March 25, 2007
Rider 6, Lafayette 5 (9 inn.)
Monmouth 9, Lafayette 2
LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. (www.lafayette.edu) - Rider outlasted Lafayette for a 6-5 victory in nine innings, and Monmouth pounded out 14 hits in a 9-2 win to hand the Leopards a pair of losses in non-league softball on Sunday.
The lead changed hands three times in the opener before Lafayette rallied to score three runs in the seventh to tie the game at 5-5 and force extra innings. In the eighth inning, using the international tiebreaker, the Leopards failed to advance their runner, while Rider stranded its runner at third after a sacrifice bunt to open the frame.
Rider got out of trouble in the top of the ninth, then used a bunt single by Tiffany Day-Neutill to open the bottom half. Derrin Minunni followed with a single that scored Megan Kozlowski and won the game for the Broncs.
Rider opened the bottom of the first by loading the bases, but starter Megan Averbuch limited the Broncs to just one run, getting a force out at home before yielding a sacrifice fly.
Lafayette returned the favor in the top of the third, loading the bases with nobody out, and cashed in as pinch runner Emma Kline scored after Kristen Ruckno grounded into a fielders choice. The Leopards went ahead 2-1 in the fourth when Averbuch scored on an error by the shortstop following a single by Robyn Matchett.
Minunni tied the score at 2-2 in the fifth with a single that plated Ashley Boulden, who reached on a leadoff walk. Rider scored three runs in the sixth to take a 5-2 lead with a trio of run-scoring hits. Boulden had an RBI double, while Megan Kozlowski and Tiffany Day-Neutill contributed RBI singles.
The Leopards loaded the bases to start the seventh with consecutive singles by Matchett, Kasey Karr and Jill Masterton. A sacrifice fly to center by Christina Giambrone plated the first run, and Ruckno reached on an error. Aimee Dassner drew a walk to score the next run, and after a force out at the plate, Allison LoBello drew a two-out, bases loaded walk that knotted the score at 5-5 and forced the extra frames.
In the second game of the day, Monmouth took control from the outset, putting up multiple runs in three of the first four innings. Masterton doubled to score Matchett in the first, and Dassner drew her second RBI walk of the day in the sixth to account for the Leopards' runs.
The top of the order did most of the damage for the Hawks, as leadoff hitter Lee Simonetti was 2-for-5 with a home run, and the third and fourth hitters combined to go 6-for-7 with five RBI and five runs scored. Nichole Alvarez was 3-for-4 and scored four runs, while Heather Gordon drove in five runs and was 3-for-3 at the plate.
Karr took the loss in both games for the Leopards, entering in relief of Averbuch in the sixth inning vs. Rider and starting the second game against Monmouth.
Lafayette will return to action this weekend with a four-game set at Bucknell to start Patriot League play. The first pitch on Saturday is scheduled for 1 p.m.
