St. John's University Athletics
SOFTBALL SWEEPS DOUBLEHEADER OVER YALE
3/20/2001 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The Red Storm snapped a three-game losing streak with the sweep and improve to 12-15 overall. Yale falls to 7-5.
In the first game of the twinbill the Red Storm got on the board first, pushing across a run in the first inning. Alesha Argeras (Warren, Ohio/Matthews) drew a walk to lead off the game and got into scoring position after stealing second. After Lisa Tropea (Oceanside, N.Y./Oceanside) struck out, Argeras advanced to third on a throwing error by the shortstop. With Ann Raab (Freehold, N.J./Allentown) on first and Argeras at third, the Red Storm successfully executed a double steal as the Bulldogs threw out Raab at second, allowing Argeras to score, giving the Red Storm the early 1-0 lead.
With two outs in the third inning, Argeras cranked a solo homerun to right field on the first pitch she saw. That would be all the support Calabrese would need as she shut the Bulldogs down, allowing only three baserunners the entire game. Calabrese struck out two batters in earning her second shutout of the season.
In the nightcap, Yale got to pitcher Courtney Fitzgerald (Bellerose, N.Y./Mary Louis Academy) early on, as Monica Lebron lined a single passed second base on the first pitch she saw. Alice Liu sacrificed Lebron to second but not before Jesseka Batholomew laced a drive all the way to the left-centerfield fence, driving in Lebron for the early 1-0 advantage. In the top half of the second inning, the Red Storm knotted the score at 1-1. Kelly Houghton (Millsboro, Del./Briarcliffe) singled with one out and was sacrificed to second by Jessica Shepherd (Akron, Ohio/Ellet). Brown then doubled to right to plate Houghton.
The Bulldogs rallied for two runs in the bottom of the third. Lebron led off the inning with a walk. Fitzgerald got ahead of Liu at 0-2 but not before Liu ripped a run-scoring triple to centerfield. The next batter Bartholomew singled to right-field to score Liu, as the Bulldogs assumed a 3-1 lead.
The Red Storm got one back in the top of the fourth and threatened to break the game wide open. Raab led of the inning with a double to left. Tiffany Howerton (Escondido, Calif./Escondido) singled past the third baseman, but Raab held up at third. Houghton doubled to center to score Raab and then Shepherd singled to load the bases. Bulldog pitcher Shayna Filson worked out of the bases-loaded no-out jam by getting the next two batters, Brown and Amy Crook (Belleville, N.Y./Belleville East), to ground out to the second baseman as the Bulldogs were able to nail both Red Storm runners at the plate. Jessica Dima (Staten Island, N.Y./Port Richmond) flied out to center to end the rally, but not before the Red Storm cut the lead to 3-2.
In the top of the sixth the Red Storm evened things up at 3-3 with some clutch hitting. Houghton cranked out her third straight basehit of the game, a double to left. This forced the Bulldogs to bring in a new pitcher, Jillian Miles. After Shepherd grounded out to second, Brown worked the count full and fouled off several pitches before drilling a run-scoring single into right that hit the first-base bag, tying the score at 3-3.Neither team was able to push across a run in the seventh inning, forcing extra innings. In the top of the eighth, Houghton, who made the last out of the seventh, was stationed at second base. Shepherd sacrificed her over to third on a bunt back to the mound. Brown stepped to the plate and after looking at the first two pitches, launched the third pitch she saw over the right-field fence and into the setting sun for her first homerun of her Red Storm career, putting the Red Storm up 5-3. In the bottom half of the eighth, the Bulldogs placed Lebron on second. Fitzgerald retired the side in order on a strikeout and a pair of groundouts to pick up her fifth victory of the season. Fitzgerald fanned four batters and walked just two.
The Red Storm return to action on Saturday March 24 when they travel to Manhattan College for a 1:00 doubleheader.
