Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
UNC Wilmington
Rodriguez Picks Up 100th Hit in Drexel's Sweep of UNCW
3/23/2008 1:07:31 PM | Softball
Philadelphia - Christina Rodriguez welcomed herself to Drexel's 100-hit club in a big way. The junior's fourth-inning RBI double made her the 25th member of the exclusive group and put the Dragons ahead for good in a 5-2 victory over UNC Wilmington. Drexel (13-7, 3-0) tacked on two more runs in the sixth inning to close out a sweep of the Seahawks (9-14-1, 0-3) and improve its winning streak to nine straight games.
Ashley Botelho homered for the Dragons and Amanda Hastings went 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Katrina Gaudier picked up her second win of the series with a strong performance in relief of Breanna Gomez. Gaudier threw four and two-thirds innings without allowing a run. She allowed three hits and struck out three for her seventh win of the season.
After retiring the final 16 batters in a nightcap no-hitter on Saturday, starter Breanna Gomez got the first batter of the game in the series finale on Sunday before yielding her first hit to a Seahawk. Gomez would walk the bases loaded before retiring third baseman Lindsay Styons on a foul pop to the catcher.
Ashley Botelho smacked her second homer in as many days, finding a landing spot just inside the right field foul pole for her opposite-field launch, giving the Dragons a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. The homer moved the sophomore into third place on Drexel's all-time home run list behind Molly Dacey and Brianne Brown.
The Seahawks evened the score in the third on back-to-back home runs by Carley Hughes and Rachel Sawyer. UNC Wilmington got on the board in the third inning when slugger Carley Hughes, whom the Dragons had held in check for most of the weekend, bashed her 11th home run of the year to right center, making it a 2-1 game. After fouling a ball off her foot, Sawyer dusted herself off and sent the next pitch over the centerfield wall. It would be the last offering by Gomez on the day as she gave way to Katrina Gaudier who promptly retired the next two batters to get out of the inning.
Drexel missed a scoring opportunity in the bottom of the frame when Gaudier singled, Amanda Hastings was hit by a pitch and Molly Dacey drew a walk to load the bases with two outs. But Kristen Beaver struckout swinging to end the inning.
Rodriguez put the Dragons on top with her milestone hit as she punched an outside offering into right field. The ball hit the ground and spun toward the line away from the second baseman and right fielder as she took second and Carla Waldron scampered home to give Drexel a 3-2 lead.
The Dragons averted disaster in the sixth inning when the leadoff batter reached base. Dacey fielded a bunt by Michelle Harrison and fired it to Waldron covering first base. The ball popped out of Waldron's glove as Lindsay Styons sprinted toward third. Waldron picked up the ball and threw out Styons at third base. Shortstop Kristen Beaver was tested with three straight grounders stung toward the hole. She answered the call on two of three, with a bobble error in between, to end the threat.
After the thrilling top of the sixth inning, the Dragons gave themselves some breathing room on a two-RBI single by Amanda Hastings. Drexel loaded the bases for Hastings on a lead-off double to the base of the right field fence by Lisa Williams followed by Gaudier getting hit by a pitch and Rodriguez drawing a walk. Hastings' grounded bounced its way up the middle to plate two, making it a 5-2 game.
Drexel closed out the sweep on a thrilling double play. Kelly Downes scooped up a bouncing grounder and rifled it to first base to cut down the runner. The Seahawk on second base attempted to take third on the throw, but Dacey's return throw beat her for the game-ending double play.
The three-game sweep was the first CAA series sweep for the Dragons since they took a rain-shortened two-game series from tournament finalist Georgia State last season. Drexel pushed its winning streak to nine games, which matches the team's longest streak since 1992.
