Walk-Off Homer Seals UConn's Sweep of Softball
4/29/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
GAME ONE BOX SCORE (.html)
GAME ONE BOX SCORE (.pdf)
GAME TWO BOX SCORE (.html)
GAME TWO BOX SCORE (.pdf)
STORRS, Conn. - The Seton Hall softball team was swept at Connecticut on Thursday. The Pirates (19-26, 8-11) dropped the opener, 6-2, before losing the nightcap, 6-4, on a walk-off home run.
The Pirates took advantage of two errors in the first inning to jump out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning of game one. Junior Michelle Reed (Wrightstown, N.J.) hit a chopper to short, that the fielder could not come up with to start the inning. Junior Jamie Gates (Emmaus, Pa.) hit another grounder to the third baseman, who made a poor throw to first, allowing Reed to score from first and send Gates all the way to third base.
Junior Nalin Bennett (East Syracuse, N.Y.) followed with an infield single to put runners on the corners, but SHU could not muster another hit to add onto the lead.
UConn's Brittany Dulcos evened things up with a solo homerun to left that was aided by a heavy gust of wind in the bottom of the first. Justine Roy blasted another long ball with two outs, giving the Huskies a 2-1 advantage.
Sophomore Kristen Kaelin (Parlin, N.J.) belted a solo shot over the wall in centerfield to tie things up, 2-2, in the third.
In the bottom half of the inning, UConn answered right back with a two-run big fly by Amy Vaughan, putting the Huskies back on top, 4-2.
The Huskies tacked two more on in the bottom of the sixth after a throwing error allowed a pair of runs to score.
Senior Ashley Forsyth (Freehold, N.J.) took the loss (11-10) after pitching three-plus innings, allowing four earned runs on six hits with five strikeouts.
In game two, SHU wasted no time getting on the board in the first inning. Gates singled and Kaelin reached on a fielder's choice to put runners on the corners. Junior Brittany Schillizzi (Paramus, N.J.) hit a fly ball to rightfield that the fielder dropped, allowing Gates to score. Two straight bases on balls allowed Kaelin to come around and make it 2-0.
A double down the leftfield line by Duclos scored Julianne Towers to cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the inning. Amy DeLuca singled to centerfield, and the Pirate centerfielder could not field the ball cleanly, tying the score at 2-2.
Reed started a rally in the second with an infield single and Gates hit a comebacker to the pitcher, but a high throw allowed Reed to reach second safely. Bennett delivered a single to left to put the score back in favor of Seton Hall, 3-2.
In the sixth, Reed reached on an error and a Bennett base-hit put runners on the corners for Kaelin, who hit a sacrifice fly to add an insurance run.
Towers started the bottom of the sixth with a seeing-eye single through the left side of the infield. Towers moved into scoring position on a wild pitch, and Duclos hit a ball off of a diving Schillizzi's glove between first and second base to cut the deficit to 4-3. With a runner on second and two outs, Vaughan dropped a hit into rightfield, but Jeanette Ragucci (Glen Gardner, N.J.) was playing shallow enough to get the batter out at first base to end the inning.
Freshman Hannah Hill (Fryeburg, Maine) walked the first two batters of the seventh inning, forcing Katie Stilwell (Portage, Wis.) to enter the game. Kim Silva worked the count full and sent the payoff pitch over the wall in leftcenter.
Hill took the loss, despite pitching a solid five-plus innings, allowing two earned runs.
The Pirates will host Providence for a three-game series beginning with a twinbill on Saturday, May 1. First pitch is set for noon.
