March 30, 2013

Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

MERION STATION, Pa. - The Saint Joseph's softball team swept its Atlantic 10 doubleheader against Charlotte Saturday afternoon at the SJU Softball Field. The Hawks downed the 49ers 6-3 in game one and earned a 3-2 victory in the second game.

In game one, the Hawks opened scoring in the bottom of the second, scoring three runs to take a 3-0 edge. Junior Morgan Earling scored the first run of the game with two outs as she scored from second on a RBI single to left field by senior Dana Parks.

With Parks on second and Maria Ficca on third, Saint Joseph's Melissa Ruf hit a grounder that got under the glove of the Charlotte shortstop, allowing two runs to score to give the Hawks a three run advantage.

Charlotte cut into the Hawks' lead in the top of the third on a sacrifice fly by Breanna Gwaltney that scored Chelsea Stamey to make it 3-1.

A pair of solo home runs from Ficca in the fourth and Monica Aguilar in the fifth, upped the Hawks' lead to 5-1, but the 49ers cut the deficit back to two, 5-3, with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth on a two-RBI single by Jessica Plemmons.

Ficca struck again for the Hawks in the bottom of the sixth as her triple plated pinch runner Traneya White to give SJU a 6-3 lead.

Senior pitcher Taryn Ashway worked out of trouble in the top of the seventh, stranding the first two Charlotte batters as she earned the complete game win to improve to 14-1 on the year.

Ashway posted a game-high nine strikeouts in game one, while Ficca went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

In game two, Saint Joseph's took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth as White and Sarah Yoos scored on a RBI single by senior Deanna Stinner.

Charlotte answered back in the top of the fifth to tie the score at 2-2 on a two run homer by Kalie Lang.

The Hawks responded though in the bottom of the inning as Melissa Ruf made it to third on a single and throwing error by the 49ers with two outs. Nicole Palase followed with a RBI single to give SJU the lead again, 3-2.

Ashway, who came in for freshman Liz Mendez in the fifth earned the win, throwing three scoreless innings of relief.