Seton Hall University
Georgetown
Hall Clinches BIG EAST Berth with DH Sweep of Hoyas
5/2/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Seton Hall softball team secured its second BIG EAST Tournament berth in three years with a doubleheader sweep of visiting Georgetown on Saturday. SeniorWhitney Jones (Skowhegan, Maine)delivered an 11th inning single help the Pirates walk off with a game one while classmate Casey Moses (Lower Burell, Pa.)took the ball in game two and shut the door on the Hoyas, allowing just one run in a complete game as The Hall booked its trip to Rosemont with a 5-1 victory.
SHU is now 7-2 in its last nine outings and has come out on top in four of five BIG EAST contests since the beginning of last weekend. The pair of triumphs on Saturday pushed Seton Hall's conference record to 10-9, leaving the squad just one victory shy of its highest BIG EAST win total since posting 15 and claiming the league title in 2005. The Pirates are locked into the #3 seed in the four-team conference tournament and are slated to match up with second-seeded DePaul in the semifinal round next Friday, May 8.
St. John's has clinched the regular season conference title along with the top seed in the single-elimination format while Butler, Providence and Villanova remain in contention for the final spot entering the final day of the regular season.
All three games at the 2015 BIG EAST Tournament are slated to be shown nationally on FOX Sports 2.
Game 1: Seton Hall 4, Georgetown 3 (11)
After sending Georgetown down in order from the circle in the opening frame, seniorDanielle DeStaso (Congers, N.Y.)delivered the big blow from the Pirates in the bottom half, punctuating a two-out rally with a double to right-center that plated freshmanAlexis Walkden (Cibolo, Texas)as well asSara Haefeli (Montclair, N.J.); giving The Hall an early 2-0 advantage.
DeStaso then retired nine of the 11 Hoyas that stepped in the box over the next three innings, allowing just one runner to advance as far as second base. Georgetown ace Megan Hyson held the deficit at two however and in the top of the fifth inning, GU rallied to pull even at 2-2.
The first three Hoyas reached base as Taylor Henry led-off with a single followed by a bunt from Delaney Osterday that saw Henry beat Walkden's attempt to get the lead runner. Hannah Ramsey singled to right field to load the bases; opening the door for a sacrifice fly from Theresa Kane that cut the deficit in half. Samatha Giovanniello followed with a single to level the score and then advanced to second on a wild pitch afterLauren Fischer (Robbinsville, N.J.)came on in relief of DeStaso.
With two more runners in scoring position and just one away, Fischer got Hyson to line out to shortstop Sara Foster (Long Beach, Calif.)who alertly doubled up Giovanniello at second to erase the threat.
Georgetown would move ahead in the sixth as Sophia Almeida got it started with a single and eventually found herself on third with two away. Henry roped one to right field that was snagged on a great diving play by Valerie Suto (Mercerville, N.J.).Henry was allowed to resume her at-bat however after the umpires deemed that there had been an improper substitution at the beginning of the inning. She went on to earn a walk and Osterday roped a ball up the middle that led to Almeida coming across with the go-ahead run before Fischer could quell the rally.
Haefeli kick-started the Pirates response in the bottom half by doubling to the wall in left field andAlex Rabbetts (Corona, Calif.)andFaith Laudano (Islip, N.Y.)each reached to help SHU pack the bases with one out. JuniorJackie DiPietro (Horsham, Pa.)brought in Haefeli with a fly ball to center to knot the score at 3-3.
DeStaso returned to the circle in the seventh and resumed her duel with Hyson as the two teams combined for three hits over the next four innings. Having sent Georgetown down empty handed in both the ninth and 10th, DeStaso once again retired the Hoyas in order to pave the way for the eventual game-winning rally.
Suto slapped a ball down the third base line to open the home half and her speed helped lead to a misplay at first that allowed her to take second as well. Junior Yasmin Harrell (Cheektowaga, N.Y.)sacrificed Suto over to third where she stood for only a short time before Jones knocked a single right back up the box to seal the victory.
DeStaso came up huge for The Hall in game one, logging 9.1 innings and allowing just two runs on her way to her 11th win of the season. With seven strikeouts on the day, she moved into third on the school's all-time list while her two-RBI double in the first pushed her career total to 121, the second-most ever by a Pirate.
Jones finished 2-for-5 from the plate, as did Haefeli who added two runs scored.
Game 2: Seton Hall 5, Georgetown 1
A standout performance from Moses limited the drama in game two but with a postseason berth still hanging in the balance, Seton Hall received contributions from throughout the lineup that aided in completing the sweep.
Moses worked out of trouble in the first, allowing The Hall to set the tone by jumping out to another early two-run edge. Harrell singled to lead things off and eventually came in on an RBI double from Walkden. Haefeli sent Walkden home with a single up the middle that made it 2-0 and SHU would load the bases again before Georgetown starter Lauren O'Leary dodged further damage when Moses flew out to the warning track.
The senior righty completed the second unscathed as well but in the third Giovanniello got a hold of one for her second home run of the season to put the Hoyas on the board. With the score still at 2-1, DiPietro and Moses reached to start the fourth before moving into scoring position on a well-executed sacrifice from Foster. Harrell directed one to the right side of the infield that brought in DiPietro, providing more than enough insurance for Moses on the day.
The Lower Burrell product yielded just two hits and faced three over the minimum in the final three innings, slamming the door shut after DiPietro and Chelsea Caynon (Litchfield, N.H.)tacked on RBIs in the home half of the sixth.
It was the first complete game of 2015 for Moses who notched her fourth victory in the process. The Hall's five runs were driven in by five different players and nine Pirates recorded at least one hit in the contest.
Seton Hall and Georgetown will wrap up the series along with the regular season on Sunday with a single game slated to start at 12:30 p.m. The contest will serve as Senior Day for seven members of the Seton Hall softball program as DeStaso, Haefeli, Jones and Moses will join classmatesSam DeMasi (Lockport, Ill.),Jordan Moses (Lower Burrell, Pa.) and Kaylyn Sanbower (Etters, Pa.)in being honored prior to their final home game.
