GAME ONE BOX SCORE
GAME TWO BOX SCORE
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. The Seton Hall softball team took one of two from Syracuse University on Sunday, winning game one 3-2 before dropping the second contest, 4-2. The Pirates move to 13-29 overall and 9-9 in the BIG EAST, while the Orange now stand at 17-28 overall and 7-9 in conference.
Syracuse jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the opener when pitcher Chanel Roehner helped her own cause with a solo homerun to centerfield. SHU tied things up in the bottom of the third when Leah Menichetti (Jessup, Pa.) scored from second after Kealan Waldron’s (Oak Park, Ill.) fly ball to left field was dropped with two outs.
The Orange regained the lead in the top of the fifth on an RBI double from Tonye McCorkle that plated Ev Anderson.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Pirates once again showed a flair for the dramatic in the late innings. Jenna Best (Medford, N.J.) singled with one out, and Shannon Pease (Binghamton, N.Y.) followed with a line drive homer off the scoreboard in left-center to give the Hall a 3-2 lead. Kim Schweitzer (Syracuse, N.Y.) closed the door with a perfect seventh inning to pick up the complete game victory.
Schweitzer scattered six hits while striking out two to earn her 11th victory of the season. Daria Glynos (Kenilworth, N.J.) and Madon Maile (Jenkintown, Pa.) each went 1-for-2 for the Pirates.
Game two was highlighted by a triple play turned by the Pirate defense. With runners on first and second in the top of the second inning, Amy Kelley hit a low liner to Maile at shortstop. The slick-fielding freshman speared the ball in the air before stepping on second and firing to first in one motion to get the Pirates out of the jam.
Syracuse took a 2-0 lead in the fourth on a two-run homer by Erin Gray. The Orange added another pair of runs in the fifth on four consecutive singles, capped off by a two-run basehit from Heather Kim.
With runners on the corners in the bottom of the fifth, Menichetti laced an RBI single to score pinch-runner Christina Sammarco (Pompton Lakes, N.J.), cutting the deficit to three. Waldron followed with a run-scoring single of her own to make it 4-2. Best was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs, but Orange reliever Keri Casas induced a groundout by Pease to end the threat.
After stranding two more runners in the sixth, SHU mounted one final rally in its half of the seventh. Menichetti and Waldron led off with singles before Syracuse recorded outs on the next two at-bats. Laura Baranek (Orefield, Pa.) singled to load the bases, but Glynos popped out to end the game.
Schweitzer also went the distance in game two, giving up 10 hits. Brittany Gardner earned the win on the mound for the Orange.
Ashley Constantini (Newark, Del.) was 2-for-2 for the Pirates, who return to action on Tuesday in a doubleheader at home against Saint Peter’s beginning at 3:00 p.m.
