Devils Salvage Split with Lightning

SeniorDayna Phillips had a total five hits on the day and Gina Murray and Courtney Spina combined for a three-hitter as the University of the Sciences women's softball team salvaged a split of their doubleheader with a 2-1 win against Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference rival Goldey-Beacom College  Thursday afternoon at Churchman Field in Wilmington, Delaware.

The Devils had lost the opener 1-0 before taking the nightcap.  With the split Sciences record is now 7-21 overall and 5-9 in CACC games.   Goldey Beacom is now 14-10 overall and 5-7 in league play.

Phillips had three of the Devils four hits in their 1-0 opening game loss and added two in the second game.  Her five-hit effort moves her closer to becoming the Devils all-time hit leader as she becomes just the third softball player in program history to record 150 or more career hits with all-time leader Sarina Lavooy sitting on top with 165.  Phillips now has 151.

It was Phillips first hit of the second game, a two-out single in the third inning that provided the impetus for the Devils first run.  Janelle Rodriguez and Erin Summers followed with singles with Summers hit to left field pushing Phillips across home plate and giving the Devils a 1-0 lead. 

The Lightning tied the game at 1-1 when Michelle Foster scored on a passed ball by Summers.  The scored remained tied until the top half of the fifth when Samantha Shaver led off for the Devils and legged out a bunt single.  Courtney Corcoran sacrificed her to second and Phillips singled to move Shaver to third.  Having runners at the corners presented the opportunity to steal a run  and they Devils did just that – Phillips stole second as Lightning catcher Erin Poffenberger, in an attempt to keep the run from scoring made an errant throw back to the mound instead of second base, allowing Shaver to score the eventual winning run.  Spina came on to pitch the last two innings, getting the Lightning out in order in the sixth before pitching out of a bases loaded jam in the seventh to preserve the win and earn her first career save.

Murray earned her first win of the season, upping her record to 1-4.  The senior right-hander pitched five innings, allowing just two hits while walking one and striking out three.

In the opener, Julie Shaw pitched seven scoreless innings before the Lightning scored the only run of the game in the bottom of the eighth on a walk-off single by Roni Peters.  Julie finished the game, allowing just the one run on five hits, all singles and fell to 2-8 on the season with the loss.  Phillips had three of the four Devils hits, including a double to start the game.  Rodriguez provided the only other hit of the game for USciences, a double in the seventh inning.   

The Devils return to action on Friday, April 15, 2011 when they travel north to take on Caldwell College in a CACC doubleheader in Caldwell, New Jersey.