ST. DAVIDS, Pa.- Maggie McGowan knew that she was going to
see a pitch. All season long, pitchers have tiptoed around the Eastern
shortstop. With the bases-loaded in a tie-game in the bottom of the
seventh, McGowan made her senior day one to remember with a walk-off
grand slam in the opener.
McGowan's heroics could not have come
about had Tori Jacobson not tied the contest with a two-run blast
earlier in the inning. The Eagles had scuffled offensively throughout,
and had only four hits going into the bottom of the seventh. After Emily
Houk beat a 12 footer to third, Jacobson dropped the head of her bat on
an inside pitch and crushed a no-doubter over the left-center field
fence to tie the game.
Katelyn Donald kept the rally going with a
single through the right side and Jessica Baker beat out a good
sacrifice bunt attempt to put runners on first and second. Sam
Terenzoni's short fly ball to left-field was dropped, but the Cougars
were able to get the force out at third.
Jaclyn Gangemi's fly
ball to left would have been deep enough to score a runner, but Baker
wisely stayed at second. Janelle Fair then ripped a ball to left for a
single, but Baker put on the brakes in time as a strong throw from the
outfield made the plate on one hop. That set the stage for McGowan.
Eastern's career leader in home runs found a 2-1 pitch to her liking and
drove a towering shot that cleared the center field fence by five feet
to end game one.
With all the drama of game one, the two playoff
bound teams had to gather themselves for a second contest. With
Manhattanville dropping its first game of its doubleheader at DeSales,
the second game stood to mean something. The Eagles scored an unearned
run on a Jaclyn Gangemi RBI single to center in the third and they added
another run in the fourth after Jacobson singled to center to lead off
the inning. Flex player Louise Fox eventually scored when Sam Terenzoni
singled to center.
McGowan, meanwhile, was dominant in the circle.
The Cougars picked up their first hit of game two in the fifth on a
Shawna Beil single to the fence in right-center. The Eastern hurler
escaped the fifth without any damage, but she was not so fortunate in
the sixth. After a lead-off single and an error, McGowan was able to get
the lead runner on a bouncer back to the circle, but a pair of Cougars
scored on a single and an error. Kaitlin LaBrie had the Cougars third
hit of the inning with a runner on second, but Louise Fox made a solid
throw to freeze the runners at first and third. Misericordia grabbed the
lead on medium depth fly ball in center field.
Down 3-2 in the
seventh, the Eagles (20-19-1, 8-6 Freedom) had a chance for more magic
after Baker singled to left to start the inning. After Terenzoni moved
Baker along with a ground ball to the right side, Gangemi reached on an
error to put runners on first and second with only one out.
Misericordia's Jess Armillay was able to retire Fair and McGowan to pick
up her eighth win of the season.
Today's doubleheader is the
final set of games to be played on Eastern's Field, and the final home
contest for six seniors who were honored between games. McGowan,
Ganngemi, Terenzoni, Fox, and Jaime Schwartz have each been with the
program for four years. McGowan is Eastern's career leader in home runs
with 21 and is currently second in hits and RBIs.
For the first
time in their four year careers, the Eagles do not finish the season at
the end of the regular season. They will bat first in the 11 am game
this Friday at the Freedom Conference Championships against the host
Manhattanville College Valiants. The double-elimination tournament runs
Friday and Saturday.
Game One Box
Game Two Box
