MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.- After settling for a pair of splits in the first
two days down south, Eastern University Softball broke through with a
pair of shutout wins on day three. The Eagles jumped all over Penn
College for a 14-0 win in their first game, and Janelle Fair kept her
shutout streak alive with a complete game effort in a 4-0 win over
Immaculata in game two.
Senior pitcher Maggie McGowan was a
two-way star in the opener. She went 3-for-3 with a homer, a double, and
three RBI's at the plate, and she allowed only two hits and struck out
seven in the five-inning shutout. Fair and Sam Terenzoni also batted in a
pair.
The Eagles scored the only run they would need against
Immaculata in the first inning when McGowan muscled an inside pitch down
the right field line to drive home Jaclyn Gangemi. Gangemi started the
rally with a ringing one-out double down the left field line.
Eastern
picked up three insurance runs in the third. Terenzoni started the
rally, and McGowan delivered the big blow of the inning as she completed
the cycle for the day with an RBI triple to the right-field corner. The
damage could have been worse, but Immaculata center fielder Christiana
Donofry made a tremendous catch at the fence to rob Gangemi at the
fence. Tori Jacobson and Fair also picked up RBI's in the inning.
The Eastern offense went quiet for the rest of the afternoon, but
Fair and and good defense behind her proved to be enough to earn a
third straight win for the Eagles. Immaculata seemed to be mounting a
rally with two on in the seventh, but Emily Houk made a nice play on a
line drive to second to start a game-ending double play.
Fair (3-0) allowed six hits and walk over seven innings. She has not allowed a run in 19 innings of work in Myrtle Beach.
"I
feel like our focus was exceptional today," Head Coach Brittany Stroop
said, "and that it is this type of focus that will allow us to be
competitive in our conference. Maggie and Janelle worked extremely hard
pitching out of jams. They made good pitches that allowed our defense to
make plays behind them."
Eastern (4-2) is back in action tomorrow with games against Swarthmore and Dakota State.
Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box
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