Seton Hall University
Idaho State
Softball Loses Two at Diamond Devil Invitational
2/23/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 23, 2014
TEMPE, ARIZ. - The Seton Hall University softball team dropped a pair of games on the second day of the Arizona State Diamond Devil Invitational on Saturday afternoon in Tempe, Ariz. The Pirates fell to Drake, 6-4, and then lost to Idaho State 14-5, in the second game of the day.
Senior Meredith Henze (Elkton, Md.) went 2-for-3 against Drake and hit her team-leading fifth home run of the season to lead the Pirate offense. Sophomore Jackie DiPietro (Horsham, Pa.), who has been one of SHU's most solid offensive performers early in the season, went 2-for-3 against Idaho State with two RBIs and a run scored.
Drake 6, Seton Hall 4
SHU and Drake were scoreless through two and a half innings before Seton Hall struck first thanks to a two-out rally in the bottom of the third. Sophomore Whitney Jones (Skowhegan, Maine) led off the inning with a bunt single, and ended up on third when sophomore Yasmin Harrell (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) reached on an infield base hit to third base.
Harrell stole second, her team-leading sixth base swipe of the season, putting two runners in scoring position for junior Colltey Sheldon (Peoria, Ariz.), who drove both home with a two-RBI base hit to right.
Seton Hall's lead would not last long as the Bulldogs tied the score in the fourth and took their first lead of the game with a three-run fifth, recording a pair of RBI singles in the frame.
The Pirates charged back in the bottom half of the inning thanks to Henze's two-run homer to centerfield. Junior Sara Haefeli (Montclair, N.J.) represented the other score on the two-run bomb, reaching on a one-out double to center one at-bat earlier, but Seton Hall was unable to generate any more offense. Drake tacked on one more score in the top of the seventh to close out the 6-4 win.
Junior Casey Moses (Lower Burrell, Pa.) was credited with the loss, allowing three earned runs on six hits in three innings. Junior Danielle DeStaso (Congers, N.Y.) struck out four in four innings of action, giving up six hits and two earned runs.
In addition to Henze, senior Maria DeLuca (Cedar Grove, N.J.) and Jones also enjoyed multi-hit performances against the Bulldogs. DeLuca went 2-for-4, while Jones was 2-for-2 with a run scored.
Idaho State 14, Seton Hall 5 (5 innings)
Seton Hall led Idaho State 3-2 through two and a half innings of play but the Bengals regained the lead in the bottom of the third and pulled away thanks to a seven-run fourth inning.
Trailing early, the Pirates came back to take their first lead of the game by hanging three runs on the board to start the third. A bulk of the damage came early in the frame.
Jones led off the inning with a single to left and SHU had two runners on as Harrell reached on an error at third base. With two runners in scoring position DiPietro came through with a two-run double to left, tying things up 2-2. The Pirates took the lead at the end of the inning with Haefeli putting a ball in play that allowed Henze to score from second before Sheldon was thrown out at second base.
Idaho State manufactured a pair of runs to retake a 4-3 lead in the last of the third and really seized the momentum by scoring seven runs on seven hits in the fourth. Six of the Begals' base hits in the big inning were singles, with Gabby Lopez' RBI double to left field late in the inning serving as the exception.
The Pirates were able to extend the game as DiPietro and Henze reached base with one out in the top of the fifth, and both scored when DeLuca cleared the bases with a two-run double to left field. However, the contest did not last past the fifth as Vicky Galasso hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning to end the game.
Seton Hall concludes action at the Diamond Devil Invitational on Sunday morning when it faces Boston College at 11 a.m. (ET).
