April 11, 2009

Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. - The St. Bonaventure softball team pulled out two tightly contested games to sweep its doubleheader over Atlantic 10 foe La Salle on Saturday afternoon at McGraw Jennings Field.

The Bonnies picked up a 4-2 win in the first game of the doubleheader, and followed that up with a 4-3 triumph later in the day.

With the pair of wins, the Brown and White improve to 7-19 overall and 5-7 in the A-10. La Salle, meanwhile, falls to 4-22 on the season and 4-8 in conference play.

Junior Sherri Thompson got the start in the first game of the doubleheader and went the distance allowing two runs on nine hits, while striking out five.

St. Bonaventure was ahead 2-1 going into the sixth inning, when La Salle freshman Shannon Skomorucha hit an RBI single to center field to tie the game up at 2-2.

The Bonnies would not be deterred, coming right back with an answer in the bottom of the frame. Senior Ashley Kotz walked with one out which brought sophomore Kara Morenus to the plate. Morenus jumped on the third pitch of the at-bat and drilled a two-run homerun over the left field fence to give the Brown and White a 4-2 lead.

Thompson would do the rest, as she retired the Explorers in the seventh with no issues to seal the win for the Bonnies.

St. Bonaventure would not wait for any late came heroics in game two of the doubleheader, as it jumped all over La Salle starter DJ Quinn.

The Bonnies leadoff hitter, sophomore Shelly Seeger, tripled to right field to start the game for the home team. One batter later, senior Kathryn Pazda served a single into left field, that brought Seeger in, to give St. Bonaventure a 1-0.

The Brown and White did not stop there, however, as they put up a three-run second inning to widen their advantage. Ashley Kotz started the frame with a single and freshman Brooke Frey brought her home with a double to deep center field to make the score 2-0 Bonnies. La Salle would bring in a new pitcher, sophomore Kristin Paoletti, but the switch would only make things worse for the Explorers. Paoletti would uncork three wild pitches to allow the Brown and White to plate two more runs to make it a 4-0 game.

La Salle would claw its way back into the game against Thompson in the fourth inning, by scoring three runs and chasing the Bonnies starter from the game. Freshman Erin Nargi came in and got out of the inning keeping the lead with St. Bonaventure, at 4-3. Nargi would pitch the last three innings of the game, allowing just two hits to the Explorers the rest of the way to give the Brown and White a 4-3 win.

Seeger had a solid day at the plate for the Bonnies, going 3-for-6 on the afternoon with two runs scored. Pazda also hit well from her cleanup position in the lineup, going 4-for-5 with two RBI's in the two games.

St. Bonaventure will be back in action on Tuesday, April 14, when it plays a doubleheader against Big 4 rival Niagara. The first game of the series is set to start at 3:00 p.m.