April 14, 2009
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. -
The St. Bonaventure softball team dropped game one of its doubleheader against Niagara, before coming back for a 8-0 win in game two to split the twin bill played on Tuesday afternoon at the McGraw Jennings Field.
The Bonnies dropped the first game of the doubleheader 5-3, but thumped Niagara 8-0 in the nightcap.
With the split, the Brown and White's overall record is now 8-20 overall for the season, while Niagara moves to 16-13 on the year.
Junior Sherri Thompson got the start in the first game of the doubleheader and put in three innings of work, giving up two runs on three hits while striking out two. Freshman Mary Bostwick pitched the remaining four innings of the game allowing three runs, only one of which was earned, on five hits to take the loss.
Niagara lit up the scoreboard first, in game number one, in the second inning. Sophomore Kayla Hines doubled to left field to start the frame. After a sacrifice groundout moved Hines over to third, junior Jenna Baker drove her in with a single up the middle to make the score 1-0 Niagara.
The Purple Eagles would tack on another run in the top of the third to make the score 2-0 when the St. Bonaventure bats came alive in the bottom half of the frame. Freshman Brittany Storch and Kristin Sullivan started things off with back-to-back singles to give the Brown and White runners on first and second with no outs. After back-to-back line outs by the next two Bonnie batters, junior Stephanie Narde would come up and double to left center to drive in Storch, and make the score 2-1 Purple Eagles. Senior Kathryn Pazda would follow Narde's lead and smack a double of her own down the right field line, bring home Sullivan and Narde, to give St. Bonaventure a 3-2 lead.
The lead would not stick, however, as Niagara would rally for three more runs in the fifth inning off Bostwick. The first three Purple Eagles to bat reached base to help fuel the three run frame, that gave Niagara the winning 5-3 score.
The second game of the afternoon was a one-sided affair due to an offensive explosion put forth by the Brown and White's bats against Niagara starter Ali Grab. Sophomore Shelly Seeger started the frame by reaching base on a hit by pitch. After a wild pitch and a sacrifice bunt to move Seeger over to third, Narde walked to give the home team runners on the corners with one out. The Brown and White would then hit three straight RBI singles to make the score 3-0. Grab was then taken out of the game to be replaced by senior Katie Gleiser. Sophomore Samantha Rajski would cap the Bonnies scoring in the frame with an RBI groundout off of Gleiser to make the score 4-0.
The St. Bonaventure bats would keep the momentum going throughout the contest, scoring two runs in the third, one in the fourth and a final run in the fifth inning to make the score 8-0. The final run put the mercy rule into effect, which is put into action when a team is up by eight runs on its opponent after five innings.
Nargi went the distance for the Brown and White in the second game allowing just two hits while striking out nine in the win.
Pazda had the biggest day of all the St. Bonaventure hitters going 3-for-5 with four RBI's and two runs scored on the afternoon.
St. Bonaventure will be back in action on Saturday, April 18, when it continues Atlantic 10 play with a doubleheader against Charlotte. The first game of the series is set to start at 12:00 p.m. at McGraw Jennings Field.
