Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
Delaware
Drexel Softball Splits CAA Twinbill at Delaware
4/24/2010 4:06:09 PM | Softball
Box Score Game One
Box Score Game Two
Newark, Del. - Delaware (18-24-1, 6-8) had to come from behind in game one, using a five-run fourth inning to pull out a 7-4 win. The Dragons (18-18, 6-8) bounced back for a 3-2 win behind the pitching of Katrina Gaudier and Shyann Beach and a timely RBI single by Paige Collings to claim a split of the series-opening doubleheader on the road.
Game One
Drexel took a 2-0 lead in the third inning on four straight singles, including run-scoring hits by Hanna Parrish and Kelly Downes.
After keeping the Blue Hens in check through the first three innings, starter Hillary Allen let up five runs on four hits in the fourth inning. Delaware also took advantage of a fielding error by Parrish at shortstop. Cecil Egan, Rachel Jones and Gina Knutson drove in runs to give the Hens a 5-2 lead.
Jenn Reading brought the Dragons back in the fifth inning with a two-run triple down the right field line. Starter Amanda Stacevicz walked the next two batters to load the bases for Amanda Bachmann. But with two outs the rookie grounded to second to end the rally with Drexel trailing 5-4.
Stacevicz helped herself out in the bottom of the fifth inning when she followed a Michelle Grap single with one of her own down the right field line. The opposite field hit allowed Grap to go from first to third, which proved to be crucial when Allen uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Grap to score. Pinch runner Alexa Baldasare took second on the pitch and then came in on a single by Egan to give Delaware a 7-4 lead.
Drexel got two runners on base in the sixth inning with one out. But Ashley Botelho and Jenn Reading could not bring the Dragons home this time. The Dragons went down in order in the seventh inning to give Stacevicz the complete game win.
Allen took the loss after allowing seven runs, four of them earned, in four and one-third innings. She allowed nine hits and a walk and struck out four batters.
Stacevicz gave up four runs on 10 hits and four walks and she struck out eight batters in seven innings to get the win.
Game Two
Paige Collings came up with the big hit for Drexel in a crucial 3-2 victory in the nightcap. Her two-out single to left field in the top of the seventh scored Hanna Parrish from second base to put Drexel on top 3-2. Shyann Beach retired the Blue Hens in the bottom of the inning to close out her third win of the season.
Drexel again took the lead in the third inning. This time a Kelly Downes double combined with a Botelho single produced a 1-0 lead for the Dragons.
The speed of Laura Stagliano allowed Drexel to tack on another run in the fourth inning. Stagliano singled to left and stole second before sprinting around third and to the plate on a single by Bachmann to the left side.
A Shanette White double to left center with Egan on base cut Drexel's lead in half in the fourth inning. The Hens had runners on first and third and were poised to score again before starter Katrina Gaudier got an inning-ending grounder off the bat of Gina Knutson.
Jenny Richards and Lindsay Novak singled to lead off the fifth inning, sending Gaudier to the bench in favor of Shyann Beach. Beach struck out the first batter she faced, the CAA's leading home run hitter Michelle Grap, and induced a foul fly ball off the bat of game-one winner Amanda Stacevicz. Just as she was poised to escape the inning and get out of the jam, Beach allowed an RBI single to Egan that tied the game at 2-2.
Collings' clutch single put Drexel on top in the seventh to give Beach a lead heading into the final half inning. Beach dealt with the lead-off hitter Grap with another strikeout. She surrendered a single to Stacevicz before getting fly ball outs from Egan and White to end the game and give Drexel the win.
The teams close out the series tomorrow with a single game at noon
