Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
George Mason
Softball Suffers First Conference Loss of the Season in Split With George Mason
3/29/2008 12:54:49 PM | Softball
Philadelphia, Pa. - Drexel split a pair of games with George Mason on Saturday. The Dragons downed the Patriots in convincing fashion, 9-1, in a five-inning run-rule victory in game one. George Mason (8-20, 2-3) rebounded to hand the Dragons (15-9, 4-1) their first conference loss of the season, 5-3 in the nightcap. Lisa Williams drove in three runs in the opener and Amanda Hastings matched a team record with four singles in game two.
Game One
Drexel pushed its conference winning streak to four straight with a 9-1 five-inning win over George Mason in game one. The Dragons took advantage of three fielding errors by the Patriots to score five runs in the third inning. Lisa Williams went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and Molly Dacey had a 2-for-3 performance with three runs scored and to batted in.
Gaudier earned her eighth win of the season, just missing a shutout while scattering four hits and four walks over five innings and striking out two batters. The Dragons went through three Patriot pitchers in the win, touching up starter Becky Anderson and relief pitcher Paige Miller for three runs apiece.
Drexel got to the starter, Anderson, in the second inning after putting the lead-off runner on in the first two innings. The Dragons broke through with runners on first and second and two outs. Lisa Williams drive a single back up the middle to bring home Molly Dacey from second base to give Drexel a 1-0 lead.
The Dragons took advantage of three fielding miscues by the Patriots to break it open in the bottom of the third on a single by Molly Dacey with the bases loaded and no outs. The ball found its way under the glove of Shanique Steele in centerfield and rolled all the way to the fence as the bases cleared. Dacey came home from third on a past ball to make it a 5-0 Drexel lead. The Dragons tacked on a fifth run in the inning when third baseman Katlyn Winter mishandled a grounder by Rodriguez with runners on second third, allowing pinch runner Kelly Downes to sprint home with the team's sixth run of the game.
Gaudier pitched her way out of trouble in the fourth inning to keep the Patriots off the scoreboard. After walking the first two batters of the inning, she settled down to retire the next three batters on a fly out, a swinging strikeout and a grounder to shortstop.
The Dragons knocked starter Becky Anderson from the game in the fourth inning in favor of Paige Miller. The reliever lasted through two-thirds of an inning before walking the bases loaded and hitting Kristen Beaver to push home a run. Williams followed with a two-RBI single to give Drexel a 9-0 lead and end Miller's outing. Reliever Paige Krystofinski got the ender on a sharp liner to third base.
Gaudier salted away the run-rule victory after allowing the first two batters to reach on singles, the Dragons' defense came through with a pair of nice plays to negate the threat. Carla Waldron gloved a liner at second and held her ground on a take-out slide to while collecting a throw from Beaver for a force out. With two outs and runners on the corners Gaudier got Ashli Breau to pop up to right field. Hastings sprinted in to pick up the base hit, she alertly fired the ball in to Dacey at first who threw out Breau as she attempted to take second base, ending the game.
Game Two
Becky Anderson redeemed herself in game two, pitching a complete-game 5-3 victory with six strikeouts. The Dragons pounded out 11 hits on the starter, but stranded seven runners in their first CAA loss of the season. Amanda Hastings went 4-for-4 at the plate, with a single-game record four singles and she drove in two of the Dragons' three runs.
Freshman Ellen Boundy saw her first innings against a CAA team, pitching effectively for three and two-thirds in relief of starter Breanna Gomez. Gomez exited in the fourth inning after yeilding four runs on four hits and three walks. Boundy worked three and a third, scattering five hits and letting up one run while fanning two.
Anderson returned with vigor in game two, striking out three batters through the first three innings. But the third inning the Dragons displayed their ability to manufacture runs. Lisa Williams caught the infield on its heels, dropping a bunt single down the first base line. The speedy centerfielder stole second and Christina Rodriguez moved her to third with a sacrifice bunt. Katrina Gaudier put the Dragons on the board with a sacrifice fly to right centerfield.
George Mason took its first lead of the day in the day in the top of the fourth. Gomez surrendered three straight singles to Lesley Hassen, Sarah Martin and Katlyn Winter to knot the game at 1-1. Alison Bryan smacked a three-run homer to put the Patriots on top 4-1 and knock Gomez out of the game. Freshman Ellen Boundy relieved Gomez and in her first taste of CAA competition the rookie retired the first two batters she faced to get out of the inning.
Boundy got touched up for her first run when the designated hitter Ashli Breu took a high and away pitch to right field. Amanda Hastings tracked the ball and appeared to glove it, but her momentum carried her into the fence and as her glove met the top of the fence the ball popped out and over for a home run that made it 5-1 in the Patriots' favor.
Rodriguez and Hastings helped the Dragons chip away at the four-run deficit in the fifth inning. Rodriguez lined a double to centerfield and, with two outs, Hastings roped a single up the middle to plate her, making it a 5-2 game going into the sixth inning.
The Dragons looked to whittle away more of the lead in the sixth inning when Dacey led off with a single smashed to center field. Wambold followed with a bloop single to right field. But Anderson retired the next three batters in order with a pair of pop outs and a swinging strikeout.
Alison Bryan and Ashli Breau homered for the Patriots, who picked up their second conference victory of the season. Byran's three-run shot in the fourth inning signaled the end for Gomez, who dropped to 3-5 with the loss.
Drexel rallied in the bottom of the seventh for one more run as Gaudier lined a double to centerfield and Hastings put the wraps on her 4-for-4 game with a single. The right fielder attempted to take second as Gaudier scampered home, but was thrown out at second base for the second out of the inning. Botelho lined back to the pitcher for the final out of the game.
The teams are back in action tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. to close out the three-game conference series at Drexel Field.
