photo courtesy of Mark Campbell

NEWARK, DE -- Dragons pitcher Katrina Gaudier threw a one-hit shutout as the Drexel University softball team salvaged the final game of the Colonial Athletic Association weekend series with a 10-0 victory over the University of Delaware Sunday afternoon.

The Dragons improved to 19-11 overall and 6-3 in the conference with the victory while the Blue Hens, who swept a doubleheader from Drexel on Saturday, fell to 16-14 overall and 3-6 in league play.

After Blue Hen starting pitcher Anne Marie Pagano got out of a jam in the top of the first Delaware had the bases loaded in the bottom of the inning on walks to Katie Lee (at right), Allison Borchers and Michelle Grap, but Grap was forced out at second when Cecile Egan bounced into a fielder’s choice.

Drexel took the lead in the top of the third inning when Sandi Wambold singled up the middle with two outs and Molly Dacey followed with a two-run home run to centerfield.

Amanda Hastings drilled an RBI double in the top of the fourth off UD relief pitcher Samantha Shawn, while Wambold added a run-scoring single to give the Dragons a 4-0 lead. Christina Rodriguez capped the rally with a two-run double to left as Drexel went ahead by six runs.

In the seventh Lisa Williams recorded an RBI single, Hastings added a two-run single, and Ashley Botelho hit a run-scoring sacrifice fly in a four-run inning for the Dragons that put the game away.

Gaudier walked five batters but allowed just a single to Lee in the fourth as she improved to 11-3 on the season and posted her second shutout of the year. Pagano dropped to 9-5 for the Blue Hens after allowing two runs on five hits while striking out two batters in the first 2.2 innings. Shawn gave up seven runs, six earned, on nine hits in 3.1 frames, while Michelle Kenney allowed one run on three hits in one inning of work.

Gaudier and Dacey each went 3 for 4 to lead a 17-hit Drexel attack, while four other Dragons added two hits apiece.

The Blue Hens return to action on Wednesday when Delaware travels to Rider for a 3 p.m. doubleheader with the Broncs.

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