Softball Takes Two from Siena in Saturday Twin-Bill
3/31/2012 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)
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Seton Hall softball team was a bright spot on a dreary day in South Orange as the Pirates put two in the win column against the visiting Siena Saints.
With the two victories, the Pirates improve to 17-17 on the year, surpassing their 2010-11 win total of 16.
Sophomore Maria DeLuca (Cedar Grove, N.J.) lifted SHU to a hard-fought game one victory, delivering a walk-off single in the bottom of the eighth inning.
The Saints (6-15) took a 2-0 lead with just two swings of the bat after Mandy Ferro and Jessika-Jo Sandrini went belly-to-belly with back-to-back solo homers in the top of the first inning.
Senior Kristen Kaelin (Parlin, N.J.) erased the deficit in the bottom of the third with a line drive that left Ivy Hill Park in a hurry for her fourth home run of the season.
The score remained knotted all the way into extra innings, leading to the enforcement of the international tiebreak rule.
In the top of the eighth, Lindsey McKeever started the inning on second base and advanced to third base on a passed ball. Another errant pitch got away from catcher Nicole Loewenstein (Joppa, Md.), but the senior stayed with the play and flipped the ball to Danielle DeStaso (Congers, N.Y.) covering the plate to come up with the key first out.
DeStaso would then retire the side to give the Pirates a chance for the win in the bottom of the eighth.
Siena elected to intentionally walk the leadoff batter in the frame to set up a double play, but another walk by Sandrini, who also pitched the first game for the Saints, loaded the bases for DeLuca, who came through with her game-winning single.
Senior Laura Canulli (Naperville, Ill.) finished the contest 2-for-3.
DeStaso pitched a strong eight innings, allowing just two hits after the early long-balls, and striking out six. She improves her record to 4-6 on the year.
In the night-cap, the Pirate bats exploded behind a stellar effort in the circle from freshman Casey Moses (Lower Burrell, Pa.).
Five Pirates recorded multi-hit games as SHU touched up Siena starter Amanda Filippazzo for 13 hits and seven runs.
The Hall first broke through in a busy bottom of the third as DeStaso, Loewenstein, and Meredith Henze (Elkton, Md.) contributed RBI singles to give SHU a 3-0 advantage.
Seton Hall would add four insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth, highlighted by back-to-back jacks from DeStaso and Lowenstein.
That was all the offense Moses would need, as the freshman surrendered just five hits and struck out three on her way to a complete-game shutout.
Henze led the Pirates with three hits to her credit. DeStaso finished 2-for-4 with 3 RBI.
Canulli, DeLuca and Kaelin also had two hits to add to the offensive onslaught.
Next up for the Pirates is a road test against the Princeton Tigers. The teams will play a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 3. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
