pitch to the gap in left centerfield for a two-RBI double that gave Drexel an 8-0 lead.
But the Quakers made a case for extending the game when they opened the sixth inning with three straight singles. Gaudier hit Melissa Haffner to force in Penn's first run of the game and end a streak of 11 consecutive scoreless innings for the rookie. She fanned Brandy King for the first out and got McIlvane to ground out to shortstop, trading the out for another Quaker run. Kaelin Ainley ended the inning with a grounder to Waldron at second base, but the Quakers scored enough runs to finish the game in regulation. But Gaudier made sure Penn's last chance was short-lived, retiring the Quakers in order to close out the Drexel victory.
Gaudier earned her eighth win of the season, allowing two earned runs on seven hits while striking out six Quakers and walking one.
Drexel got its first run of the game a sacrifice fly by Rodriguez with the bases loaded in the second inning.
Drexel's defense played well behind its freshman pitcher in the game. In the fourth inning, freshman Waldron made a diving stop ranging to her right and flipped the ball to shortstop Kristen Beaver covering second for the out. On the next play, Beaver ranged to her right to track down a hot grounder in the hole at shortstop and made a strong throw to Keiko Uraguchi.
Gaudier dodged disaster in the bottom of the fourth when she gave up a lead-off single and loaded the bases with a walk and a bloop single by Brandi King. The rookie hurler was able to keep the ball down and induce an inning-ending ground out to shortstop. She settled down to retire the side in order in the fifth inning and again in the seventh to close out the game.
Game Two
After pitching Drexel to victory in game one, Gaudier displayed her prowess from the plate in the nightcap, going 3-for-3 with four RBIs, three of which came on her first career home run, to power the Dragons to an 18-4 triumph. Christina Rodriguez also went deep for the Dragons in the victory. Amanda Shattuck struggled with her control throughout the game, but got the big outs when she needed them to earn her fourth win of the season. The Dragons scored their single-game record tying 18 runs on 14 hits, seven of which were doubles, setting a new single-game record. Ashley Botelho and Molly Dacey each had a pair of two-baggers, tying Drexel's individual single-game doubles mark.
Playing in their fourth game in two days, the Quakers shortened their bullpen for the non-conference doubleheader. Drexel took advantage of Penn's overworked pitchers, victimizing rookier starter Justine Wilson for 10 runs in her first collegiate start. A five-run fifth inning put away the Quakers as Drexel rolled to its run-rule shortened five-inning win.
Freshman Ashlee Botelho got things going in the first inning, giving the Dragons a 2-0 lead when she tagged a two-out double off the top of the left centerfield fence to bring in Lena Aiken and Brianne Brown.
Some sloppy fielding allowed Penn to even the score in the bottom of the first. Sandi Wambold dropped a throw at first base, a passed ball allowed the Quakers to plate one run. The bizarre inning continued when Shattuck was called for an illegal pitch, allowing the runner to come home from third base. On the next pitch, Shattuck tossed a high change up which was lofted into right field. Gaudier gloved the out and fired the ball to first to catch the runner returning to the bag for a double play. Two pitches later Shattuck induced a weak pop fly to end the inning with the game square at 2-2.
Walks proved to be Penn's undoing in the second inning as Wilson issued five of them which resulted 10 Drexel runs before the end of the second inning. Wilson walked in the first run of the inning and the flood gates opened when shortstop Addy Crocker booted a grounder by Brianne Brown which allowed another run to score. Wambold drove an RBI-single up the middle to give Drexel a 6-2 lead.
Dacey made it 7-2 with a double to left center. Kristen Beaver brought Brown home with the seventh run of the inning, making it 9-2 with a single that dropped in between the second baseman and the outfield in right field. Rodriguez drew a walk and was the last batter for Wilson as Head Coach Leslie King sent in Susan Miller to relieve her classmate. Gaudier singled in one more run, but the Quakers caught Rodriguez attempting to advance to third on the knock, to end the eight-run inning.
Miller walked the bases loaded with one out in her first full inning of work, before getting grounders for a pair of force outs to escape the inning unscathed.
Shattuck fought with control problems of her own in the third inning, issuing three straight walks with runners on base to push across Penn's third and fourth runs of the game. She fanned Crocker looking to get out of the inning maintaining a 10-4 lead.
The Dragons got three runs back in the fourth inning courtesy of a two-RBI double down the left field line by Aiken and a home run off the bat of Rodriguez.
Shattuck walked two more batters in the bottom of the fourth, but her defense helped her out as Molly Dacey hustled out from behind the plate to track down a foul ball near the dugout while nearly tripping over the discarded bat.
Drexel led off the fifth inning with back-to-back doubles by Botelho and Dacey which prompted another pitching change. Reliever Olivia Mauro surrendered an RBI single to Carla Waldron, the first batter she faced, making it a 14-4 Drexel lead. Rodriguez hit the third double of the inning over the right fielder. Gaudier followed with her first career home run, a three-run shot that nearly carried to the Schuykill expressway as the Dragons continued to put the Quakers to rout. Penn's centerfielder made a leaping grab of a rope by Botelho to end the five-run inning.
The Dragons deflated Penn in the fifth and Williams made sure that the Quakers would not score again, displaying her defensive ability in the bottom of the frame. The sophomore centerfielder made one of her best diving catches of the season to rob Christina Khosravi of a hit. Ranging to her left Williams used the full extension of her dive to reach the ball, a glove's width above the Warren Field grass. Two batters later Williams would track down a fly ball in right center for the final out.
Despite struggling with her command of the strike zone, to walk seven batters, Shattuck allowed just two earned runs on one hit and she also struck out two batters.
The Dragons resume conference play when they travel to Harrisonburg, Va. this weekend to play the CAA-leading James Madison Dukes. Saturday's doubleheader starts at noon followed by game three on Sunday at noon.
