Seton Hall University
Colgate
Softball Edged by Boston U. and Colgate in Clearwater
3/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
CLEARWATER, FLA. - The Seton Hall University softball team lost a pair of tight games to Boston University and Colgate on the second day of the USF Michelle Smith Spring Break Tournament in Clearwater, Fla., falling to Boston 4-2, and Colgate 3-0.
Boston University 4, Seton Hall 2
Seton Hall (10-15) saw an early lead slip away in the late innings in game one Saturday afternoon against the Terriers. The Pirates were not playing from behind as they took advantage of a critical throwing error to score twice in the top of the second.
Freshman Alexis Walkden (Cibolo, Texas) led off with a single, and after Sara Haefeli (Montclair, N.J.) laid down a bunt to move her into scoring position, Danielle DeStaso (Congers, N.Y.) recorded SHU's second hit of the inning to make it runners at the corners with one out.
During Jackie DiPietro's (Horsham, Pa.) at-bat, DeStaso took off for second base, and Boston catcher Gabi Martinez threw the ball into center field, allowing both runs to come home safely.
Lauren Fischer (Robbinsville, N.J.) was cruising on the mound through the first three innings, but found trouble in the fourth as Boston cut the SHU lead down to 2-1. The first three batters of the inning reached, and Mandy Fernandez came up with an RBI single get the Terriers on the board.
Fischer proceeded to retire the next three hitters, but lost the lead in the next inning as Jilee Schanda dialed up a two-RBI double in the fifth to give Boston University its first lead of the game. One more run would score as the Terriers built a two-run cushion, and Seton Hall was unable to come up with the late-game comeback.
Casey Moses (Lower Burrell, Pa.) relieved Fischer in the fifth and retired five of the six batters she faced. Yasmin Harrell (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) also came up with a base hit for The Hall.
Colgate 3, Seton Hall 0
The loss to the Raiders was defined by missed opportunities for Seton Hall. The Pirates stranded 14 base runners as they were unable to come up with a base hit at the right time.
In the top of the first inning, SHU loaded the bases with two outs, but DeStaso popped up to second to end the inning. After yielding a run in the top of the second, once again the Pirates were able to put themselves in position to score, loading the bases a second time, only Whitney Jones (Skowhegan, Maine) flew out to center to end the inning.
For a third inning in a row, the Pirates loaded the bases, this time with one out as DiPietro recorded the second infield hit of the frame. But again no runs would score.
Down 3-0 in the sixth, Seton Hall would load up the bases for a fourth time, this time drawing three-straight walks with two outs. Jones had a chance to get the Pirates right back into the game, but reliever Kira Griswold was able to strike her out and shut down the threat.
DeStaso started and fell to 4-6, giving up just six hits and two earned runs with nine strikeouts. Five different Pirates recorded a base hit, and Haefeli reached three times with three walks.
Seton Hall will wrap up its Spring Break trip on Saturday morning, when it faces Florida A&M. First pitch is scheduled for 11:15 a.m.
