Softball Takes One of Two From Monmouth

GAME ONE BOX SCORE (.html)

GAME ONE BOX SCORE (.pdf)

GAME TWO BOX SCORE (.html)

GAME TWO BOX SCORE (.pdf)

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. The Seton Hall softball team split a doubleheader with Monmouth on Wednesday at Ivy Hill Park, falling in game one, 4-2, before taking the nightcap, 8-3.  The Pirates (11-18) snapped a five-game losing streak with their victory.

In game one, Monmouth’s Nichole Alvarez and Emily deLong started the game with back-to-back homeruns off sophomore pitcher Ashley Forsyth (Freehold, N.J.) to give the Hawks a quick 2-0 lead.

The Pirates mounted a rally in the bottom of the fourth, putting runners on first and third after consecutive two-out singles by junior Kealan Waldron (Oak Park, Ill.) and junior Amanda Winn (Manahawkin, N.J.).  But Monmouth escaped when junior Shannon Pease (Binghamton, N.Y.) had her line drive knocked out of the air by third baseman Candice Palumbo, who caught her own deflection for the final out.

The Hawks added on in the fifth when Gina Mignogna scored an unearned run after a throwing error by senior Pirates’ reliever Jessica Jones (Tyler, Texas).  

Senior Christa Leighton (Brewster, N.Y.) belted a one-out solo homerun in the bottom of the fifth, her first of the season, to get the Hall on the board.  With two away, junior Leah Menichetti (Jessup, Pa.) went deep for the second time this season to make it 3-2.

Alexa Ferrara led off the Monmouth sixth with a double, and pinch-runner Jessellyn Jackson later came around to score on a wild pitch, making it 4-2.

The Hawks pulled starter Kristine Sawlsville after she issued two walks to start the bottom of the sixth.  Freshman Jamie Gates (Emmaus, Pa.) came off the bench to sacrifice the runners over, but Monmouth reliever Melissa Mehrer retired the next two batters to escape the jam.

Forsyth (6-9) took the loss for the Hall, allowing three runs on two hits over 4.1 innings with four strikeouts.  Sophomore Danielle Zanzalari (Carteret, N.J.) threw 1.1 innings of scoreless relief.

Menichetti was 2-for-4, extending her school record on-base streak to 18 games.

Alvarez began game two with another leadoff homer to put the Hawks ahead, 1-0, off Hall freshman Katie Stilwell (Portage, Wisc.).

After Menichetti was hit by a pitch leading off the SHU third, freshman Michelle Reed (Wrightstown, N.J.) smacked an RBI triple down the left field line to tie the game.  Senior Jenna Best (Medford, N.J.) followed with her fourth homer of the year, a two-run shot that made it 3-1 in favor of the Pirates.

Menichetti, Reed, and Best loaded the bases with singles to start the fourth, and Waldron followed with a sacrifice fly to plate a run and make it 4-1.  With two outs, Winn knocked in two more runs with an opposite field double, giving the Hall a 6-1 lead and ending the day for Hawks’ starter Melissa Mehrer.

Freshman Nalin Bennett (East Syracuse, N.Y.) greeted Monmouth reliever Dara Palms rudely, crushing a two-run homerun that made it 8-1. 

Junior Kim Schweitzer (Syracuse, N.Y.) pitched the seventh inning, striking out two while preserving the win for the Pirates.

Stilwell (2-2) picked up the win, going 6.0 innings and allowing three runs on six hits with three strikeouts.

Reed and Winn both finished 3-for-4 in game two, while Menichetti extended her on-base streak to 19 games with a 2-for-3 effort at the plate.  Bennett was also 2-for-3.

The Pirates host #18 DePaul on Saturday in a doubleheader starting at noon.

Scoreboard

Seton Hall University Athletics

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