After walking off to salvage the second half of its doubleheader on Friday, the Seton Hall softball team pulled off yet another walk-off win on Saturday against Providence, 3-2, at Mike Sheppard Sr. Field.
The walk-off came courtesy of freshman Janae Barracato (insert link to feature article), who stepped to the plate in the bottom of the seventh, with teammate Baylee Allender on third and two outs on the board.
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Sean Barry/Staff Photographer[/caption]
“I wanted to get another win for us,” Barracato said of the game-winning hit.
Reganne Camp took the mound for the second straight day after pitching six innings in the first game of the Pirates’ doubleheader on Friday. She faced 33 batters in her seven innings of work, allowing two runs and eight hits, while striking out three. Camp was given the win for her performance, improving her season record to 7-6.
Seton Hall head coach Paige Smith spoke highly of Camp’s performance after the game.
“It is amazing, because that is, like, who she is,” Smith said. “She would take the ball every pitch, every inning; as a matter of fact, yesterday she wanted to know why she came out. There is not enough you can say about a workhorse like Reganne.”
The second inning was a challenge for Seton Hall, as Providence reached first base on a grounded hit, and an error by the Pirates allowed the Friars to advance to third base.
With two players on base for Providence and zero outs, the pressure was put on the Hall. Needing a big play, Alexis Walkden caught a pop fly near third base and swiftly threw to first baseman Baylee Allender to complete a game-changing double play. The Pirates escaped the top of the inning with no runs on the board.
The top of third inning exposed more problems in the Pirates’ defense, as Walkden overthrew to first base, allowing Providence to reach base. On the next play, Camp fumbled a ball hit to the mound, which gave Providence the opportunity to have players advance to first and second base. However, with bases loaded, things started to click for the Pirates’ defense. A fielder’s choice at home and an out at third helped the Pirates escape with no damage done.
With the game still scoreless, the Pirates came to life offensively in the bottom of the fifth. After Emily Supercynski was walked, Allender singled to left field. With runners on first and second, Alyssa Prukop came up to pinch hit, and doubled to left field, propelling both Supercynski and Allender home.
The Pirates had grabbed a 2-0 lead, but, Providence got on the board in the sixth with a two-run home run by Mackensie Compton.
With extra innings looming in the bottom of the seventh, Barracato provided the winning-single that Seton Hall needed to secure its second straight walk-off win.
“If every inning was like the seventh inning for our team, we would be eight-run-ruling teams,” Smith said. “So, I think it says a lot about how they play for each other.”
With the win, Seton Hall improves its record to 17-22 and 3-6 in Big East play. Smith hopes the win can help spark some mid-season momentum, as the team travels to Hofstra on Tuesday, April 10, before starting a series against St. John’s on Saturday, April 14.
Brittany Tomore can be reached at brittany.tomore@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @BrittTomore.
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