Seton Hall University
Bucknell
Pirates Split with Bucknell Sunday
3/4/2013 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Due to frigid morning temperatures the tournament schedule had to undergo several changes each day as the George Washington grounds crew worked to get the field in playing shape as it thawed out each morning.
As a result each slate of games was pushed back and the Pirates could only complete two and a half games, and had a fourth contest against tournament host George Washington cancelled.
The first game of Sunday's pseudo doubleheader resumed around 2 p.m., with Seton Hall leading 4-0 through three completed innings.
Sophomore Danielle DeStaso (Congers, N.Y.) had held Bucknell without a hit through three innings of play before Cydnee Sanders registered a base hit to right field with two outs in the fourth.
As it turned out the four runs the Pirates scored during the start of the game on Saturday afternoon would be all they needed to close out the win. Seton Hall did not score over the final four innings but DeStaso allowed just two runs in the top of the seventh, both coming on a Courtney Conover home run to left field.
DeStaso earned a complete-game victory, giving up the two runs on four hits with nine strikeouts. She also went 1-for-3 at the plate with a run scored.
The second game of the day never made it out of the fifth inning before darkness set in, but it was ruled a finished game through the four and a half completed innings with Bucknell in front 2-0.
Seton Hall tallied nine hits through its first four at bats but was unable to bring a run across the plate. The heart of the order did the most damage for the Pirates as DeStaso was 3-for-3 and freshman Alex Rabbetts (Corona, Calif.) was 2-for-3 but Seton Hall never managed to get all of its offensive pieces working together.
The third inning featured four of the Pirates' nine hits but none of them were for extra bases and Bucknell starter Amanda Fazio was able to escape the jam.
Freshman Yasmin Harrell (Cheektowaga, Calif.) led off the inning with an infield single, but was caught attempting to steal second before senior Brittany Hammer (Manheim, Pa.) grounded out to short.
With two outs DeStaso, junior Maria DeLuca (Cedar Grove, N.J.) and Rabbetts recorded three base hits in succession resulting in a bases loaded situation for sophomore Colltey Sheldon (Peoria, Ariz.), but she was unable to bring one of the runs home.
Bucknell scored in the first and fourth innings to generate enough offense to win the game. Junior Jen Metzger (Pine Hill, N.J.) started at pitcher for Seton Hall and threw the first 3.1 innings and was accountable for both Bison runs, falling to 2-5 on the season.
Sophomore Casey Moses (Lower Burrell, Pa.) relieved Metzger in the fourth and retired two of the three batters she faced to end the inning.
Seton Hall will continue its mid-Atlantic spring break trip with a couple of double headers in ACC country. The Pirates will face Maryland for two on Tuesday, March 5, in College Park, Md., starting at 5 p.m., the travel to Charlottesville, Va., for a twinbill at Virginia on Wednesday, March 6.
