Seton Hall University
Siena
Softball Blows By Siena, 14-10
4/7/2013 12:00:00 AM | Softball
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. – The Seton Hall University softball team exploded for 14 runs on 15 hits in a 14-10 victory at Siena College on Sunday afternoon in Loudonville, N.Y.
Originally scheduled to play a doubleheader, the second game of the day was suspended with Seton Hall leading 3-0 in the top of the second inning. High winds with gusts in excess of 40 MPH plagued both games, but a series of strong gusts in game two caused damage to the outfield fence, forcing the suspension of the game. A makeup date is to be determined.
Sophomore Sara Haefeli (Montclair, N.J.) enjoyed a monster day at the plate. She went 3-for-5 with five RBI and a home run to pace the Pirates’ offense in game one, and already had a two-RBI double to her credit when the second game was postponed.
The Pirates seized control of game one in the top of the first inning. Freshman Yasmin Harrell (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) opened the game with a bunt single to third, stealing second and third. She scored on a Danielle DeStaso (Congers, N.Y.) sacrifice fly to right. Junior Maria DeLuca (Cedar Grove, N.J.) tallied the other first inning RBI, scoring senior Brittany Hammer (Manheim, Pa.) with a single up the middle.
The first four batters of the third inning each recorded a base hit as the Pirates went on to plate four runs to extend the lead to 6-0. Hammer, DeStaso, DeLuca and freshman Alex Rabbetts (Corona, Calif.) strung together four singles to result in the first run of the frame. Haefeli added a sacrifice fly to center, scoring DeLuca, Rabbetts came home on a wild pitch and junior Meredith Henze (Elkton, Md.) represented the fourth run as a part of a double steal.
Four more runs came across in the Seton Hall fourth as Henze notched an RBI single to right and Haefeli added two more RBI to her total with a base hit up the middle to bring home Henze and sophomore Kaylyn Sanbower (Etters, Pa.).
The Pirates added one more in the fifth to pull ahead 11-3 and a win appeared to be sealed with two outs in the bottom of the inning but two errors allowed Siena to extend the frame and the Saints went on to score six runs to pull all the way within two, 11-9.
The game wouldn’t stay close for long. Haefeli hit her third-career home run, a two-run shot out to right, in the SHU half of the sixth, and sophomore Casey Moses (Lower Burrell, Pa.) tossed the final 1.2 innings of the game for the Pirates to pick up the first save of her career and the first save for a Seton Hall pitcher this season.
Moses relieved DeStaso with one out in the sixth and retired all five batters she faced. DeStaso received the win to improve to 11-8 on the year. Of the 10 charged runs only three were earned and she struck out six batters in 5.1 innings.
Seton Hall returns to action next weekend, Saturday-Sunday, April 13-14, when it hosts the University of Pittsburgh in a BIG EAST Conference series at Mike Sheppard, Sr. Field in South Orange, N.J. First pitch for Saturday’s doubleheader is scheduled for 12 p.m.
