March 17, 2008
Stats
Orlando, FL - The Wagner College softball squad was defeated twice today at the Rebel Games at the Fortune Road Complex, both in heartbreaking fashion. In the first game they came up one-run short to Rider University, 5-4 while in the second they gave up a one-run lead going into the last half inning and ended up losing by two in extra innings, 6-4. They now move to 2-8 overall on the young season.
In the first game it was a two-run single up the middle off freshman pitcher Heather Ochoa (Los Angeles, CA/Notre Dame) - who came into relieve sophomore starter Danielle Wagoner (Temecula, CA/Temecula Valley) with the bases loaded and two outs - in the bottom of the sixth inning that proved enough for the Broncos in the end to solidify the win after the Green & White had gone into the stanza leading 4-2.
In the next inning, the top of the seventh, the Seahawks were unable to knot up the score after senior catcher Victoria Batistelli (Huntington Beach, CA/Huntington Beach) lead off with a single to left field. Junior outfielder Cindy Bagnoli (Old Tappan, NJ/Old Tappan) pinch-ran for her, but was ultimately stranded at third base when senior Margaret Gallia (Las Vegas, NV/Community College HS) pinch-hit for freshman first baseman Christina Pinkus (Cohasset, MA/Cohasset) and grounded out to third base.
Wagner originally took the lead trailing 2-1 in the top of the fifth when Batistelli singled in a run and then junior designated player Jaclyn Vanore (Palisades Park, NJ/Paramus Catholic) followed suit with a double to left that drove in another couple of tallies.
Wagoner was saddled with the loss, dropping to 1-2 overall on the season after going five and a third-innings, giving up nine hits, five runs (three earned), walking four and striking out four.
Rider hurler Samantha Bennett got credit for the victory. It was her first of the season.
In the second game of the afternoon it was much of the same pressure cooker-type environment.
With Wagner ahead by a run needing only three outs to claim the win in the top of the seventh inning the Dayton Flyers (6-8) staged a comeback to tie it up by taking advantage of a one-out error, driving in the runner with a double to center that was almost hauled in by freshman outfielder Emily Pierce (Phoenix, AZ/Desert Vista).
In the bottom of the inning the Seahawks couldn't get across a run and it was onto extra frames. Due to time constraints in the Rebel Games format the "International Tie-Breaker Rule" was put in place which automatically plants a runner on second base for the team at bat before the inning even begins.
With the runner in place in scoring position Dayton singled to centerfielder which drove in the run after a sacrifice bunt moved the player from second to third. Then, after another sacrifice put a runner on second the Flyers got another RBI single which gave them a two-run cushion heading into the last of the eighth - the Seahawks final shot at bat in the game.
Unfortunately for the Green & White faithful the they were unable to produce anything to match the Flyers with no runs, no hits, and one left on base (the international tie-break runner at second) to finish out the game.
Despite the tough loss a few bright spots were obvious, particularly the moxie that freshman hurler Heather Ochoa displayed by getting out of a tight runners on second-and-third situation with no outs in the top of the fourth upon relieving Wagner junior starter Kasey Kraft (Redding, CA/Foothill) who left the game after walking six and giving up three earned runs in three innings of work.
Ochoa first induced a ground ball to second baseman Andrea Lazzari (Reno, NV/Wooster) who gunned a throw home to Batistelli who applied the tag and blocked the plate. Then, Ochoa did some fielding of her own and got the out at home once again for the second of the inning. She got out of the jam completely by getting the last batter to fly out to center.
Also, Lazzari belted her team-leading second homerun of the season (both coming at the Rebel Games) to right field in the bottom of the third to put the Seahawks within one run, 3-2, at the time.
Due to the international tie-break rule and the runner at second being the decisive winning-run Ochoa was not pegged with the loss. In five innings of relief she gave up five hits, an earned run without giving up a walk and striking out three.
The Seahawks now look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon with another double-dip at 3 and 5 p.m. They'll take on Army first and then tangle in a New York City-area bragging rights battle with Iona College in the nightcap.
