March 1, 2009

Box Score

KISSIMMEE, Fla. - The St. Bonaventure softball team picked up its first win of the season by beating Fairfield 6-1 Sunday afternoon in the Rebel Spring Games Tournament in Kissimmee, Florida.

The Brown and White improve their record to 1-3 on the young season with the win, while Fairfield drops to 1-6 with the loss.

Junior Sherri Thompson got the start for the Bonnies and didn't disappoint, pitching a complete game and allowing only three hits while striking out six Stags in the victory. The only run Thompson allowed was on a solo home run in the sixth inning.

The Brown and White made sure Thompson's quality start counted by supplying her with plenty of offensive support.

In the fourth inning with the score still tied at 0-0, the St. Bonaventure bats came alive. Sophomore Kara Morenus started the inning off with a double before being taken out for pinch-runner Kristin Sullivan. Senior Ashley Kotz was up next and she smacked a single through the infield to make it first and third with nobody out. After junior Stephanie Narde was hit by a pitch to load the bases, freshman Ashley Nowak stepped up and drove in her first collegiate run with a single to bring home Sullivan and give the Brown and White a 1-0 lead. Senior Kathryn Pazda kept the inning going with a two-run single driving home both Kotz and Narde to bump St. Bonaventure lead up to 3-0. Nowak would make the score 4-0 when she scored later in the frame on a wild pitch.

The Bonnies didn't stop there, however, as they had one more big inning left in them in the fifth frame. Morenus, who was reinserted back into the game, drew a walk and stole second to move into scoring position with no outs. Ashley Kotz stroked another single up the middle to give the Brown and White runners on first and third with no outs. After senior Amanda Kotz collected an RBI on a fielder's choice ground-out to make the score 5-0, Nowak drove in her second run of the game on another single to make the score 6-0 St. Bonaventure.

In all, the Bonnies had seven hits on the day. Ashley Kotz went 3-for-4 with three singles, Pazda went 2-for-4 with a double and a two-run single and Nowak had two singles and two runs batted in on the day.

St. Bonaventure returns to action looking to keep up its winning way on Tuesday as it continues play in the Rebel Games Tournament. The Brown and White have another doubleheader scheduled, with the first game against Tennessee State at 11:00 a.m. and the second game against Lehigh to follow at 1:00 p.m.