Softball Edges Monmouth Twice Behind Clutch Home Runs

Katie Pierce's heroics single-handedly won game one for Seton Hall on Wednesday vs. Monmouth

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Senior shortstop Katie Pierce (Pittsfield, Mass.) hit a three-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Seton hall softball team a 4-2 win over Monmouth in game one of a doubleheader sweep on Wednesday at Ivy Hill Park. Sophomores Christa Leighton (Brewster, N.Y.) and Maggie Simkiss (Exton, Pa.) each homered in the bottom of the sixth of game two to break a 2-2 tie and the Pirates went on to complete the sweep with a 5-4 win. Seton Hall has won four straight to improve to 16-16, while Monmouth falls to 9-10.

Pierce was responsible for all of Seton Hall’s scoring in game one, and the team needed every bit of it. The Pirates went without a hit for the first three innings against Monmouth’s Kristine Sawlsville, and were trailing 2-0 going into the bottom of the sixth inning. Pierce crushed a solo homer to lead off the sixth, slicing the lead to one. In the bottom of the seventh, Leighton led off with a pinch-hit walk but her pinch runner, junior Jessica Jones (Tyler, Texas), was forced at second on a bunt attempt by freshman Leah Menichetti (Jessup, Pa.). Menichetti ended up on second anyways after a passed ball, and with two outs junior Danielle Steinseifzer (Plano, Texas) drew a walk. Pierce came up and hit another bomb to deep left that bounced off of left fielder Heather Gordon’s glove and over the fence.

The home runs were the fourth and fifth of the season for Pierce, who went 2-for-4 with all four RBI in the game. The homer picked up Pirate starter Kim Schweitzer (Syracuse, N.Y.), who pitched seven strong innings to improve to 7-6. She struck out three and walked one while allowing two runs on five hits.

Seton Hall, which only managed four hits in game one, again found itself scraping for offense in the second game. Luckily, two Monmouth errors in the first inning led to two runs, the second on an RBI single by Leighton.

For the Pirates, Jones got the start and got out of two bases-loaded jams in the first two innings. She held Monmouth scoreless through four before allowing an RBI double to Dawn Gilchrist in the fifth to make it 2-1. Ashley Dellens hit a solo shot in the top of the sixth to tie the game, and Jones was relieved by freshman Ashley Arnett (Saugus, Calif.), who retired the final two batters of the inning.

Senior Jessica Schulien (Pequannock, N.J.) led off the bottom of the sixth with a walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Leighton then came up and drilled her first homer of the season over the left field wall to give SHU a 4-2 lead. Simkiss pinch hit in the next spot and hit her third round tripper down the right-field line to make it 5-2.

Monmouth scored twice quickly off Arnett on a walk and three singles, and with two outs and a runner on third, Schweitzer came in and induced a grounder to herself to earn the save, her first of the year. Arnett got the win to improve to 6-3. She gave up one run on two hits in 1.1 innings. Jones pitched well, allowing two runs on five hits in 5.1 innings with eight strikeouts.

Leighton was the offensive star for Seton Hall in game two, accounting for two of the team’s three hits and going 2-for-3 with three RBI.

Seton Hall returns to action on Friday when the Pirates travel to Tampa, Fla., for a 2:00 p.m. doubleheader at South Florida.

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