March 15, 2007
Box Score
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (www.lafayette.edu) - Lafayette used a pair of outstanding pitching performances to sweep Rebel Spring Games action on Thursday, defeating Wisconsin-Green Bay 2-1 in nine innings, and then outslugging Dayton 11-8 in the afternoon session. The Leopards improve to 5-3 on their annual spring break trip with two games remaining on Friday.
In the opener, Megan Averbuch and Anna Bluemel matched zeroes through the first seven innings to extend the game beyond regulation. Wisc.-GB plated its runner from second (using the international tiebreaker) with a sacrifice bunt and an error, but the Leopards matched the run in the bottom of the inning. Jill Masterton advanced Robyn Matchett to third with a sacrifice bunt, and Kasey Karr drove a single to plate the run.
Lafayette was able to hold the Phoenix scoreless in the top of the ninth and won it in the bottom half. Kristen Ruckno moved up on a single by Christina Giambrone, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Sarah Price to give the Leopards the walk-off victory. Averbuch evened her season record at 2-2 with the victory.
Against Dayton, freshman Aimee Dassner came up with the clutch outing in the circle after the Flyers knocked Karr out of the game early. Ruckno hit a home run to give Lafayette a 3-0 lead in the first, but Dayton answered with five runs on five hits, two walks and a hit batter.
Dassner relieved Karr with two outs in the inning and went the rest of the way, striking out six in 6 1/3 innings to earn her first career victory.
Lafayette scored four in the second to go ahead 7-5, as Giambrone had a two-run double and Price and Dassner both plated runs with base hits. A run-scoring single by Dassner extended the lead to 8-5 in the third before Dayton leveled the score at 8-all with three unearned runs in the bottom of the frame.
Masterton provided the game-winning hit in the fifth with a two-run double, and came around to score on a single by Ruckno. Dassner didn't allow a run over the final four innings to secure the win.
Masterton was 4-of-5 and scored three runs in the second game for Lafayette, while Ruckno was 2-for-5, including her three-run homer in the first inning. Ruckno entered her junior year as Lafayette's career leader with 16 home runs.
