ST. DAVIDS, Pa.- Eastern University Softball (7-2-1) earned
a win and a tie in a doubleheader against local rival Haverford
College. Eastern handed the Fords (6-1-1) their first loss of a the year
with a 5-4 walk-off win in the opener. Haverford scored twice in the
top of the seventh and escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the
inning to secure a tie in the nightcap.
Eastern jumped out to a
2-0 lead in the bottom of the first in the opener when Emily Houk earned
an RBi with a bases-loaded walk, and Jaime Schwartz singled home a run
with two outs. Haverford, however responded immediately with a pair of
runs int he bottom of the inning. The two first-inning runs were the
first runs allowed by Eastern starter Janelle Fair all year. Fair (5-0) went
the distance to earn the win. The junior right-hander allowed ten hits,
but she did not walk a batter and was the beneficiary of some sparking
defense behind her.
Eastern grabbed a lead in the fourth after
Jessica Baker reched on a single and an error with two outs in the
inning. Jaclyn Gangemi reached on an outfield error. Baker, who had run
on contact scored easily in the dropped pop-up. Gangemi advanced to
second on Fair's hard-hit single, and then stepped aside to let Lori
Wileczek pinch-run. The move paid dividends as the speedy Wileczek
scored easily on Maggie McGowan's single to center.
Haverford tied
the game with two runs on four hits in the sixth, but Fair escaped
without further damage on a nice over the shoulder grab from second
baseman Emily Houk.
McGowan reached on a solid single to lead off
the seventh, and Tori Jacobson laid down a flawless bunt to move her to
second. Houk hit a ground ball to short to set up the decisive moment
of the game. Schwartz came through in the clutch with a ground ball over
the bag at second. McGowan scored ahead of the throw to give the Eagles
their seventh win of the year.
The second game saw both teams'
pitchers struggle with command. Eastern drew 15 walks in the seven
innings, and Haverford advanced to first without putting a ball in play
eight times.The walks and myriad deep counts resulted in a lengthy game
that ultimately failed to reach a satisfactory conclusion.
Up 7-5,
the Eagles were one out away from ending the game in the top of the
seventh, when Elizabeth Newman drove an outside pitch off the webbing of
Schwartz's glove and out of play for an RBI ground rule double. The
Fords scored the tying run two pitches later on a wild pitch.
Eastern loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh, but a ground ball back to the circle ended the day for both teams.
The
walks cost both teams early as each team scored int he first.
Haverford's Jill Schnall drove in three runs with a long double in the
second to give the Fords a 4-1 edge.
The score remained at 4-1
until the bottom of the third when Eastern tied the game with three.
Louise Fox picked up an RBI with a two-out single up the middle, and the
Eagles picked up runs on an error and a wild pitch. Haverford grabbed a
5-4 edge with a manufactured run in the top of the fourth.
The
Eagles scored three times in the bottom of the inning, but the damage
could have been a lot worse. The third run of the inning scored on a
towering shot to left field with the bases loaded that starting
pitcher-turned leftfielder Lauren Touey pulled back over the fence to
rob Jacobson of a grand slam.
Eastern left the bases full in the
fifth and had a runner thrown out at the plate in the sixth, but Coach
Stroop's squad was unable to to add onto the lead. All told, Eastern
left 16 runners on base in the second game. The Eagles will look to
improve on their efficiency when they open Freedom Conference play at
Wilkes this Saturday.
Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box
Photos
