April 25, 2007
Box Score
Game One Box
Staten Island, NY - The Wagner College softball team ran their winning streak to nine straight after a 10-2 (6) and 6-0 double header sweep of visiting Lafayette in non-league play at the Lower Athletic Field. Freshman Kate Eshelman (Reno, NV / McQueen), tossed her second straight shutout and seventh of the season in game two which improved Wagner to 21-15 on the year. Lafayette fell to 19-19 with the losses.
After the offense put up 10 runs in support of senior Morgan Miller's (Las Vegas, NV / Silverado) four hitter in game one, Eshelman took control in the circle, allowing six hits and striking out three in the night cap. Both pitchers improved to 9-6 on the year with their wins.
Lafayette took the lead first in game one with a two run second inning. After a strike out started the at bat, a single, an error and two walks brought in the first run before another single through the left side by Jill Masterson made it 2-0. The Seahawks avoided father trouble however as a 6-2 groundout and a liner to short ended the inning.
The Seahawks batted around in the third inning, scoring five runs on three hits and three walks. A hard hit single down the left field line by sophomore Andrea Lazzari (Reno, NV /Wooster) brought in the first runner before a bases loaded two run double from junior Ami Iwicki (Flemington, NJ / Hunterdon Central). Also bringing in two runs in the stanza was senior Christina Hopkins (Edison, NJ / Edison), who dropped a two out single into center that put Wagner ahead 5-2.
In the fifth inning, the Seahawks extended the lead to 7-2 with a pair of solo home runs, Reno, Nevada style. Eshelman, a McQueen High School product lead off with a solo shot to right center, her third of the year, then junior Katie Stevens (Reno, NV / Wooster) made it back-to-back with her sixth homer of the season.
Wagner put the game away in the sixth inning scoring three more runs to enforce the 8-run mercy rule. Junior Victoria Batistelli (Huntington Beach, CA / Huntington Beach) scored Eshelman (walk) with a sacrifice fly to center in front of a RBI single up the middle by sophomore Jaclyn Vanore (Palisades Park, NJ / Paramus Catholic), that brought Stevens (infield single) home. Iwicki kept the inning going with a sharp single past third base before Miller helped her cause ending the game dropping a single in front of the right fielder.
The senior pitcher allowed just one earned run on four hits with three strikeouts. Megan Averbuch (7-8) took the loss for the Leopards. Masterton had two of the hits and three for the afternoon.
The runs continued for Wagner in game two as they took a 1-0 in the first inning. Hopkins led off with a single to right and advanced to third on a sacrifice and a wild pitch. A ground out to short by Stevens scored Hopkins as the Seahawks moved the scoreboard first.
A quite three innings ensued until the vaulted Seahawks offense awoke again in the fifth. Iwicki, who ranks 12th in the country in doubles per game, started things off with her team leading 14th double of the year and jetted home when freshman Lacey Santone (S. Plainfield, NJ / S. Plainfield) doubled herself down the right field line. A RBI groundout by Eshelman brought in Santone after a sacrifice from Hopkins. Stevens singled to left to keep the at bat going before Lazzari extended her streak to seven consecutive games with a RBI, hitting a double into left for a 4-0 lead.
A leadoff triple from Vanore and a RBI single into right from junior Margaret Gallia (Las Vegas, NV / Community College HS) extend the lead to 5-0 in the sixth. Hopkins then laced a double down the right field line to score Gallia as Wagner held a 6-0 advantage. Kasey Karr (10-9) was tagged with the loss for Lafayette.
Iwicki led everyone with four hits on the day, while Hopkins, Stevens and Lazzari had three each for Wagner.
Wagner hosts Manhattan in another non-league doubleheader at the Lower Athletic Field tomorrow.
Game 1 (6) R H E
Lafayette 2 4 0
Wagner 10 11 3
Game 2 R H E
Lafayette 0 6 0
Wagner 6 11 0
~wagnerathletics.com ~
