Blue Hens Drop Games To Notre Dame, Central Florida on Second Day of UCF/Courtyard by Marriott Invitational
February 19, 2011
photos courtesy of Mark Campbell
Delaware vs. Notre Dame Boxscore
Delaware vs. Central Florida Boxscore
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The University of Delaware softball team fell to Notre Dame, 11-1 in five innings, and to Central Florida, 4-1, on Saturday at the UCF Softball Complex during the second day of the UCF/Courtyard by Marriott Invitational.
The Irish (4-0) took control during the Blue Hens’ first game of the day by scoring seven runs during the bottom of the first inning. Heather Johnson opened the scoring with a two-run single off Delaware starting pitcher Hannah Rust, while Brianna Jorgensborg was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to make it a 3-0 game. Amy Buntin then singled up the middle to drive home a run, while Kathryn Lux hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield to put Notre Dame up five.
Alexa Maldonado capped the rally by tripling to rightcenter to drive home two more, before Kathleen Conway replaced Rust in the circle for the Blue Hens.
Conway would settle things down by retiring the only batter she faced in the first before throwing a scoreless second inning, but Buntin led off the bottom of the third by drilling a home run to leftcenter. Johnson added a sacrifice fly while Dani Miller drilled a two-run single in the frame as the Irish extended the lead to 11-0.
The Blue Hens (0-4) would get on the board in the fifth when Rachel Jones was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, moved to second on a groundout by Michelle McKinnon, and scored on a single to rightfield by Bertie Lake (at right).
Irish starter Brittany O’Donnell won her first decision of the year after firing three hitless innings, while Shannon Kelly earned the save by allowing one run in the final two frames. Rust dropped to 0-1 for Delaware after giving up seven runs on six hits in two-thirds of an inning, while Conway was charged with four earned runs in 3.1 frames during her Blue Hen debut.
Delaware opened the scoring during its second game of the day by pushing across a run in the top of the first inning. Lara Andrews singled to center with one out, and after she moved to second on a two-out single to left by Michelle Grap, she crossed the plate when Gina Knutson (at left) drilled an RBI single to leftfield.
The Knights (3-6) would waste little time in knotting the contest, as Natalie Land led off the bottom of the first with a triple to rightcenter and scored when Tawny Swan followed with a sacrifice fly.
The Blue Hens looked to answer in the second when McKinnon singled, Samantha Pettie reached on a fielder’s choice and Jenny Richards singled to load the bases with one out. However Knights starter Diana Rojas got Andrews to bounce into an inning-ending double play to keep the game tied at 1-1.
Central Florida then took the lead for good in the second when Tiffany Lane was hit by a pitch, stole second, moved to third on a bunt single by Ashley Schmitt, and scored on a groundout by Vanessa Perez. The Knights added an insurance run in the third on a bases loaded single by Tiffany Lane and tacked on their fourth run on a bases loaded walk to Perez in the fifth.
The Blue Hens brought the tying run to the plate in the sixth after Grap walked and McKinnon singled to center, but UCF reliever Haley Douglas got Lake to ground out to second to escape the jam.
Rojas improved to 2-2 for the Knights after she gave up one run on six hits in five innings, while Douglas earned the save with two scoreless innings of relief. Delaware pitcher Amanda Stacevicz dropped to 0-2 after allowing four earned runs on 11 hits in six innings of work.
Delaware concludes play at the invitational on Sunday when the Blue Hens face Illinois-Chicago at 9 a.m.
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