Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
Hofstra
Softball Falls to Hofstra 5-1 in Final Conference Home Game
4/29/2007 1:40:57 PM | Softball
Philadelphia, Pa. – In the final game of Drexel's three-game softball series with Hofstra, the Dragons (16-18, 6-11 CAA) fell behind early and couldn't pull out a comeback against the conference's most dominant starter Kayleigh Lotti, falling 5-1 to the Pride (33-13, 14-3 CAA). Freshman Ashley Botelho went 1-for-2 and knocked in Drexel's only run. On their Senior Day, Brianne Brown got one of the Dragons' three hits off Lotti and fellow senior Lena Aiken played solid defensively, and made a diving catch of a line drive in the second inning.
Hofstra plated four runs on five swings to open the game, capped by a three-run homer by Ashley Lane. The aggressive Pride putting the Dragons in a 4-0 hole early.
Drexel began to dig itself out immediately, scoring one in the bottom of the first. Ashley Botelho continued to dominate Hofstra starter Kayleigh Lotti, raking an RBI single over a leaping Casey Fee at second base to plate Lisa Williams from second base to make it a 4-1 game.
Botelho nearly hurt the Pride by drawing a walk in the fourth inning. Pinch runner Victoria Hanks took second on a throw from the catcher that got away from the second baseman covering first. Dacey bunted her to third with one out, but Lotti hit her groove and struck out the next two batters to end the inning.
In the sixth Brown got on with a single laced to left field for the second hit off Lotti all day, reaching base for Botelho with one out. But Botelho lifted a ball to right field that carried in the wind, but eventually settled in the glove of Ashely Lane for the second out.
On Senior Day, Brown and Aiken showed why they've been the infield anchors for the past four seasons. Aiken made a diving catch of a line drive in the second inning and Brown chased down evasive runner Casey Fee on a run-down play in the fifth inning, helping Gaudier to hold Hofstra off the board for four straight innings after the four-spot in the first.
Hofstra added one more run in the sixth on an RBI double by Genevieve Haney that plated Dreslinski. Gaudier walked the bases loaded and gave way to Amanda Shattuck with one out. The reliever induced a grounder back to the circle to get the force at home then got the pinch- hitter Stephanie Feinstein to pop out, ending the inning with only one run crossing the plate and stranding three runners on base.
Trailing by four, Drexel tried to work some more seventh-inning magic in hopes of matching four-run seventh-inning rallies the team turned in against Delaware and Georgia State. Sandi Wambold, who has proven to be a late-inning hitting specialist in her young career, lined a single up the middle with one out. Carla Waldron popped out to third on a slap attempt, bringing Gaudier to the plate with two outs. But the Drexel starter struckout swinging against her Pride counterpart to end the game.
Lotti picked up her conference-leading 16th win of the season after allowing one run on three hits and a walk and striking out a dozen batters. Gaudier also turned in a quality performance but took the loss after allowing four earned runs on eight hits and one walk. The loss evened the freshman's record at 9-9 on the season.
Brown and Aiken were honored during Senior Day ceremonies prior to the game. Both seniors were four-year starters in Drexel's infield. The Dragons are back in action for their final home games of the season, hosting Lafayette on Wednesday, May 2 at 3:00 p.m.
