April 30, 2011

Box Score

OLEAN, N.Y. - The Saint Joseph's softball team kept its hopes alive for a first-round bye in the Atlantic 10 Tournament as the Hawks split a doubleheader at St. Bonaventure Saturday afternoon. The Hawks lost the opened 4-3, but came back for a 13-4 victory in six innings in game two.

In the opener, the Hawks (28-14, 10-4 Atlantic 10) jumped out to a 2-0 edge with a run in the first and a run in the sixth. Junior Bernadette Moran singled home sophomore Dana Parks for the first run, while sophomore Deanna Stinner singled home junior Monica Aguilar in the sixth to stretch the lead to two.

Unfortunately for SJU, the Bonnies touched up starter Erin Gallagher for four runs in the bottom of the sixth, taking advantage of a pair of Hawk errors.

Saint Joseph's fought back with a run in the top of the seventh as Parks scored on a ground out by Aguilar. With runners at second and third, the Bonnies were able to enduce a fly out to end the game.

In game two, the Hawks' bats struck early and often, scoring twice in the first, four times in the third, three times in the fourth and four times in the sixth.

Parks scored thr first run on an error on a ball hit byt Moran, while senior Dana Bieniek would later single in Aguilar to put the Hawks up two.

Bieniek picked up her second RBI in the third inning, scoring classmate Laura Cardone on a single. Bieniek and Moran came around to score on a double by sophomore Rochelle Christman to make it a 5-0 game, with Stinner following with a single to score Christman.

Sophomore Taryn Ashway went 3.1 inning for the win for SJU, allowing just two runs in the bottom of the third, while striking out one.

Moran upped the Hawks' lead to 9-2 in the fourth with a three-run homer down the right field line.

The Bonnies got two runs off SJU reliever Lauren Pembleton in the fifth, but the Hawks' redshirt junior remained steady, getting out of the inning.

Saint Joseph's would get the runs back, plating four in the sixth to put the mercy rule in effect. Cardone and Aguilar scored runs on catching errors by the Bonnies, while Bieniek and Moran delivered the other two RBI for the Hawks.

The Hawks, who have off until next Sunday when they host Coppin State, will have to wait for the results of Sunday's Atlantic 10 contests to know if they have earned a bye in the A-10 Tournament.