 |
March 30, 2007 Box Score (Game 1) | Box Score (Game 2) WELLESLEY PARK, Mass. - First-year Danielle Liska fired a two-hit shutout in game one and classmate Michelle Bolduc singled in the game-winning run in the eighth inning of game two as the Babson College softball team recorded a doubleheader sweep of NEWMAC rival Wellesley College on Friday afternoon. With the two wins, the Beavers improved to 10-7-1 overall and 2-0 in the conference, while Wellesley slipped to 7-6 overall and 0-2 in the NEWMAC. Liska was magnficient in the opener, as she retired 21 of the 23 batters she faced on just 72 pitches. The only two hits she allowed came to Wellesley pitcher Jenna Harvey, who singled to left in the first and singled to short in the fourth. However, those would be the only baserunners for the Blue, as Liska struck out eight to claim her fourth win in six decisions. The only run of game one game in the top of the second, when Babson senior tri-captain Alex Lazar ripped a triple to right center field and scored on a passed ball. The Beavers would threaten in four of the final five innings, but Harvey would pitcher her way out of trouble each time. For the game, the Wellesley ace surrendered just the one unearned run on three hits and four walks while fanning 13. Lazar had two of the Babson hits - the second being a single to left in the sixth, while senior tri-captain Andrea Cartullo lined an infield single off Harvey's glove in the third. Game two featured another great pitching duel between Babson senior Stacy Schlicht and Wellesley's Kristie Gola. The Blue took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second when Megan Wood singled with one out, moved to second on a walk, and came all the way around to score on a throwing error on Ashley Bulseco's bunt attempt. Babson then tied it in the top of the third, as Cartullo singled up the middle, stole second, took third on a passed ball, and scored on an error.
Wellesley regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth, when Bulseco led off with a single to left and later stole second with one out. After a fielding error pushed her to third, she scored on a successful squeeze play by Ilana Orloff. The threat continued with runners on second and third with only one out, but Schlicht beared down to get the next two hitters to avoid further damage. After mustering just three hits through the first six innings, the Babson bats came alive in the top of the seventh. First-year Brittney Russo recorded a pinch-hit single up the middle to start the rally, and Cartullo moved her to second with a groundout back to the mound. Sophomore Courtney Thurston then beat out an infield hit to third to put runners on the corners, and on the next pitch she stole second to put runners on second and third with only one out. Wellesley caught a huge break when a botched squeeze attempt led to the second out of the inning, but Thurston alertly took third on the play. Senior tri-captain Darcy Lantz then came up with the Beavers' biggest hit of the afternoon, as she laced an RBI triple just inside the foul line in right to tie the contest at 2-2. After Schlicht tossed a scoreless seventh to force extra innings, Babson sophomore Kaitlyn Clark laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move Lazar to third. Bolduc then ripped a single through the hole on the right side, scoring Lazar with the go-ahead run. An error to start the bottom of the eighth put runners on the corners for Wellesley, but the Beavers followed with a great defensive play to cut down a runner at the plate. Kara Wong attempted to squeeze in the tying run with no outs, but Clark barehanded the ball and shoveled it to senior catcher Sarah Rubino, who put the tag on a charging Orloff for the inning's first out. Rightfielder Bolduc then caught a liner off the bat of Alex Warren for the second out, and Schlicht finished off the thrilling comeback win with her fifth strikeout of the game. Schlicht (4-2) went eight innings in the win, giving up two runs - one earned - on three hits and a walk. Gola was also outstanding for Wellesley, allowing just one earned run on seven hits, walking two and striking out nine. Cartullo was the only player with multiple hits in the game, as she finished 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. |
 |
|
|
