Corcoran’s Home Run Secures Split for Devils

Freshman Courtney Corcoran delivered a two-run home run in the seventh inning as the University of the Sciences women's softball team rallied to defeat West Chester University 4-3 in game two of Monday's doubleheader in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

The win gave the Devils a split of the two-game set, having dropped the opener 3-1.  USciences improves to 2-16 overall while West Chester falls to 16-12.  The win also snaps a 16-game losing streak for the Devils and was their first against the Golden Rams since the 1992 season.  Sciences has a 4-13 all-time mark against West Chester after the two games.

Corcoran's blast, just the third by a Devils player this season came with nobody out in the top half of the seventh inning.  Gabrielle Adams led off with a double to bring up Corocoran in a sacrifice situation.  After failing to get a bunt down twice and running the count to 2-2, Corcoran took a pitch from Golden Rams hurler Kim Murl and sent it flying over the left centerfield fence for her first home run of her collegiate career and a 4-3 Devils lead.  In the bottom half of the inning, Devils pitcher Courtney Spina retired the Golden Rams in order to earn her second win of the season. 

Spina gave up seven hits and allowed three runs (one earned) while striking out six in a complete game effort.

The Devils jumped out to a 2-0 lead in their first at-bat as Erin Summers delivered a two-out double to right center to score Kerrianne Jones and Haley Kavelak both of whom had reached base on singles.  The Golden Rams got the two back in the bottom of the third on a home run by Megan Kelly and then added another on an infield error to even the score at 2-2.  Another Devils error in the bottom half of the sixth inning produced the third WCU run with just one out.  The Golden Rams could have blown the game open but Spina got a big strikeout of Erin MacNamee and a flyout by Jessica Norris to leave three runners stranded on base as the Devils came up for their final time and Corcoran delivered her game-winner.

In the opener, West Chester's Devon Utterback  held the Devils hitless through five innings and gave up just two hits the rest of the way as they pulled out a 3-1 win. West Chester scored all three of their runs in the third as MacNamee drove in the first two with a single and Norris followed with a single to score MacNamee.    Sciences got their lone run in the sixth when Corcoran drew a two-out walk and Kavelak and SamanthaLou Anastasio hit back-to-back singles, plating Corcoran and making the score 3-1.

Gina Murray took the loss for the Devils, pitching four innings and allowing six hits and three runs while striking out two.

The Devils return to action on Friday, April 1, 2011 when they host Holy Family University in a CACC doubleheader at McNeil Field.  First pitch is set for 3:00 p.m.