April 28, 2004
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. (www.lafayette.edu) - Lafayette's softball team closed the book on the 2004 season by splitting a non-league doubleheader at Manhattan on Wednesday. The Jaspers took an 8-0 win in the opener, while Lafayette's 3-2 win in game two was the squad's 10th of the season, marking the first time since 1997 that Lafayette has reached double figures in the win column.
The Leopards (10-32) jumped to a quick 2-0 lead in the nightcap. Laura Schrager and Tara Martinho led off the game with back-to-back singles, then both advanced a base on a passed ball. Jill Masterton made it three straight singles, scoring Schrager from third, while a two-out knock by Lauren Belowich brought Martinho in with the second marker.
Masterton, who was 2-for-2 with a pair of walks in game two, led off the third with a single, advanced to second on Megan Longo's walk, stole third and scored on Erin Pawlak's sacrifice bunt to stretch the lead to 3-0.
Manhattan (13-24) got a run back in the bottom of the third when Erika Kostik's sacrifice fly scored Margaret LaFex. The Jaspers then took advantage of a pair of Leopard errors to draw within a run in the fourth. Michelle Gutierrez led off with a single and advanced to second on an error, then moved to third via a wild pitch. Two batters later, Kaitlin Vinciguerra reached on an error that also allowed Gutierrez to score.
Megan Averbuch, who took the loss in game one, came on in relief in the fifth inning of game two and promptly pitched herself both into and out of a jam. After issuing a pair of walks and a base hit to load the sacks with one out, Averbuch recorded a strike out and induced a fly out to end the inning.
The Jaspers again put two on in the seventh, but Averbuch left them stranded to end the game.
Belowich threw four innings, allowing just two unearned runs on five hits, to collect the win. Averbuch allowed two hits and struck out three over the final three innings for her first career save.
Manhattan scored three runs in each of the first two innings en route to an 8-0 win in the opener. Kiera Fox cracked a three-run homer in the first inning, while Kristin Gelsleichter held the Leopards to just one hit, a lead-off single by Martinho in the fourth.
Averbuch's five strikeouts on Wednesday give her a total of 96 for the season. She finishes just two off the school record of 98, set last year by Belowich during her freshman campaign.
