CENTER VALLEY, Pa.- Entering action today, Eastern
University Softball had not swept a league doubleheader since March 21,
2009. With a play-off spot in sight, the senior-laden Eastern squad knew
that splitting doubleheaders would not be enough. The Eagles won 4-0 in
game one at DeSales behind a gem of a pitching effort from Janelle Fair
For the first time this year, Fair returned to the circle for the start
of game two. The junior did not disappoint as she went the distance in
game two for a 3-1 win.
The Eagles (15-11-1, 5-3 Freedom)
scratched out a single run in the third inning of game one to take the
lead. Fair helped her own cause with an RBI single to plate catcher Sam
Terenzoni. Terenzoni, who has caught every inning of every game this
spring, had singled and advanced on a wild pitch and a ground out before
scoring on Fair's second hit of the afternoon.
Fair meanwhile,
allowed singles in the first, third, and sixth innings, but she never
allowed more than a single base runner in an inning. The Eastern defense
stayed on its toes as the standout from Lancaster County got nine fly
ball outs and nine ground outs to go with three strike-outs in the
opener.
The Eagles picked up three insurance runs in the seventh.
Tori Jacobson led off with a walk. Lori Wileczek came on as a pinch
runner and beat a throw to second on Sam Fichter's sacrifice attempt to
start the rally. After Wileczek and Fichter advanced on a wild pitch.
Terenzoni grounded out to plate a big run. Jaclyn Gangemi and Maggie
McGowan delivered RBI singles to give Fair all the help she would need
for the first game win.
Fair had come on in relief in the second
game on several occasions this year, but her efficiency in the first
game and the urgency of the situation made the decision to leave the
defense in place a pretty easy one.
Though she did not give up a
run until the fifth, the second game was not nearly as easy from the
outset. Fair gave up three hits and worked out of a bases loaded jam
with only one out in the first, and the Bulldogs had a lead-off double
in the second. The zeroes kept going up on the bottom half of the
scoreboard.
The Eagles did all their damage for game two in the
top of the third. With one out, Jessie Baker walked and moved to second
on a sacrifice bunt. The move paid off as the Eastern lead-off hitter
coasted home from second on Fair's single to right. After Maggie McGowan
and Jaime Schwartz walked, Emily Houk drilled a two-out single to
right-center to late the final two runs of the day for the Eagles.
DeSales'
Emily Artz finally solved Fair with a lead-off homer in the fifth, but
Eastern's junior collected herself and did not allow a hit in the sixth
or the seventh to improve to 11-4 on the year.
The Eagles sit in a
tie for third with King's one game behind Misericordia and
Manhattanville. The Eagles host fifth place FDU-Florham in a critical
league doubleheader this Saturday.
Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box
