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For Immediate Release: March 28, 2002 Contact: John Hartrick Softball wins six of seven games in Orlando Bearcats on roll heading into America East opener | ||||
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The softball team made quick work of its opponents at the Rebel Spring Games, winning six of seven games to improve to 12-7 overall. Coach Holly Brown’s squad has now won eight of its last 10 games heading into its America East opening series with Hartford this Friday and Saturday on the East Gym field.
Led by senior pitcher Margaret Yerdon, BU outscored its Orlando opponents 45-18. Yerdon went 3-0 with a 0.78 earned run average. She struck out 25 batters in 23 innings, and walked only three. In addition, Yerdon excelled at the plate, batting .400 in the seven games. “She’s in her groove,” Brown said about her staff ace who red-shirted last season with a forearm injury. “It just took a little while to get back into it. She had the hitters off-balance. The screwball was working, and she was throwing the change-up and had them fooled a lot.” Sophomore catcher Jessica Chellis led the team with a .438 average and seven RBI. Chellis hit two home runs and maintained an .813 slugging percentage. Freshman designated player Samantha Todd batted .421 with seven RBI. Binghamton opened play with a pair of wins over Wisconsin-Green Bay (4-3) and Siena (8-4). Against Green Bay, Chellis went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI, and Yerdon notched the win by allowing just one earned run in six innings. Trailing 2-0, Chellis’ two-run single highlighted a four-run third-inning for the Bearcats. Against Siena, BU collected 14 hits and broke open a 4-4 game with four decisive runs in the sixth inning. Chellis went 2-for-4 with three RBI and Yerdon was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Junior Mary Karen Wheat pitched a complete game, striking out eight for the win. On the day, Chellis went 4-for-7 with five RBI. The Bearcats split two games the following day, defeating Maryland-Eastern Shore, 10-0, in a five-inning game before falling to Jacksonville State (Ala.), 7-1. In the first game, the Bearcats erupted for nine runs in the first inning and cruised to the win. Todd delivered a two-run double and an RBI single in the inning and wound up 3-for-3 with three RBI for the game. Freshman second baseman Marybeth Yerdon and senior outfielder Kim Gruber drove in two runs apiece. Against Jacksonville State, each team had seven hits but Binghamton committed three costly errors. Freshman catcher Marisa DeStasio went 2-for-4 and junior third baseman Jen Richardson drove in BU’s lone run. On Monday, BU posted two wins — the second in two days against Maryland-Eastern Shore (10-4) and a 2-0 shutout of Niagara. In the first game, Binghamton scored six runs in the first two innings and benefitted from five Eastern Shore errors. After BU’s lead was cut to 6-4 in the fifth inning, Richardson drilled a three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to extend the lead. Back in the five-run second inning, DeStasio ripped a two-run double, and Todd went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Against Niagara, Yerdon fired a three-hit shutout with six strikeouts and only one walk, and BU plated single runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Sophomore outfielder Leigh Ann Savidge delivered a two-out RBI single in the fifth inning. On the final day of the trip, Binghamton rode the pitching of Yerdon to beat Siena 10-0. Yerdon tossed a three-hit shutout, striking out eight before the game was halted after five innings due to the mercy rule. Offensively, BU scored seven runs in the third inning to break open the game. Todd ripped a three-run home run, and Chellis added a two-run shot. Junior shortstop Melissa Lavin also collected two RBI. The Bearcats had their final scheduled game — against Iona — rained out. | ||||
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