South Orange, NJ – The beautiful weather on Saturday afternoon at Mike Sheppard Sr. Field did not translate into attractive play for the Seton Hall softball team, as the Pirates were swept in a double header by the Creighton Bluejays, 2-1 in the first game, and 12-4 in the second.
The first game featured Reganne Camp on the mound for the Pirates, with the sophomore going the distance for her team. Several times Camp pitched herself into sticky situations, but, every time she was able to dig herself out. However, despite the complete game, in which she had nine strikeouts and two un-earned runs, the Pirates fell 2-1, and Camp took the loss.
[caption id="attachment_22892" align="aligncenter" width="838"]
Renee Nunez/Staff Photographer[/caption]
The Bluejays struck early, in the first inning, as they took advantage of a Baylee Allender error to score Mileah McKelvy.
On the offensive side of the diamond, the Pirates could not find the run to even the score in the first three innings, despite a bases-loaded situation in the bottom of the first. With the Pirates offense tame, an additional run for the Bluejays in the fourth inning made for a two-run deficit that proved to be too big for the Pirates to erase. The Pirates lone run came in the seventh inning, courtesy of a Darby Pandolfo home run to left-center field.
Errors continued to befall the Pirates in the second game, as the fielding mistakes caused an unraveling in the top of the fifth inning. A base-hit by Ashley Cantu quickly turned into a triple, after the ball evaded the glove of Pandolfo in right field. This allowed two runs to score on the error, and put the Pirates at a disadvantage that would prove to be insurmountable with the run-ahead rule.
The offensive outpour for Creighton was not isolated to the fifth inning, as the Bluejays scoring started in the first inning. There, starter Madison Strunk allowed two runs, and she continued to allow hits in the second. Seven runs crossed home in the second inning, putting the Pirates at a 9-0 disadvantage after two innings.
Seton Hall did attempt a rally, and, was able to scratch four runs out in the bottom of the fourth inning, when Payton Beaver hit a two-run home run, followed by a two-run single by Alyssa Prukop. This was the only offense for the Pirates, though, with the three runs in the top of the fifth ending the game.
“We would like the whole team to step up,” Seton Hall head coach Paige Smith told reporters after the game. “It’s not just one person, everyone needs to get better."
The Pirates will be back in action tomorrow for the conclusion of Senior Weekend, as they will try to salvage the third game in their series against Creighton. The game will take place at 12 p.m., at Mike Sheppard Sr. Field.
Dalton Allison can be reached at Dalton.allison@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @DaltonAllison4.
Comments
