Softball Opens Series at Villanova on Monday
4/20/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 20, 2014
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Seton Hall University softball team will makeup a series originally scheduled for the last weekend of March when it heads down to Villanova, Pa., for three games against the Villanova Wildcats on Monday-Tuesday, April 21-22. Persistent heavy rainfall washed away the first attempt to get the series played, the only BIG EAST series of the year to have all three games postponed or canceled. The teams will meet for a doubleheader on Monday starting at 1 p.m., with the finale scheduled for Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
LAST TIME OUTSeton Hall lost two of three at St. John's University during Easter week. The Pirates bounced back from a 14-0 loss in the series opener to split a doubleheader on Thursday, winning the second game 3-2. The rubber match was fittingly back-and-forth. Seton Hall grabbed the early advantage when junior Sara Haefeli clubbed a three-run bomb in the second inning before the Red Storm rallied to take the lead and ultimately prevail 5-4. Junior Danielle DeStaso threw a pair of complete games going 1-1 on the week. In the Saturday victory she allowed just two runs on seven hits with four strikeouts.
WHO TO WATCH
SETON HALL: Junior Danielle DeStaso has thrown four of her six complete games on the season over the past two weeks, posting a 3-1 record in those outings. She also continues to lead the Pirates offensively, boasting a team-best .340 average with 15 extra-base hits (eight doubles, seven homers) and 26 RBI's. Sophomore Jackie DiPietro caries a team-best four-game hitting streak into the Villanova series and has seen her batting average jump to .304.
VILLANOVA: Kate Poppe has established herself as one of the elite pitchers in the BIG EAST as she ranks third in the conference with a 1.89 earned run average and leads the league with 223 strikeouts in 170.1 innings. The Wildcats launched three home runs in their win over Providence on Saturday with Stephanie Butler, Aleshia Ayers and Natalie Segovia all leaving the yard.
SCOUTING VILLANOVA
After winning its second BIG EAST series of the year Villanova is attempting to climb back into contention for a berth in the BIG EAST Tournament. The Wildcats took two of three at Providence last weekend and have won six of their last eight games. Kate Poppe does all of the heavy lifting on the mound, throwing 170.1 innings already this year with 223 strikeouts while limiting the opposition to a .174 average. Offensively the Wildcats have struggled, ranking seventh in the BIG EAST with a .228 team batting average and no regular starter hitting north of .300.
FUTURE SCHEDULE
BIG EAST play continues when Seton Hall hosts Butler for three games next Saturday-Sunday, April 26-27, at Mike Sheppard, Sr. Field. It will be Senior Day prior to first pitch on Saturday, as the Hall honors Meredith Henze, Maria DeLuca and Jen Metzger.
CLOSE CALLS
Heading into this week's series at Villanova, Seton Hall has seen six of its last eight games decided by just two runs or fewer. The Pirates are 3-4 in one-run games and 3-2 in contests decided by two runs this season.
COMPLETE PLAYER
Junior Danielle DeStaso did a little bit of everything in leading the Pirates to a 2-1 series victory over Creighton on April 12-13. She threw back-to-back complete games, limiting the Bluejays to just two base hits in a 1-0 shutout in the series finale, striking out 14 batters over the weekend. At the plate she went 1-for-3 with a double and three RBI's to pace the offense to a 5-3 victory in game two.
SMITH PASSES 200-CAREER VICTORIES
With Seton Hall's 5-3 win over Creighton on April 12, head coach Paige Smith reached the 200-career victories plateau. Smith has won 33 games at Seton Hall which is added to her 169 wins over five seasons as the head coach at Adelphi. In nearly seven seasons as a collegiate head coach Smith boasts a career record of 202-162-1, for a winning percentage of .555.
