April 26, 2009

Box Score

VILLANOVA - The Saint Joseph's softball team split its doubleheader with Dayton on Sunday. The Hawks won the first game, 4-0, but fell to the Flyers, 7-5, in game two. Saint Joseph's controls its destiny as far as the Atlantic 10 Championship goes, needing to win one of two games next weekend at St. Bonaventure.

In the opener, the Hawks (19-18, 7-7 Atlantic 10) got a stellar performance from senior pitcher Dani Gonzales as she allowed just three hits over seven innings, while striking out six.

Offensively, a two-out single by Bernadette Moran in the bottom of the second plated Gonzales from second, scoring the first run of the game.

The Hawks added a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth on a two-run blast off the bat of junior Brooke Darreff to put SJU up 3-0. They would add an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth as Moran recorded her second RBI of the game as classmate Heather Brabazon came in to score.

In game two, the Hawks jumped out to a 5-0 edge in the bottom of the first, with senior Beka Shumock missing a grand slam by inches as her three-run double hit the top of the left field fence.

The lead was short lived though as Dayton answered back in the third, roughing up SJU starter Erin Gallagher for five runs to tie the game.

Saint Joseph's had several chances to add a go-ahead run, but couldn't plate the run, as Dayton rallied with a pair of runs off Gonzales in the seventh to take a 7-5 edge.

The Hawks got a two-out single by Darreff in the bottom of the seventh, but could not get her around as Dayton held on for a 7-5 edge.

SJU travels to Villanova for a game on Tuesday.