Dragons Drop Two to Towson in CAA-Opening Doubleheader

Saturday, March 27

Drexel Field

12:00 p.m.

Drexel University

Towson

Dragons Drop Two to Towson in CAA-Opening Doubleheader

3/27/2010 2:29:11 PM | Softball

Philadelphia – Towson's offense churned out 14 runs en route to taking both ends of the conference opening doubleheader on Saturday. Drexel gave up a 3-2 lead in a 7-3 game one loss and couldn't muster a comeback in a 7-2 loss in the nightcap. The Dragons fall to 6-9 on the season and 0-2 in CAA play. Towson is 17-7 overall and 2-0 in conference play. The teams will wrap up the first conference series of the season with a noon game tomorrow at Drexel Field.

Game one

Drexel saw a 3-2 lead slip away when Towson batted around and plated five runs in the top of the seventh inning as the Dragons (6-8, 0-1) dropped their CAA opener 7-3 to the Tigers (16-7, 1-0). Paige Collings went 1-for-2 and drove in two of Drexel's three runs.

Courtney Wittner and Brianna Jones both drove in a pair of runs for the Tigers who rapped 14 hits off the Drexel pitching staff.

Shyann Beach took the loss in relief of starter Hillary Allen. She allowed five runs on seven hits and a walk through one and a third innings. Allen worked five and two thirds innings, let up one earned run on seven hits and a walk and struckout three.

Katie Lingmai got the win for Towson. She allowed three runs on six hits and a walk through seven innings and struck out six.

Drexel broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning when the middle of the lineup manufactured a run to give t he Dragons a 1-0 lead. Jenn Reading drew a walk and pinch runner Laura Stagliano stole second. Ashley Botelho smashed a ball to centerfield that missed being a line drive homer by mere feet. Stagliano took third and came in to score on a sacrifice fly by Paige Collings.

Towson bounced back quickly to take a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning. A bases-loaded RBI single by Mindy Bean, assisted by a bobbled ball by Laura Stagliano in center, gave the Tigers a pair of runs and chased starter Hillary Allen from the game in favor of Shyann Beach.

The Dragons were able to square the game in the bottom of the fifth with a couple assists from nature. A ball skied to left field by Devon Metcalf went for a double when left fielder Rachel Miller lost it in the sun. Following a bunt by
Caprice DeMirjia to move Metcalf to third, Hanna Parrish smacked a grounder to second base. The ball appeared to be a routine grounder but it took a hop at the last second and went over the shoulder of Mindy Bean at second, allowing Metcalf to score the tying run.

In the bottom of the sixth Drexel ground out a run with two outs to take a 3-2 lead. Botelho pulled an inside pitch down the left field line for a two-out double. Paige Collings followed with a grounder up the middle. Mindy Bean dove to smother it but she could not come up with the throw in time. Pinch runner Amanda Bachmann scrambled around third and found herself in a run-down situation. The crafty Bachmann timed her sprint, however, and slid into home before Courtney Wittner could get down a tag. The gutsy play gave Drexel a 3-2 lead.

Towson broke the game open in the top of the seventh. The first three batters would reach base for Towson on a bloop single and a pair of infield hits, loading the bases with no outs. Sammi DiPompo pulled a single to left to drive in the tying run and Wittner and Jones followed with two-run doubles to give Towson a commanding 7-3 lead.

Game Two

Towson used a four-run fourth inning to pull away for a 7-2 victory in game two of the Saturday doubleheader. Starter Katrina Gaudier gave up four earned runs on six hits and five walks before being relieved in the fourth inning. Drexel's relief corps would hold Towson to just two more runs, but the Dragons' offense was not able to rally. Rookie Jenn Reading was 2-for-4 with her third career homer, and she drove in both of Drexel's runs.

Sammi DiPompo and Mindy Bean both had two hits and two RBIs for Towson. Dominique Ortega got the win for the Tigers after giving up one earned run on six hits and a walk through five innings of work.

Drexel saw a good scoring opportunity go by the wayside in the second inning. Collings reached on a double roped to centerfield and two batters later the Dragons had the bases loaded with one out. But a grounder to third by Devon Metcalf and a line out to shortstop by Amanda Bachmann ended the inning without a score.

Towson got on the boad first in the third inning when a throw by Collings on a bunt went wide of Botelho at first allowing Erika Stasch to scamper home from second base, giving Towson a 1-0 lead.

Jenn Reading squared the game in the bottom of the inning when she smashed her third home run of the season over the fence in left field.

Towson scored four times with two outs in the fourth inning to take a 5-1 lead. RBI singles by Kim Lempa and Mindy Bean preceded a two-run double off the wall in left center by Sammi DiPompo. Two batters later Shyann Beach relieved Gaudier with the bases loaded and got the designated hitter Joyce Delp to pop out and end the inning.

Ellen Boundy came in to pitch the fifth inning, but left after loading the bases, allowing one run and recording just one out. Game one starter Hillary Allen inherited the unenviable situation and walked in a run before getting the inning-ending pop out with Towson on top 7-1.

In the bottom of the frame Drexel made some two-out noise of its own when Jenn Reading singled off the leg of pitcher Dominique Ortega. The ball ricocheted into left field allowing Hanna Parrish to sprint home and make it a 7-2 game.

The teams complete the three-game CAA series at noon tomorrow at Drexel Field.