Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
Fairleigh Dickinson
Dragons Outslug Fairleigh Dickinson in Doubleheader Sweep
4/8/2009 5:03:16 PM | Softball
Hackensack, N.J. - Sandi Wambold, Lisa Williams and Christina Rodriguez went deep for the Dragons (20-11, 6-3) and Hillary Allen pitched seven solid innings to earn her seventh straight win as Drexel topped Fairleigh Dickinson (8-24) 8-5 in game one. In the nightcap Rodriguez hit her second dinger of the day and Ashley Botelho again matched Wambold for the Drexel career homerun lead as the Dragons blasted the Knights 11-1 in five innings.
Allen saw her streak of more than 21 innings without an earned run come to an end when the Knights put up a four spot in the second inning on Wednesday, but the rookie still pitched well enough to keep her team in the game. Drexel's potent offense did the rest, putting up eight runs against for the second game in a row against FDU. Lisa Williams led the onslaught by going 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, her first homer of the season, and four RBIs.
The last time the two teams met was on March 8, in the consolation final of the UMBC Dawg Pound Tournament. On that day, Drexel blasted FDU's pitching for eight runs and ended the game in the sixth inning by invoking the eight-run mercy rule. The Dragons appeared to be in line for a similar dominant performance on Wednesday after building a 4-0 lead by the second inning.
Williams hit a solo shot in the first inning to get the scoring started for the Dragons. Wambold kept it going with her fifth homer of the year, a solo shot to lead off the second inning. The blast was also the 17th of Wambold's career, unbreaking a tie with Ashley Botelho for the career record. Williams followed four batters later with a two-RBI double to right center, making it a 4-0 Drexel game.
But Fairleigh Dickinson would bounce back to tie the game on a grand-slam by lead-off hitter Brianne Benedict, making it a 4-4 game.
Drexel pulled back ahead for good in the fourth thanks to and RBI double by Devon Metcalf and a single by Williams that drove in her fourth RBI of the game, making it a 6-4 Drexel lead. Rodriguez's two-run homer in the top of the fifth expanded the Dragons' lead to 8-4.
The Knights would put one more run on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Lauren Hamilton drew a walk and took second on Allen's second wild pitch of the game. Lindsay Glidden knocked Hamilton home with a single, making it 8-5. But that was as close as the Knights would get to a comeback as Allen silenced their bats for the duration of the game.
Allen's complete-game effort earned the rookie her seventh straight win, which improved her record to 9-5 on the season. She led up five earned runs on nine hits and three walks and struckout two batters.
In game two Drexel feasted on the Knights' pitching, pounding out 11 runs on 10 hits, including two long balls and a pair of doubles. Christina Rodriguez ran roughshod over FDU to follow up a solid performance in the opener of the twinbill. The senior leftfielder went 3-for-3 with a double and a home run and five RBIs. She was also a menace on the basepaths, stealing a pair of bags and scoring three runs for the Dragons. On the day, Rodriguez was 4-for-7 with a double, two homers and seven RBIs.
Rookie Devon Metcalf also plagued the Knights in game two. The Dragons' lead-off hitter was 3-for-4 with a double, three stolen bases and three runs scored. Lisa Williams, who had a big game for the Dragons in the lid-lifter, also scored three runs and drove in one of her own. The Dragons put four runs on the board in both the third and fourth innings and closed out the run-rule victory with three in the fifth.
Senior Amanda Shattuck recorded her first pitching win of the season after pitching four effective innings, allowing one earned run on three hits and two walks and striking out four.
The rookie Metcalf got Drexel's offense started in the four-run third inning, leading off with a single to left. Williams reached after being hit by a pitch and Rodriguez drove a double to the gap in right center, to drive in a run. Wambold and Paige Collings knocked back-to-back singles to drive in three more runs, making it a 4-0 Drexel lead.
Metcalf again keyed the Dragons' big fourth inning, this time smacking a one-out double. Williams and Rodriguez followed with hits and Botelho broke it open with a two-run shot. The junior's sixth longball of the season matched Sandi Wambold for the career lead at Drexel. Wambold homered in the first game to temporarily take sole possession of the honor at 17 career dingers.
A three-run shot by Rodriguez with Metcalf and Williams aboard accounted for all of the Dragons' runs in the top of the fifth inning. Shattuck sat down the side after walking one batter in the bottom of the fifth to end the game early courtesy of the eight-run mercy rule.
The win was Drexel's 20th of the season. The Dragons have now won 20 or more games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 1992 and 1993 seasons. Drexel reached the 20-win mark for six straight seasons from 1988 to 1993, spanning a period of time when the Dragons were members of the East Coast Conference and the North Atlantic Conference. It is also the 65th coaching victory for Kim Camara, making her the third winningest coach at Drexel in just over two seasons at the helm of the Dragons.
The Dragons are back in action this weekend when the resume conference play against regional rival Delaware in a three-game series. The teams play a doubleheader on Friday, April 10 at 3:00 p.m. followed by a single game on Saturday at 11:00 a.m.
