Softball Splits With Connecticut
5/6/2001 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 6, 2001
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ (May 6, 2001) - Senior righthander Misty Beaver (Machesney Park, IL) tossed a three-hit shutout in game one to lead the Seton Hall softball team to a 3-0 victory over Connecticut, but the Huskies scored two runs in the ninth inning of game two on a throwing error to win 5-3 and salvage a split of a doubleheader at Cameron Field. Seton Hall (27-12, 13-7 BIG EAST) will be the No. 4 seed in the upcoming BIG EAST Tournament and will face No. 1 Notre Dame on Thursday, May 10, at 1:30 p.m. Connecticut (32-20, 14-6) will be the No. 3 seed and face No. 2 Villanova at 11:00 a.m.
Beaver improved to 14-4 on the season by throwing her ninth shutout of the year. She struck out six and walked one in seven innings of work. Seton Hall scored all three of its runs in the first inning, as freshman McKenzie Richards (Modesto, CA), freshman Mary Carroll Smith (Nutley, NJ) and senior Marlena Kotynski (Lyndhurst, NJ) hit consecutive singles up the middle to start the game. Kotynski's hit scored Richards, and later, with two outs, junior Amy Mellin (Petaluma, CA) beat out a slow roller to third base that plated Smith and Kotynski to put the Pirates up 3-0.
Seton Hall had only two more hits the rest of the way, both by senior Vickie Lamb (Yorktown Heights, NY), who was 2-for-3. Mellin was 1-for-3 with two runs batted in.
In the second game, Lamb put the Pirates on the board first with a home run to deep center field, her fourth of the year, leading off the second inning. Connecticut scored two in the top of the third off of Seton Hall starter Christina Shanko (Delmont, PA), but the Pirates would come right back with two of their own in the third to take a 3-2 lead. Smith walked with one out and went to second on a single by Kotynski. Lamb grounded out, advancing the runners, for junior Kim Jackson (Rockaway, NJ). Jackson delivered an infield hit off the pitcher's glove that scored Smith. Mellin had another two-out hit, this one to center field that plated Kotynski.
Shanko ran into trouble in the sixth inning, when UConn's Mandy Simjian singled to lead off the inning and advanced on a sacrifice bunt. Lisa Girolamo singled off the glove of a diving Jackson at shortstop to plate the tying run. Shanko got out of another jam in the eighth inning as the Huskies left the bases loaded, but in the ninth UConn would get two runs across. Sarah Sandford singled with one out, and Jessica Yanosy came to the plate. Yanosy hit a single to right, and when Smith overthrew third base to stop Sandford from advancing, both UConn runners were given two bases and Sandford scored the go-ahead run. Yanosy, on third, came home on the next play when Nicole Dubovik layed down a successful suicide squeeze bunt to first base.
Shanko (11-8) went all nine innings, allowing five runs (three earned), seven hits and one walk while striking out two. Barb Cook, who took the loss in game one, rebounded with six three-hit shutout relief innings to pick up the win.
Mellin was 3-for-4 with an RBI in game two, while Kotynski went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Seton Hall will meet Notre Dame, 51-3 and ranked No. 8 in the nation, on Thursday, May 10, at 1:30 p.m. at the Villanova Softball Field in Villanova, PA.
