Dragons Fall 13-1 in Series Final Against Georgia State

Sunday, April 10

Drexel Softball Field

11:00 a.m.

Drexel University

Georgia State

Members of the 1991 ECC Championship Drexel softball team were honored prior to the game.

Dragons Fall 13-1 in Series Final Against Georgia State

4/10/2011 1:10:07 PM | Softball

Box Score

Philadelphia – Georgia State hit four more home runs in the series finale to complete a sweep of Drexel with a 13-1 win in six innings. The Dragons fall to 8-20 on the season and 1-8 in CAA play with the loss, while the Panthers improve to 24-16 and 8-1 in conference play. Paige Collings drove in the Dragons' lone run and freshman Comfort Ahonkhai went 2-for-2 at the plate with a stolen base.

Hillary Allen took the loss after giving up four runs in the first inning. Shyann Beach and Shelby Taylor combined to give up the other nine runs in the contest.

Kaitlyn Medlam got the win for Georgia State after allowing one run on five hits through five innings of work and striking out eight batters. Erin Collins pitched a scoreless sixth inning for the Panthers to end the game.

The Panthers pulled ahead 4-0 in the first inning on back-to-back doubles by Paige Nowacki and Emily Whitaker followed by a two-run homer off the bat of Audrey Mason. Georgia State's sixth homer of the series sent Allen to the bench in favor of Shelby Taylor. The rookie ended the inning without incurring further scoring.

Drexel had a good opportunity to pull out of the deficit when Rachel Campbell led off with a double and Laura Stagliano was hit by a pitch. Paige Collings moved them over with a ground out to the left side.

Clean-up hitter Jenn Reading blooped a single into shallow left field but Campbell, holding a third base to make sure she was not doubled off the pop fly was caught, got a late start for home plate and was thrown out by the left fielder. Hillary Allen struck out on three pitches to end the inning.

Lauren Jones hit her third home run of the weekend in the third inning to give the Panthers a 5-0 lead. After a walk to Emily Whitaker and a single by Maddy Stanton, a miscommunication by the left side of Drexel's infield on a pop up allowed another run to score on a pop up by Whitney Phillips.

Drexel notched a run in the bottom of the third thanks to the speedy base running of freshman Comfort Ahonkahi. The rookie legged out a bunt single then took second on an attempted pick-off throw by catcher Maddy Stanton. When Collings placed a cue-shot single between shortstop and third base Ahonkhai, who was running at the crack of the bat, slid under the catcher's tag at home with the team's first run.

With Drexel's rally stalled, Nowacki added two more for Georgia State in the sixth with her second homer of the series, a two-run shot hit to left center. The blast brought Shelby Taylor back into the pitching circle in relief of Shyann Beach.

Maddy Stanton greeted Taylor with a towering three-run homer to left centerfield to put the Panthers ahead 11-1. Georgia State pushed two more runs across the plate on RBI groundouts by Jessica Clifton and Carrie Williams.

The seven-run inning gave the Panthers a commanding 13-1 lead which was enough to invoke the eight-run rule to end the game after Drexel failed to score in the bottom of the sixth.

The Dragons honored members of the 1991 East Coast Conference Championship team in a ceremony prior to the game. The alumni were in attendance to help celebrate the 20th anniversary of Drexel's first softball conference championship. A standing memorial on the scoreboard was revealed and head coach of the 1991 team, Carol Kashow threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Drexel is back in action on Tuesday when the Dragons travel to play a doubleheader at city rival La Salle.