Seton Hall University
Stony Brook
Softball Drops Two at Stony Brook
5/1/2013 12:00:00 AM | Softball
STONY BROOK, N.Y. – The Seton Hall University softball team concluded its non-conference schedule with two losses in a doubleheader at Stony Brook University, falling in game one, 6-4, and game two, 4-0, on Wednesday afternoon in Stony Brook, N.Y.
Freshman Yasmin Harrell (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) went 3-for-4 in game one and 1-for-4 in game two to extend her hitting streak to 14 straight games, tying the Seton Hall record set by Caitlin White from the end of the 2004 season into the start of the 2005 campaign. The SHU record for a hitting streak in the same season was 12-straight games, a record Harrell broke with a bunt single to lead off game one on Wednesday.
-- Game One --
Seton Hall overcame an early deficit to take a 4-2 lead only to see Stony Brook come back to win the game thanks to a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth.
The Seawolves scored two runs on two hits in the bottom of the first inning, with Oliva Mintun picking up a two-RBI base hit off sophomore Danielle DeStaso (Congers, N.Y.) to give Stony Brook the early edge.
Sophomore Sara Haefeli (Montclair, N.J.) led off the SHU half of the second with a double laced down the left field line and advanced to third on a pass ball but was stranded there as the Pirates were unable to cut into the lead.
Finally in the third inning Seton Hall strung some hits together, six to be exact, as the Pirates sent 10 batters to the plate and used six singles to score four runs and take the lead for the first time.
The Hall recorded four-straight base hits to open the top of the third. Freshman Jackie DiPietro (Horsham, Pa.) led things off with a slap hit to left, Harrell reached on a bunt single and senior Brittany Hammer (Manheim, Pa.) sent a third-straight hit to right center.
DeStaso brought home the first SHU run of the inning with a grounder to the left side scoring DiPietro on the play. Harrell scored as a Maria DeLuca (Cedar Grove, N.J.) grounder to short was mishandled and junior Meredith Henze (Elkton, Md.) gave the Pirates the lead with a single up the middle to score Hammer from third.
Seton Hall would load the bases once again, setting the table for sophomore Whitney Jones (Skowhegan, Maine) to score Henze with a single to center.
The Pirates’ lead was erased with a pair of Stony Brook solo home runs in the bottom of the third. Shayla Giosia led off the inning with a homer to center field and Nicole Hagerty hit the second home run of the inning, this time to left field to tie the game at 4-4.
The Seawolves threatened to retake the lead in the bottom of the fourth as Patty Borges reached second with just one out, but a tremendous double play ended the Stony Brook threat. Leadoff batter Jessica Combs grounded out to Hammer at shortstop and Jones made a great scoop and throw back across the diamond to third to catch Borges as she tried to advance and end the inning.
Stony Brook would strike again and it was Hagerty doing the damage, homering for a second time by sending a two-run shot out to left with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, a base hit that proved to be the game winner.
-- Game Two --
The Seawolves scored once in the bottom of the first to again take an early lead. Bria Green doubled to left field to score Combs and make it 1-0.
Harrell recorded a slap a single to left in the SHU half of the third, the base hit that tied the school hitting streak record, and then stole her 30th base of the season. But she was left on base and Stony Brook added to its lead in the bottom of the inning.
The Seawolves had runners at second and third with no outs when Giosia singled to left to score Nicole Schieferstein and make it 2-0. Green would drive in Combs for a second time, hitting a grounder to second to bring the third run home.
Seton Hall starter Jen Metzger (Pine Hill, N.J.) escaped a jam in the fourth. Mintun led off the inning with a walk and moved over to third with just one out. Metzger navigated the threat by getting Schieferstein to pop up to catcher Faith Laudano (Islip, N.Y.) and forcing Combs to ground into an out at second.
The Pirates’ best chance to get on the scoreboard came in the top of the fifth. Jones and Metzger dialed up singles on consecutive at-bats to give Seton Hall runners at first and second with only one out. Stony Brook’s Allison Cukrov struck out Harrell and forced Hammer to pop up to short to end the inning.
Metzger scattered eight hits over six innings and gave up only three earned runs with four strikeouts. Cukrov finished with seven strikeouts, giving up six hits in seven innings.
Seton Hall concludes its regular season slate with a three-game series at Georgetown University this Saturday-Sunday, May 4-5, in Washington, D.C.
The Pirates enter the final weekend of BIG EAST play with a 6-12 record in the conference and currently rank 10th in the standings, trailing eighth-place Rutgers (7-12) by just half a game. The top eight teams in the league standings qualify for the BIG EAST Tournament, to be held Thursday-Saturday, May 9-11, in Tampa, Fla.
