Seton Hall University
USF
Pirates Fall to #24 USF, 6-3
4/23/2013 12:00:00 AM | Softball
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – The Seton Hall University softball team fell to No. 24 USF, 6-3, in BIG EAST action on Tuesday afternoon at Mike Sheppard, Sr. Field in South Orange, N.J.
After being held hitless in the first inning the Bulls came back to score one in the second, thanks to a Monica Santos solo home run to right center, and then put three runs on the board in the third via a three-run Kenshyra Jackson homer to extend its lead to 4-0.
The Pirates began to solve USF ace Sara Nevins by stringing together a pair of hits in the third. Freshman Yasmin Harrell (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) reached safely on an infield hit to third but was called out for leaving first base early on a steal attempt.
Senior Brittany Hammer (Manheim, Pa.) walked and sophomore Danielle DeStaso (Congers, N.Y.) was the Pirates’ third base runner of the inning, notching the second of her three base hits on the day with a single out to right. Nevins escaped the third without giving up a run and allowed just a base hit to sophomore Colltey Sheldon (Peoria, Ariz.) in the fourth before the Pirates cut into the Bulls’ lead in the fifth.
Harrell reached safely in the SHU half of the fifth as USF first baseman Stephanie Medina bobbled a high throw from Santos at third, and she moved up to second following Hammer’s third walk of the game.
DeStaso went on to drive Harrell home with an RBI base hit up the middle. A deep fly ball off the bat of DeLuca gave the Pirates two runners in scoring position and freshman Jackie DiPietro (Horsham, Pa.) crossed the plate one batter later following in infield hit for freshman Alex Rabbetts (Corona, Calif.).
USF tacked one run onto its lead to make it 6-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh. DeLuca crushed a home run over the scoreboard in left field, her fifth of the season, to pull the Pirates back within three but they could not come any closer.
DeStaso was 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI and also threw three innings, giving up four runs with three strikeouts. Junior Jen Metzger (Pine Hill, N.J.) relieved DeStaso in the fourth and scattered seven hits, giving up just two runs with a pair of strikeouts.
Harrell extended her SHU season-best hitting streak to eight-straight games with her infield hit in the third inning and Sheldon, who entered the day hitting .545 over SHU’s last five games, continued her hot streak with a pair of base hits.
Tuesday's matchup was originally scheduled as a doubleheader but the second game of the day was not able to be completed because of USF's travel arrangements.
Seton Hall returns to action this weekend when it hosts the University of Connecticut in a crucial three-game BIG EAST series on Saturday-Sunday, April 27-28. The teams will meet for a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m.
