Boxscore Game 1
Boxscore Game 2
WILMINGTON, Del. – Post University jumped out to a 9-0 lead and hung on to win 10-4 in game one, and Goldey-Beacom lost a back-and-forth contest, 7-6 in game two as the Lightning suffered their third straight sweep against the Eagles in as many years on Sat. at Midway Softball Complex.
The Lightning fell to 11-9 overall and dipped below .500 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference play at 4-6. Post, which came in at fourth in the standings, improved to 5-1 in league play and 15-14 overall.
GBC scored three runs in the bottom of the second and one in the bottom of the fourth, but it was not enough to overcome a nine-run deficit after 1 ½ innings of play, as Post tagged on another insurance run in the top of the seventh inning to win by a final score of 10-4.
In game two, GBC rallied to tie the score at two in the bottom of the first inning and to take a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the second, but with Post leading 6-5 through six innings, an insurance run by the Eagles in the top of the seventh proved to be the difference as the visitors hung on for a 7-6 win.
Game 1:
Cassidie Ern led off the game with the first of two Post doubles in the inning, as the Eagles put three runs on the board off starting sophomore pitcher Leanne Miller in the top of the first.
Then after a silent bottom of the first by the Lightning, the Eagles blew the game open with six runs in the top of the second to extend the lead to 9-0.
Junior Shannon O'Hara came on to relieve Miller with the bases loaded and nobody out in the top of the second. Six runs came in to score, three of them charged to Miller, as Post collected five hits and took advantage of two Lightning errors in the inning.
GBC showed no quit however, as they began to mount a comeback in the bottom of the second, scoring three runs to pull within six.
Leading off the inning was junior Danie Rice, who reached courtesy of an infield error and advanced to third on two consecutive base-on-balls earned by O'Hara and junior Cailin Cavanaugh. Junior Ashley Paige picked up an RBI on a ground-out to second base and the other runners each moved into scoring position for senior Jackie Waddle. With one out, Waddle smacked a base-hit into center field, scoring Cavanaugh and O'Hara. The next two Lightning batters were retired though, and so the score was 9-3 through two innings.
O'Hara cruised through the next four innings, retiring 12 of the 14 Eagle batters she faced and allowing just one hit and one walk in the process. But the Lightning could only manage one more run during that span, a fielder's choice RBI hit by Waddle which scored Cavanaugh from third to make it 9-4.
Post added a run off of O'Hara in the top of the seventh on an RBI double by Samantha Pagano to make it 10-4. Then Eagles starting pitcher Ashley Cummings finished off a complete game victory by retiring freshman Michelle Foster, junior Jordan Waterloo and freshman Roni Peters in the bottom of the seventh after a leadoff single by junior Shannon Graves.
O'Hara tossed 6.0 innings of relief and allowed four earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out one in a no-decision. Miller (2-4) took the loss with one inning pitched and six runs allowed (five earned) on five hits and one walk.
Game 2:
Again Post got off to a quick start, this time off senior starting pitcher Heather Draper. After Draper got the leadoff batter Ern to ground out back to the mound, she walked Jackie Bonamassa and then gave up an RBI triple to Amy Mantha. Casey Sclafani would single to bring in Mantha before the Lightning could get out of the inning, and the Eagles had an early 2-0 lead.
GBC did not wait to respond this time, as the Lightning answered back with two runs off five hits to tie it in the bottom of the first.
Graves led things off with a bunt single, followed by a base-hit to left field by Foster and an RBI double to left field by Waterloo. Quickly, the deficit was cut to, 2-1 with nobody out and runners on second and third. Peters then reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases while Post was not able to get any outs on the play.
Next up was Cavanaugh, who ripped a single to left field to score Foster, but Waterloo was thrown out at third on the play by Bonamassa for the first out of the inning. Post was then able to get Peters, the lead runner, out at third on a ground ball hit by Paige during the next at-bat for the second out.
With two outs, Rice hit a ball past shortstop Christina Udris, but again Bonamassa showed off her arm in left field by throwing out Cavanaugh at the plate for the final out of the inning. Thanks in large part to the play of Bonamassa, the Lightning had to settle for a 2-2 tie at the end of inning one.
A two-out rally led to two more Post runs in the top of the second. A double by Mantha, her second extra-base hit in as many at-bats, scored Ern and Bonamassa, and Post regained the lead, 4-2.
The Lightning answered again though, this time taking the lead with three runs on three hits and an Eagle error. Sophomore Angelina Myers led-off the inning with a base-on-balls, and junior Dana Walker reached on an error by the catcher, Mantha.
Myers and Walker both moved up on a well-executed sacrifice bunt by Graves, and Foster drove in Myers from third with an RBI single to center field. Eagles starting pitcher Johanna Rice was pulled out of the game after the Foster hit, and on came the game one winning pitcher, Cummings.
Waterloo nearly took a Cummings delivery out of the park, but it fell just short of the 215-ft. Field 4 left field fence. Bonamassa, who nearly tracked it down for what would have been a superb catch, was able to quickly retrieve the ball and get it into the infield as only one run scored and Waterloo had to stay put at first. The Lightning added one more run in the inning thanks to an RBI single by Peters to score Foster from third, and they took a 5-4 lead heading into the third inning.
Both pitchers, Draper and Cummings, settled into the game with scoreless third innings. Draper retired the side in order while the Lightning left a runner stranded at second after a leadoff single by Rice.
Another two-out rally by Post in the top of the fourth was Draper's undoing, as the Eagles reclaimed the lead with two runs on two hits and a Lightning error. Facing the top of the order, Draper retired the No. 1 and 2 batters, Ern and Bonamassa, but surrendered another two-out hit to Mantha, who was a homerun shy of hitting for the cycle.
GBC had an opportunity to get out of the inning after the Mantha single, but an infield error allowed Mantha to reach safely at second while Udris reached first on the fielder's choice. A double by Stephanie DeMartino to left center field plated Mantha and Udris, and Draper came out of the game with the Lightning trailing, 6-5.
Head coach Bill Streets brought back O'Hara to pitch in relief again, and O'Hara got Sclafani to fly to right field for the final out of the inning.
O'Hara pitched scoreless fifth and sixth innings, but the Lightning could not bring across the tying sixth run in either inning.
Leading 6-5 going into the top of the seventh, Post added an insurance run off of O'Hara which proved to be the difference in the game. Sclafani singled to lead-off the inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kim Bentson. She then scored on an RBI double to right center field by Pagano to make the score 7-5.
Peters and Cavanaugh were retired to start the bottom of the seventh, and the Lightning were down to their final out. Paige walked and Rice clubbed her third hit of the game to center field to keep GBC's hopes alive. Waddle came in to pinch hit and she knocked in her fourth RBI of the day with a single to center field, scoring Paige and sending Rice, the tying run, to second.
Walker could not keep the inning going though as she grounded out to shortstop for the final out of the game.
Draper (3-3) took the loss as she allowed six runs (four earned) on seven hits and three walks in 3.2 innings of work. O'Hara pitched the final 3.1 innings and allowed four hits, one walk and one earned run.
Cummings (9-7) earned her second win of the day by allowing just one earned run on seven hits and one walk in 5.2 innings pitched.
