Seton Hall University
Maryland
Softball Wins at Maryland, 6-2
3/6/2013 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Freshman Alex Rabbetts (Corona, Calif.) and junior Maria DeLuca (Cedar Grove, N.J.) carried the load offensively, combining to drive in five of the Pirates' six runs in the win.
Sophomore Danielle DeStaso (Congers, N.Y.) threw all seven innings and gave up just a pair of runs on five hits with two strikeouts to improve to 3-1 on the year.
A scoreless bout headed into the top of the fifth inning when the Seton Hall bats came to life as the Pirates brought three runs home to take a 3-0 lead.
A leadoff double for sophomore Sara Haefeli (Montclair, N.J.) eventually resulted to the first run of the game. The sophomore outfielder managed to move over to third on a passed ball and then came home on a Brittany Hammer (Manheim, Pa.) base knock into left.
Aggressive base running led to placing a pair of runners in scoring position for DeLuca to drive home later in the inning. Prior to Hammer's RBI-base hit freshman Yasmin Harrell (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) reached base on an infield hit and then stole second base.
Hammer made it 2-for-2 in stolen base attempts for Seton Hall in the fifth, swiping second after she reached first and then DeLuca brought both runs home with a double to center field.
The Pirates were still in front by three as the game entered the seventh inning where Seton Hall scored three more crucial runs to take some pressure off DeStaso as she attempted to close out the win in the bottom half of the inning.
Just like in the fifth, Seton Hall's leadoff batter started the inning with an extra-base hit, this time Harrell smacking a double out to left. Harrell moved up to third on a pass ball, just as Haefeli did back in the fifth, only this time she failed to score, as she was thrown out a home on a DeStaso grounder to first.
DeStaso was safe on the play as a result of a fielder's choice and DeLuca reached on a Juli Strange fielding error at short. That meant two runners were on for Rabbetts who cleared the bases with a three-run home run, the first of her career, putting Seton Hall comfortably ahead, 6-0.
The Maryland offense did cause some trouble in the bottom of the seventh as the Terrapins tallied three of their five base hits of the game in that frame alone, scoring two runs in the process.
Four of Maryland's first five batters of the inning reached base, three of them via base hit. The first run scored as Lexi Carroll was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring Nikki Maier who led off the inning with a single to right.
The bases were still loaded for Strange to score Bria Taylor with a sacrifice fly to centerfield, but that was also the play that ended the game as a head up play by the Pirate defense resulted in catching Corey Schwartz in a rundown between second in third with Jackie DiPietro (Islip, N.Y.) tagging her for the final out of the game.
Seton Hall returns to action on Thursday, March 7, when it travels to Charlottesville, Va., to face the University of Virginia Cavaliers in a single game 3 p.m.
