BOX SCORE (Game 1)
BOX SCORE (Game 2)
Center Valley, PA (March 24, 2010) – In a battle of the two teams tied for first place in the Freedom Conference the DeSales University softball team took control of the Freedom Conference standings with its third straight doubleheader sweep to gain sole possession of first place with wins of 4-3 (12 Innings) and 7-1 on Saturday over Manhattanville College entering the final week of the regular season.
The Bulldogs have now won six straight games and improve to 19-15 overall and 10-2 in the Freedom Conference. DSU can clinch the #1 seed in the Freedom Conference playoffs in two weeks with at least one win over FDU-Florham in the final doubleheader of the regular season next Saturday at FDU. Manhattanville falls into a tie for second place in the standings at 8-4 with King's College with those two teams playing each other next weekend.
The first game on Saturday was a marathon and test of wills as the contest extended into the 12th inning before the Bulldogs were able to cross home plate with the game-winning run. It was the longest game in DSU history, surpassing an 11-inning game in 2000 vs. Drew University.
DSU took a 3-0 lead in the first inning scoring one run on an illegal pitch and two more on a bases loaded double from sophomore Brianna Chilcoat (Northampton, PA/Northampton). The Valiants chipped away and eventually tied the game at three on a solo homer in the second inning and two-run homer in the fourth inning.
The game advanced harmlessly into extra innings without any team seriously threatening as the Bulldogs left the bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. DSU had runners on first and second with one out in the eighth but again were unable to score.
In the 10th, the international tiebreaking rule was implemented and teams started with a runner on second base each inning, but that didn't help either offense as both teams went scoreless thru the 10th and 11th innings, but not without some incredible plays. DSU had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the 10th as Chilcoat hit a line drive to left field with a runner on third and one out. The ball was caught but the runner on third was caught off guard and had to go back to the bag after the catch to tag and was unable to score. In the top of the 11th, DSU turned a double play that went third base-to-second base-to-shortstop-to-first base to start the inning and then stranded two runners on first and third as the game headed for the 12th inning.
In the top of the 12th the first two Valiants struck out but a single up the middle with two outs seemed to be enough to have the first extra inning run cross home plate but Chilcoat retrieved the bouncing ball and threw a laser strike to home plate as the MVille runner was forced to hold a few steps past third base with two out and the next batter was retired on a ground out to second base.
In the bottom of the 12th, senior Kerri Andrews (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic) started on second base via the tiebreaking rule. Junior Kate Steiner (Walnutport, PA/Northampton) put down a perfect bunt and had the throw beat setting up first and third with no one out, but the Valiant third basemen's throw to first was wide of the bag and the ball skipped into right field as Andrews scampered home with game-winner.
It was Andrews second run scored of the game. Steiner finished with three hits in six AB's, two of which were perfect bunts in the first and 12th innings. Chilcoat, junior Jen Lococo (Easton, PA/Freedom), and sophomore Christine Petrilla (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) each had two hits in the game one win. Sophomore Katie Morrissey (Lanoka Harbor, NJ/Lacey Township) pitched the first eight innings allowing just seven hits and three runs, while striking out 12. Petrilla took over in the ninth inning and allowed just one hit over four innings pitched to earn her fifth win of the season.
The second game saw the Bulldog offense come alive and Lococo come within one out of tossing her second complete-game shutout of the season. DSU scored one run in the third and two more in the fourth to take a 3-0 lead and all of the runs came on solo home runs. Andrews started it with a solo shot in the third and hit another solo shot in the fourth that was duplicated just one pitch later in the fourth by Steiner. DSU broke the game wide open in the sixth when Steiner plated two more runs with a double and Lococo blasted her seventh home run of the season, a two-run shot to make it a 7-0 game.
Andrews finished game two, 3-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBIs and Steiner was 4-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Lococo had one hit and two RBIs and earned the win in the circle pitching all seven innings allowing seven hits and just one run to win her seventh game of the year.
The Bulldogs return to action on Tuesday, April 27th when they travel cross-town to take on local rival Moravian College in a non-conference doubleheader scheduled to begin at 3:00 pm.
