Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
James Madison
Softball Splits a Pair of Seventh-Inning Thrillers With James Madison
4/12/2008 4:04:42 PM | Softball
Philadelphia, Pa. – Drexel (21-12, 7-4) split a pair of tight CAA games against James Madison (20-20, 4-6) on Saturday. The Dragons took an exciting 3-2 victory in game one when Carla Waldron sprinted home on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning. Breanna Gomez took a shutout two-hitter into the seventh inning of the nightcap, but a four-run James Madison seventh proved too much for the team to overcome in a 4-1 loss. Waldron went 3-for-3 in game one, driving in the tying run and scoring the winning run. Molly Dacey drove in Drexel's lone run in game two.
Game One
Carla Waldron came up big for the Dragons in a tight 3-2 victory over James Madison in game one of Saturday's doubleheader. The sophomore went 3-for-3 at the plate, drove in the tying run for the Dragons in the fourth inning and scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh. Christina Rodriguez led off the game by belting her second home run of the year. The shot also set a new single-season team record home runs as it was the Dragons' 29th of the season.
Katrina Gaudier earned the complete-game victory, her 12th of the season, allowing just one earned run on six hits. The sophomore picked up her team after an unusually shaky fielding game by the Dragons, who committed four errors. But Gaudier stranded nine runners on the bags while pitching the Dragons to victory.
With the game in a 2-2 draw in the bottom of the seventh inning, Carla Waldron led off with a single to right field just out of the reach of a diving Melissa Hill at shortstop. Kristen Beaver bunted her over to second and Lisa Williams legged out an infield single to put runners on first and third with one out for Christina Rodriguez. After a trip to the mound by head coach Katie Flynn, starter Meredith Felts served up a wild pitch and Waldron scampered home to score the game-winning run.
After a three-hour rain delay Drexel came out fresh, getting on the board early with a solo home run by Rodriguez to left centerfield, staking the Dragons to an early one run lead.
James Madison got the run back in the third inning when a single to center off the bat of Melissa Hill skidded under the glove of Lisa Williams allowing Hill to take second. Shannon Moxey moved her over with a ground out to second base and Amber Kirk drove a single into right field to plate Hill with the trying run.
The Dukes took advantage of another fielding miscue in the normally sure-handed Drexel outfield to go on top 2-1 in the fourth inning. A lead-off single by Kaitlin Wernsing got past Rodriguez in left field, as Wernsing took second on the error. A past ball moved Wernsing to third base and a single by Brittany Dyson brought home the go-ahead run.
Drexel returned the favor in the bottom of the frame when Botelho reached on an error by third baseman Amber Kirk. Molly Dacey laid down a well-placed bunt to move her to second base. Carla Waldron poked a single into short left field and Botelho sprinted home from second, barely beating the throw with a head-first slide to square the game at 2-2.
Gaudier pitched her way out of a jam in the fifth inning when a pair of errors by Kelly Downes at third base and a walk loaded the bags with two outs. She settled down to make a good pitch to Brittany Dyson that resulted in a fly out to right field. The Dragons escaped the inning with the score still knotted at two runs apiece.
In the seventh, the Dragons held off the Dukes again when Jenn Chavez reached with a single to left field and took second on a wild pitch. But with two outs, Gaudier served up a cue-shot of the bad of designated hitter Lauren Mernin for the inning ending putout.
Game Two
Drexel succumbed to the Dukes in game two in a contest that was a pitchers duel through six innings. The Dragons took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh. But the Dukes plated four runs in the frame, capped by a Brittany Dyson home run to pull off a 4-1 come-from-behind victory.
Seniors Amanda Hastings and Molly Dacey teamed up to give Drexel its first run in a game-two pitchers duel. Hastings dropped a single in to shallow center and Ashley Botelho moved her to second on a ground out to third base. Dacey stroked a double to left center. Left fielder Brittany Dyson tracked the ball but could not make the play as it sailed over her head and rolled to the fence for a stand-up double.
Gomez faced just two batters over the minimum through five innings, allowing just one hit and keeping the Dukes off the scoreboard. Through six innings the Dukes only baserunners of the game came on a pair of walks and a single by Kaitlin Wernsing in the second inning and a two-out poke by Courtney Simons in the sixth.. She was also aided by the defense of her battery mate, Botelho, who threw out Brittany Dyson attempting to steal second in the fifth and hustling to catch a foul pop up near the Drexel dugout in the third.
The Dukes broke open what had been a tightly contested game in top of the seventh. Jenn Chavez led off the top of the seventh with a double to the wall in left center. Gomez intentionally walked Kaitlin Wernsing to set up a force-out situation at first and second. Julia Dominguez followed with a double to left field and Brittany Dyson slammed a two-run homer to left center to make it a 4-1 james Madison lead.
Drexel did it's best to get the runs back in the bottom of the frame as Rodriguez led off with a single laced down the right field line. After a looking strikeout by Gaudier, Hastings was hit by a pitch for the second time on the day to bring the tying run to the plate in the person of Ashley Botelho. The catcher stroked an inside pitch to the left side, but it was gloved by the Dukes' shortstop for the second out of the inning. Dacey stepped to the plate with two on and two out. She came back from 0-2 to work a full count to draw a walk. Jessica Bongiovanni pinch hit for Sandi Wambold with the bases loaded and grounded out to second base to end the game.
Gomez dropped to 3-7 with the loss, allowing four runs in seven innings of work with three walks and three strikeouts. Clohan improved to 8-7 on the season after scattering seven hits and striking out four over seven innings.
The Dragons are back in action tomorrow for the series finale with James Madison at 11:00 a.m. The team will be welcoming back softball alumni as part of Alumni Day festivities.
