Seton Hall University
Central Michigan
Softball Falls to Central Michigan, Oregon State
2/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
SAN DIEGO, CALIF. - The Seton Hall University softball team dropped a pair of games on the second day of the 25th Annual Campbell/Cartier Classic in San Diego, Calif., falling to Central Michigan 1-0 and Oregon State 17-3.
An unearned run in the bottom of the fourth inning doomed the Pirates in their first game of the day against Central Michigan, in what was the second-straight one-run loss for The Hall.
After Oregon State scored seven in the second, SHU rallied for a three-run third to cut its deficit down to four. But the Beavers closed strong and finished the game with nine runs in the sixth.
Central Michigan 1, Seton Hall 0
Seton Hall suffered its third-straight narrow defeat, this time with Central Michigan coming away with a 1-0 win. The only offense for either team came in the bottom of the fourth, and again it was an unearned run that hurt The Hall.
Lauren Fischer (Robbinsville, N.J.) was impressive and pitched well enough to get a win, scattering seven hits in six innings of work, in addition to issuing just one walk. After giving up three hits but no runs in the bottom of the first inning, she settled in before the game-winning score came in the fourth.
Trista Cox reached to lead off the inning, aided by an Alexis Walkden (Cibolo, Texas) error at third, a play that resulted in Cox advancing to second. Fischer went on the retire the next two batters she faced, but with two down, Danielle Marlink singled to right center, bringing Cox across the plate to make it 1-0.
Seton Hall, which recorded two base hits in the game, had a chance to knot the score in the next half inning, but stranded Alyssa Prukop (Coto de Caza, Calif.) at third. Prukop opened the inning with a single to center, and moved into scoring position by swiping second base. Following a Faith Laudano (Islip, N.Y.) fly out to right, Prukop successfully tagged up, but CMU starter Rachael Knapp struck out Walkden to end the threat.
The other SHU hit was off the bat of Yasmin Harrell (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) to lead off the sixth, but she was unable to advance past second base for The Hall.
Oregon State 17, Seton Hall 3
Oregon State plated seven runs in the top of the second to open up game two. Casey Moses (Lower Burrell, Pa.) started on the mound, but yielded five runs on three hits, which led to senior Danielle DeStaso (Congers, N.Y.) coming in for relief. DeStaso did not fare much better, giving up a base hit and a pair of walks, leading to an appearance from Fischer who had already thrown six innings in game one.
Fischer got Ya Garcia to groundout and end the threat, but the Pirates were in a big hole. In the bottom of the third things started to go Seton Hall's way. SHU caught a few breaks as Laudano was hit by a pitch and junior Alex Rabbetts (Corona, Calif.) benefitted from an error on a sacrifice bunt attempt to give the Pirates two on with no outs.
Another error, this time on a Walkden sacrifice bunt attempt, brought one run home. Harrell singled to right, scoring Rabbetts, and Walkden stole home to make it 7-3.
Oregon State would get one back in the fourth, but iced the game with its big sixth-inning charge, a rally that was highlighted by a Sammi Noland three-run homer to left.
Harrell recorded both base hits for The Hall. Moses was credited with the loss, falling to 1-2 on the year.
Seton Hall will wrap up play out in California on Sunday morning. The Pirates will face Central Michigan for a second time, with first pitch coming at 12 p.m. (ET).
