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Saint Joseph's University

Saint Joseph's Hawks
Saint Joseph's Hawks
Hawks Picked to Finish Fifth in Atlantic 10 Softball Preseason Poll

Softball SJU Athletic Communications

Softball Falls to #23 North Carolina, 6-3 in Season Opener

Feb. 19, 2010

Box Score

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The Saint Joseph's softball team had an impressive start to its 2010 season Friday in the opening game of the Carolina Classic. The Hawks got three RBI from senior catcher Brooke Darreff, but eventually fell to the 23rd-ranked Tar Heels, 6-3.

North Carolina, designated the away team for the game, jumped on the board with a run in the first and another run in the third off Saint Joseph's starter Erin Gallagher to claim a 2-0 edge early.

The Tar Heels (4-3) upped their lead to 3-0 on a defensive error by Saint Joseph's in the top of the fourth, and Christine Knauer collected her first of three RBI on the day with a single to put UNC up 4-0.

The Hawks (0-1) got on the board in the bottom of the fourth as sophomore third baseman Monica Aguilar singled with two outs and came around to score on a RBI double to right field by Darreff.

Gallagher worked a scoreless fifth, but North Carolina's Amber Johnson answered with a scoreless bottom half of the inning to keep the game at 4-1.

With one out in the top of the sixth, Knauer struck again, this time drilling a two-run inside the park home run down the right field line against SJU freshman pitcher Taryn Ashway to increase the Tar Heels' lead to 6-1.

Darreff answered back in the bottom half for SJU to make it a 6-3 game. After a two-out walk by Aguilar, Darreff smacked a two-run home run to center field brining the Hawks back to within three.

Ashway worked through a two-out single to keep North Carolina off the board in the top of the seventh, but Saint Joseph's couldn't knot the game up in the bottom half as Johnson set the Hawks down in order to preserve the win for UNC.

Individually, Darreff went 2-for-3 from the plate, while Aguilar went 1-for-2 with a pair of runs scored. Gallagher, who was the hard-luck loser, was solid in her first performance of the year, allowing only two earned runs in five innings, while striking out four. Ashway struck out one in her two innings of relief.

Saint Joseph's continues play at the Carolina Classic on Saturday at 11 a.m. against Delaware followed by a 1:30 contest against UNC-Greensboro.

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