Golden Falcons Sweep Devils

Errors and walks proved to be the undoing of the University of the Sciences women's softball team on Saturday as Felician College came to town and swept a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference doubleheader 6-3 and 5-2 at McNeil Field.

The two losses drop the Devils record to 1-15 overall and 0-4 in CACC games.   Felician improves to 4-10 overall and 2-0 in league play.  Sciences have now lost 15 straight games since winning their season opener over then-nationally ranked Lewis University.  It is their longest losing streak since dropping 18 in a row to end the 2006 season.

In the opener the Devils defense committed five errors, including two in the seventh inning as Felician scored four timers in their final at-bat to pull away with a 6-3 win. Courtney Spina allowed just three hits but fell victim to control problems in the final inning, walking three and hitting two batters to take the loss, falling to 1-7 on the season.  Spina struck out five, gave up six runs (only one earned) while walking a total of five batters.

Tori Bradburn earned the win for the Golden Falcons while Kristina Jimenez picked up the save.

SamanthaLou Anastasio got the Devils on the scoreboard in the first inning with an RBI single to center field to score Haley Kavelak, who drew a walk to start the inning.   Erin Summers tripled and scored on a wild pitch to make the score 2-0 in the third.   Felician evened the game at 2-2 with a pair of unearned runs in the top of the fourth before the Devils retook the lead in the bottom of the sixth.  Anastasio doubled to lead off the inning.  Gabrielle Adams singled and moved Samantha Shaver, who was running for Anastasio to third.  Shaver later scored on a wild pitch to make the score 3-2 Devils.

An infield error and a double by Kelli Ludwigsen started the floodgates as Felician proceeded to score four times in the inning to take a 6-3 lead.  Kavelak singled with one out and Summers doubled to put two runners in scoring position and bring the tying run to the plate with two out but Anastasio struck out looking to end the game.  Summers, Anastasio and Adams each had two hits for the Devils.

In the nightcap,Julie Shaw struggled through the first three innings, giving up five runs on seven hits while walking three as Felician jumped out to a 50 lead and hung on to win 5-2.  Shaw took the loss falling to 0-6 on the year.  Kristen Tenwolde picked up the win and Jimenez notched her second save of the day.  Gina Murray came on in relief of Shaw and pitched four scoreless innings.

Felician scored twice in the second and three more times in the third to take a 5-0 lead. Ludwigsen's double drove in the first run in the second inning  while a double by Tiffany Deeubol set the stage for the Golden Falcons three-run outburst in the third.

The Devils got a run back in the bottom of the third as Dayna Phillips walked to lead off the inning and was replaced by Adams at first on a fielder's choice.  A wild pitch and in infield groundout moved Adams to third where she scored on a hard single that was slowed down by the Felician pitcher Tenwolde but was beaten for an infield hit.  Janelle Rodriguez had a two-out single down the left field line to score Anastasio with the second Devils run in the bottom of the fifth.

Sciences had a final chance to score in the seventh as singles by Anastasio and Summers and a walk to Rodriguez loaded the bases with one out.  Spina however popped out to the third baseman and Murray struck out swinging to end the game.

Anastasio finished the game with three hits while Summers added two.

The Devils return to action on Monday, March 28, 2011 as they travel to West Chester University to take on the Golden Rams in a regional non-conference doubleheader.