Softball Completes 3-1 Weekend at War Eagle Classic

Saturday, March 10

Auburn, Ala.

10:00 a.m.

Drexel University

Auburn

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Softball Completes 3-1 Weekend at War Eagle Classic

3/12/2012 10:05:00 AM | Softball

PRESBYTERIAN BOX SCORE
AUBURN BOX SCORE
EVANSVILLE BOX SCORE
LOUISIANA TECH BOX SCORE

AUBURN, Ala. - The Drexel softball team completed a big weekend at the War Eagle Classic at Auburn University with three victories, finishing second in a six-team tournament field. The Dragons defeated Presbyterian on Friday, split a doubleheader with Auburn and Evansville on Saturday and took care of business against Louisiana Tech on Saturday to round out the weekend. The team's only loss came at the hands of the host Auburn Tigers, the 20th-ranked team in the nation.

The tournament opened with the Dragons holding on for a 6-5 victory over Presbyterian on Friday afternoon. Hillary Allen started and got the win, also providing heroics at the plate with a solo home run that provided what would prove to be the game-winning run. Presbyterian stormed back with three runs in the seventh inning to cut the deficit to one run, and had the bases loaded with one out before two fielder's choice groundouts induced by Shelby Taylor got the Dragons out of the jam.

On Saturday, Drexel was trounced in their first game by No. 20 Auburn, as the first nine Tigers to come to the plate in the first inning reached base and eventually scored. A Jenn Reading single in the second inning was all the offense the Dragons could muster in falling to the nationally-ranked team.

The offense continued to struggle in the second game against Evansville, but fortunately for the Dragons, sophomore starter Shelby Taylor was on her game. Taylor scattered six hits over 5.1 innings of work, allowing no runs and striking out five. Taylor worked her way into trouble on multiple occasions, including runners reaching third base in the second and fourth innings and leaving a runner on in the sixth that would ultimately be stranded at third. However, she was able to get big outs when she needed them, getting a grounder to short with the bases loaded and no one out in the second inning, and two ground outs to gun down a runner at the plate and strand another at third to end the fourth inning.

In the eighth, with the game still scoreless, the Dragons worked out of trouble one final time. Playing international tiebreaker rules, Evansville started the frame with a runner on second base and no one out. Amy Gaertner then led off with a single, putting runners on the corners with no one out. After she stole second, Drexel head coach Kim Camara elected to intentionally walk Alicia Betancur to load the bases.

From there, Hillary Allen - who had entered the game with one out in the sixth inning - buckled down. She got the next batter to hit a hard grounder to Sylvia Llamas at second, who came home with her throw and got the first out of the inning. Allen then struck out Tamara Robey and the Purple Aces' leadoff hitter, Victoria Dellorto, chopped a comebacker right back to Allen to help the Dragons somehow escape unscathed.

In the bottom of the eighth, it was Devon Metcalf who started the inning on second base. Paige Collings walked, and Jenn Reading rolled a grounder back through the middle that she beat out for a single. Unfortunately for the Dragons, Collings was caught rounding second base as Betancur fielded the grounder behind the bag. She was able to chase down Collings and apply the tag for the first out. With runners on the corners and one out, Maddison Timoteo was intentionally walked. But unlike the top of the inning when Drexel worked its way out of a bases-loaded jam, the Purple Aces could not do the same as Amanda Bachmann was hit by a pitch to force home Metcalf and send the Dragons off with a dramatic 1-0 victory.

The tournament concluded on Sunday, when Drexel scored twice in the top of the eighth inning to break a 5-5 tie, ultimately holding on for a 7-6 victory over Louisiana Tech. The Dragons scored three times in the third and twice in the fifth, but a four-run inning for Louisiana Tech in the fourth helped keep the Bulldogs in it and send the game to extra innings.

Once again playing with tiebreaker rules, Drexel scored twice in the top of the eighth off just one hit, taking advantage of a walk, a hit by pitch and an error to score twice after starting the inning with Hanna Parris on second base. Reading, who finished the weekend 6-for-12 with two runs batted in, drove in Parrish with a one-out single to left. Three batters later, it was Bachmann's grounder to third base which was booted, allowing Maggy Fermo to scamper home with the run that would prove to be the difference.

Shelby Taylor allowed just an unearned run to score - the runner who opened the inning on second base - in the bottom of the eighth as she closed the book on the Bulldogs.

Taylor finished the weekend 1-0 with a team-best 0.82 earned run average. Allen went 2-1, also driving in that all-important run on Friday. Amanda Bachmann had three RBIs, while Collings and Reading each had six hits.

Drexel will get back to work on Wednesday, when it opens its home schedule against Georgetown in a single game at the Drexel Softball Field. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.