The softball team split its doubleheader against Marist College on Saturday at home, winning the first game in 10 innings 5-4, and dropping the second game, 4-3.
Game two was a tight game that went down to the last out, but in the end saw the Red Foxes squeak out the win as the Pirates fell one hit short of at least tying the game up. Sophomore pitcher Casey Moses (0-4) picked up the loss.
After three scoreless innings from both sides, Marist kicked off the scoring with a two-run homerun in the fourth inning. In the bottom half of the fourth, the Pirates answered back when sophomore Colltey Sheldon drove in Maria DeLuca on an RBI double.
Marist then extended their lead to 4-1 the following inning on a two-RBI base hit. Seton Hall cut the deficit by a run in the sixth off a sophomore Danielle DeStaso solo homerun, her team leading sixth of the year.
The seventh and final inning was a dramatic one when DeStaso hit an infield single with the bases loaded that drove in an RBI to make it 4-3 with only one out. Another infield groundball resulted in Meredith Henze being thrown out at home for the second out. The game ended on a screaming line drive off the bat of Alex Rabbetts to centerfield where the ball was caught mere inches from dropping in, ending the game.
"This team has fight," head coach Paige Smith said. "They don't go down easy. We're more comfortable when we're down than up."
Game one served as proof of their comfort, in a marathon game that involved a dramatic pitching duel and a late comeback.
Sophomore pitcher Danielle DeStaso was in top form, throwing five scoreless innings to start off the game before allowing a solo homerun in the sixth.
The home side answered back quickly in their half of the sixth inning when junior Maria DeLuca drove in freshman Yasmin Harrell on a mishandled base hit to right field, tying the game at 1-1.
DeStaso went on to pitch three more scoreless innings until Marist scored three runs on three hits in the top of the tenth inning, forcing Seton Hall to score at least three runs of their own if they wanted to extend the game.
The rally began with a Harrell single followed by another base hit from Hammer, which brought Harrell home and advanced Hammer to third base on an odd play along the base paths involving throwing errors.
DeStaso came up next fouled out to deep right which brought home Hammer, making it 4-3. DeLuca was hit by a pitch in the following at bat and Rabbetts blasted a double that drove DeLuca in, tying the game at 4-4.
Sheldon stepped up to deliver the game winning RBI single to left that drove in Rabbetts from second, to win the game in late dramatic fashion, 5-4.
"We were going into the last inning nice and relaxed," senior shortstop Brittany Hammer said. "We were even telling inside jokes. We kept our cool and got the win."
The game one win ended a three game losing streak for the Pirates and Danielle DeStaso (10-8) picked up the win in her 168 pitch outing.
The Pirates are back in action this week beginning Saturday as they begin a five-game home stand beginning with an important three game series against in conference rivals Pittsburgh, and a double header on Tuesday against Hofstra.
Christopher Orihuela can be reached at christopher.orihuela@student.shu.edu.
