Seton Hall University
Central Michigan
DeStaso Dominates in Quinnipiac Shutout
3/9/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 9, 2014
CLEARWATER, FLA. - The Seton Hall University softball team split a doubleheader on Saturday as the Pirates continued their Spring Break trip to Clearwater, Fla. with action at the USF Under Armour Showcase. The Hall earned its first shutout win of the season with a 6-0 victory over Quinnipiac before falling to Central Michigan, 6-5.
Sophomore Yasmin Harrell (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) started up Seton Hall's offense with a double to lead-off the game, as the center fielder was just getting started. She recorded three hits with two RBIs in the Pirates' rout over Quinnipiac. In the second game of the day, senior third baseman Meredith Henze (Elkton, Md.) hit her seventh homer of the season, but it was not enough in the one-run fall to the Chippewas.
Seton Hall 6, Quinnipiac 0
While the Pirates' offense banged out six runs on 10 hits, it was junior pitcher Danielle DeStaso (Congers, N.Y.) who played a big part in the victory from the rubber. Destaso threw a complete game, allowing only three hits and striking out 15 batters. The 15 strikeouts were two off a Seton Hall single-game record.
After the two teams were scoreless through the first three innings, the Pirates loaded up the bases in the fourth with one out. A pair of RBI infield singles by junior first baseman Jordan Moses (Lower Burrell, Pa.) and the quick Harrell advanced two in to score as The Hall broke the scoreless tie.
The game would remain a 2-0 Seton Hall lead before the Pirates broke it open in the top of the seventh. Harrell jumpstarted the offense again with an RBI triple following a lead-off single by sophomore Alex Rabbetts (Corona, Calif.). Harrell came around to score as sophomore Jackie DiPietro (Horsham, Pa.) reached on an error. Three batters later, DeStaso laced a sacrifice fly to right field to bring in DiPietro. Junior outfielder Colltey Sheldon (Peoria, Ariz.) capped the four-run inning off with an RBI single to left.
DeStaso blew past the Bobcats, allowing no hits to the first four hitters in the Quinnipiac line-up. The right-hander moved to 2-2 on the season after throwing her 20th-career complete game.
Central Michigan 6, Seton Hall 5
The Pirates kept the good times rolling early against the Chippewas, breaking a scoreless tie with a three-run second inning. Junior Sara Haefeli (Montclair, N.J.) led off with a double to deep center and reached third after Jordan Moses beat out a one-out infield single. Then, freshman infielder Noel Lent (Yaphanic, N.Y.) roped an RBI single into right field. Putting base runners on would simply benefit the Pirates, as a high throw on a steal of second base by Lent and a wild pitch would bring two more across for Seton Hall.
Although Casey Moses (Lower Burrell, Pa.) would give a run back in the second, she escaped a jam leaving two Chippewas stranded. In the third, the blue and white offense would back Moses again, as Henze led off and would come around to score after Haefeli put the ball in play and reached on a fielding error.
In the fourth, Central Michigan shifted the momentum with one out. Moses gave up two straight singles before walking a Chippewa to load up the bases. Following a sacrifice fly, a two-run double and a pair of RBI singles gave Central Michigan a lead that it would not give up.
While Henze answered with a solo blast over the left field fence in the top half of the fifth, The Hall would go down in order for the rest of the game, dropping only its first one-run loss of the season.
The Pirates continue their swing in the Sunshine State taking on Maine in the final game of the weekend on Sunday at 11:15 a.m.
