Blue Hens Defeat Towson, 3-1, Fall to Western Carolina, 2-0, on Second Day of Coastal Carolina Tournament
March 5, 2011
File Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell
• Towson-Delaware Boxscore
• Delaware-Western Carolina Boxscore
CONWAY, S.C. -- The University of Delaware softball team posted a 3-1 victory over CAA rival Towson before falling to Western Carolina, 2-0, Saturday afternoon on the second day of the Coastal Carolina Tournament.
In the Blue Hens' first game of the day, Delaware (3-8) opened the scoring in the bottom of the second when Amanda Stacevicz drilled a leadoff homer to center field, the fourth longball of her career. In the third Michelle McKinnon led off with a double down the right field line, and two outs later she came around to score when Michelle Grap legged out a bunt single.
Towson (6-7) got a run back in the top of the fourth, as Sammi DiPompo led off with a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Courtney Wittner. After Mickelle Oslin singled into right to put runners on the corners, Stacevicz took over in the circle for UD starting pitcher Hannah Rust. Haley Stueckler followed with an RBI single to left to make it a 2-1 game but Stacevicz then retired the next two Tiger batters to hold on to the lead, including an inning-ending strikeout of Bina Abbott.
Delaware immediately got the run right back in the bottom of the frame as Lara Andrews led off with a double to left, moved to third on a single up the middle by Stacevicz, and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Gina Knutson.
Stacevicz then allowed a leadoff single to Delanie Dunham in the fifth, but she would retire the final nine Towson batters to give the Blue Hens the victory. Stacevicz improved to 2-3 in the circle after allowing just two hits and striking out five in 3.2 innings of scoreless relief, while Rust was charged with one earned run on two hits in the first 3.1 frames.
Towson starter Katie Langmai dropped to 4-4 after giving up three earned runs on five hits in four innings, while reliever Paige Martin fired a pair of scoreless innings of relief for the Tigers.
Delaware then faced Western Carolina (11-6) for the second consecutive day, and the contest became a pitchers' duel between Blue Hen freshman Kathleen Conway and the Catamounts' Katie King.
Western Carolina's Haley Pace opened the scoring when she led off the bottom of the third by blasting a home run to left field to give the Catamounts the lead.
In the sixth the Catamounts added an insurance run without the benefit of a hit, as Jordan Fulton and Morgan Wyatt each walked with one out. After the runners each moved up a base on a passed ball, Fulton crossed the plate when Kelly Braman grounded out to shortstop.
That would be enough support for King, who fired a four-hit shutout to improve to 6-3 on the season. Andrews doubled in the first inning while Samantha Pettie singled in the third for the Blue Hens, but King worked out of trouble each frame. Delaware tried to rally a final time in the seventh when Stacevicz led off with a single to center field, but King retired the next three Blue Hens to end the game.
Conway, who entered the game having allowed 17 runs during her first three appearances, had a very strong outing for the Blue Hens despite getting charged with the loss and falling to 0-2. Conway gave up just two runs, one earned, on three hits while striking out nine batters in her most impressive performance of the young season.
Delaware wraps up play at the Coastal Carolina Tournament on Sunday with a 12 noon contest against the host Chanticleers.
