Blue Hen Softball Falls To Boston College, 3-2, and Binghamton, 8-0, on First Day of FGCU Tournament
February 17, 2012
• Delaware-Boston College Boxscore
• Binghamton-Delaware Boxscore
FORT MYERS, Fla. –The University of Delaware softball team fell to Boston College, 3-2, and to Binghamton, 8-0, on Friday as the Blue Hens opened play at the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament.
In the Blue Hens’ first game of the day, Boston College opened the scoring by pushing across three runs during the bottom of the third inning. Ali Lynette-Krech led off with a single into rightfield, and after she moved to third on a pair of wild pitches, she crossed the plate on a bunt single by Nicole D’Argento. Rene Delegrammaticas followed with a single to left, prompting a Blue Hen pitching change as Chenxi Jiao replaced Brianna Jennings in the circle for Delaware.
The Eagles then attempted a double steal, and both runners came around to score when the throw to third by Blue Hen catcher Gina Knutson was off the mark.
Delaware got on the board in the top of the fourth, as Jess Grisler led off with a triple to leftfield and scored one out later when Lara Andrews (at right) singled to left.
The Blue Hens looked to inch closer during the sixth inning when Grisler opened by reaching on an Eagles error and Michelle McKinnon followed with a double, but Grisler was thrown out at the plate by Boston College second baseman Andrea Filler. However Andrews then legged out a bunt single, driving home McKinnon to pull Delaware within a run.
UD attempted a final rally in the seventh when Marisa Newman singled to shortstop with one out, but D’Argento got Alicea Coy to bounce into a double play to end the game.
D’Argento picked up the victory after allowing two earned runs on five hits with five strikeouts for the Eagles, who were playing their season opener. Jennings gave up three runs, two earned, on five hits in two innings of work during her Blue Hen debut, while Jiao surrendered just two hits in four innings of scoreless relief.
Delaware, which dropped to 1-3 on the season following the pair of defeats, was scoreless through four innings with Binghamton during the Blue Hens’ second game of the day. However the Bearcats, who improved to 2-0, erupted for four runs in the top of the fifth to take control. Mikala King opened the frame by reaching second on a dropped fly ball by Blue Hen rightfielder Rachel Jones, and she immediately came around to score when Demi Laney followed by lacing an RBI double.
After a bunt single by Briana Andrews, UD pitcher Kathleen Conway retired Jessica Bump on a groundout, but Chelsey Locatell then blasted a three-run homer to rightcenter to put Binghamton up 4-0.
The Bearcats maintained their four-run cushion until the top of the seventh, when they added four insurance runs to put the game away. Binghamton had a runner on first with two outs when Jessica Phillips walked and Meghan Tucker delivered an RBI single to make it a 5-0 game. King then doubled home a pair with a shot to leftfield, while Laney followed with a run-scoring double to center to close the scoring.
Laney also went the distance in the circle for the Bearcats, scattering four hits and striking out eight to earn the shutout victory. Blue Hen starter Hannah Rust tossed 2.1 scoreless frames while allowing just three hits, while Conway took the loss after she gave up eight runs, seven earned, on 11 hits in 4.2 innings of relief.
Knutson (at left) led the Blue Hen attack with a pair of hits including a double, while McKinnon and Mary O’Reilly each added singles for Delaware.
The Blue Hens will look to bounce back on Saturday when they take on UT Martin at 1:30 p.m. and Florida Gulf Coast at 6 p.m. on the second day of the tournament.
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