Softball Ends Skid; Splits With Sacred Heart

GAME ONE BOX SCORE (.html)

GAME ONE BOX SCORE (.pdf)

GAME TWO BOX SCORE (.html)

GAME TWO BOX SCORE (.pdf)

 

FAIRFIELD, Conn. The Seton Hall softball team snapped a seven-game losing streak after beating Sacred Heart 6-5 in game two of a double-header. Juniors Kealan Waldron (Oak Park, Ill.) and Amanda Winn (Manahwakin, N.J.) each went 4-for-4 in the night-cap, and tied the school’s record for hits in a game. The Pirates (18-31) dropped the opener 5-4 in nine innings.

In game one, Winn drew a lead-off walk to start the second inning and junior Shannon Pease (Binghamton, N.Y.) hit a single. Junior Daria Glynos (Kenilworth, N.J.) pushed both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Freshman Brittany Schillizzi (Paramus, N.J.) doubled in both runs to put Seton Hall on top, 2-0.

The next inning, junior Leah Menichetti (Jessup, Pa.) hit a double, and Waldron blasted her sixth homer of the year to extend the lead to, 4-0.

Melissa Mezzanotte and Shannon McCoy each tallied run-scoring hits in the bottom of the third of freshman Katie Stilwell (Portage, Wisc.) to cut the deficit in half at 4-2.

Stilwell regrouped and coasted through until the seventh inning when Mezzanotte delivered a two-run shot to tie the game.

The contest remained tied until the ninth when Stilwell issued a walk to Mezzanotte, and committed a fielding error with McCoy at the plate to put runners on the corners. Stilwell was able to get the next batter to ground out, but then threw a wild pitch to allow the winning run to score.

Stilwell fell to 2-6, throwing 8.2 innings and striking out eight. Menichetti went 3-for-4 at the dish.

McCoy hit another RBI single and Courtney Lee hit a sacrifice fly to give the Pioneers a 2-0 lead after one inning in game two.

In the second, the Pirates put runners on first and second after Christa Leighton (Brewster, N.Y.) was hit by a pitch, and Maggie Simkiss (Exton, Pa.) singled. Menichetti sliced a single to the opposite field to score Leighton, and Waldron ripped a double to tie the score. Senior Jenna Best (Medford, N.J.) added another single to give Seton Hall a 3-2 lead.

Sacred Heart answered back in the bottom of the inning with two more runs off RBI singles by Adrian Fitzsimon and McCoy to take back the lead, 4-3.

Best started the fifth with a double, and Winn added a two-bagger of her own to even the score. With two away, Ashley Constantini (Newark, Del.) reached on an error to score pinch-runner Stephanie Bontales (Holmdel, N.J.) for the go ahead run.

With runners on first and third and two out in the bottom of the fifth, Lee got caught in a rundown attempting to steal second, allowing Fitzsimon to score and make it 5-5.

In the top of the sixth and two away, Waldron belted a solo shot to give Seton Hall the lead for good.

Waldron and Winn became the sixth and seventh players in Pirate history to register four hits in a game. The last player to reach the milestone was Katie Pierce against Princeton in 2006.

Junior Kim Schweitzer (Syracuse, N.Y) (4-9) picked up the win, tossing six innings and allowing three earned runs while fanning four batters. Best finished 2-for-3 in the game.

Seton Hall returns home to Ivy Hill Park to face Villanova for a double-header on Saturday, April 26. Game one is scheduled for a noon start.