May 11, 2011

Box Score

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Saint Joseph's softball team jumped out to a 3-0 edge and held on for a 6-3 victory over Dayton in the opening day of play at the 2011 Atlantic 10 Championships at Charlotte's D.L. Phillips Complex on Wednesday. The Hawks (29-14) will continue play in the winners' bracket against Massachusetts Thursday at 3:30 p.m.

Having not played in nearly two weeks, Saint Joseph's didn't show any side effects early as junior pitcher Erin Gallagher sent the Flyers down in order to start the first, while SJU's bats came alive for three runs on four hits in the bottom of the inning.

Sophomore outfielder Dana Parks led off the inning with a single and scored the first run on an error by Dayton's first baseman on a ball hit by SJU junior Bernadette Moran. The Flyers caught Moran stealing for the innings' second out, but junior Monica Aguilar delivered with a double and scored on a single by senior Dana Bieniek. Bieniek, who advanced to third on her single as the Flyers try to catch Aguilar at home, scored the third run of the inning on a single by sophomore catcher Rochelle Christman.

Gallagher remained in control, allowing just one hit over the opening four innings.

Christman would score the eventual game-winning run in the fourth on a fielder's choice off the bat of junior Alaina Loguidice.

An error allowed Dayton's leadoff hitter to reach in the top of the fifth, but Gallagher limited the damage to one run as she stranded two Flyer runners with a strike out to end the inning.

A single by Bieniek in the bottom of the inning made it a 5-1 game as Moran scored.

Up by four, the Hawks got into some trouble in the top of the sixth. The Flyers pushed a pair of runs across to make it 5-3 with only one out. Gallagher worked her magic though, enducing a ground out and getting Dana Trotta to foul out to end the inning.

The Hawks' offense added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth to make it 6-3 as a RBI single by Moran scored senior Laura Cardone.

In the top of the seventh, Saint Joseph's called upon sophomore Taryn Ashway to close out the game. With little work, Ashway retired the Flyers in order to end the game and pick up her second save on the season.

"I thought we came out ready to go, I thought our bats have kept us in a lot of games this year," Saint Joseph's head coach Terri Adams told the media. "I think we jumped out and then got a little bit complacent. Gallagher ran out of a little bit of gas later in the game, but every time there was a little action on their side, we managed to come back and show some life and come back and score another run to give us a little more breathing room."

At the plate, Aguilar went 3-for-3 with a run scored, while Bieniek finished 2-for-3 with two RBi and a run scored. Christman, Moran and Loguicie each added a RBI apiece as SJU went 11-of-28 at the plate.

In the circle, Gallagher improved to 22-8 on the year as she allowed three runs on five hits, while striking out six over six innings.