Devils Split with Holy Family

Mia Crotti drove in five runs and Megan Trimble hit her second home run of the season and scored four times as the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women's softball team salvaged a split with Holy Family University with an 11-6 win in the nightcap of this afternoon's Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference doubleheader at McNeill Field on the USP campus.

The win gave the Devils a split with the Tigers, who snapped USP's four game winning streak with a 6-3 win in the opener. USP improved to 8-14 overall and 5-5 in league play. Holy Family fell to 11-13 overall and 6-4 in league play. The 11-6 win was the Devils first victory over the Tigers since the 2001 season, a span of 11 games including today's opener.

Crotti (Fr., Valley View HS/Jessup, Pa.) went 3-for-4 in the nightcap with a triple and a double, driving in runs with all three of her hits. Mia also threw out two runners trying to steal and another trying to stretch a double to a triple. Trimble (Sr., Coatesville Area HS/Coatesville, Pa.) also had three hits, including a solo home run to straightaway centerfield and finished the game with two RBI. Sarina Lavooy (Sr., Vernon Township HS/Sussex, N.J.) and Brittany Ebersole (So., Cumberland Valley HS/Camp Hill, Pa.) had two hits apiece while Ashley Schappell (Sr., Parkland HS/ Schnecksville, Pa.) drove in two runs with a long single. Laura Flint (Sr., Interlake HS/Duvall, Wash.) got the complete game win, giving up 10 hits while striking out two and walking eight to improve her record to 5-5 on the season.

Sarah Marsteller went 4-for-4 with two RBI for the Tigers in the nightcap while Jennifer Eschemann had two hits and scored three times. Jamie Goffney also drove in two runs for Holy Family. Bridget Robinson took the loss, going 3 1/3 innings, giving up seven runs and eight hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

Crotti got the Devils on the board with a two-out triple in the first inning, scoring Lavooy and Trimble and giving USP a 2-0 lead. The Tigers came back with three runs in the top of the second as Eschemann walked, stole second and scored on Stephanie Kinnick's single. Goffney followed with a single to score Alison McBryar who also walked. Marsteller then singled to score Kinnick with the third Tiger run.

Holy Family took a 5-2 lead with two more runs in the third inning as the Tigers took advantage of four walks including a bases loaded pass to Goffney to bring in the first run. A single by Marsteller brought in the fifth Tiger run.

Trimble led off the bottom of the third getting under a 2-0 pitch from Robinson and driving it over the fence in straightaway centerfield to make the score 5-3. The floodgates opened up in the next inning as USP sent 11 players to the plate to take the lead for good.

Ebersole and Danielle Czajka (Jr., Garnet Valley HS/Glen Mills, Pa.) led off the inning with singles. Sarina Lavooy followed with a one-out single to load the bases. Bethanne Bossert (Fr., St. Hubert's HS/Philadelphia, Pa.) then delivered a bunt single to score Ebersole and bring up Trimble. The Tigers changed pitchers and brought in Jody Searcross to face the former CACC Player of the Year, who promptly delivered a single down the left field line to score Czajka with the tying run. Schappell then hit a long single to score Sarina Lavooy and Bossert with the go-ahead runs. Crotti singled up the middle to score Trimble with the Devils fifth run of the inning. Samantha Lavooy (Sr., Vernon Township HS/Sussex, N.J.) loaded the bases with a single before Searcross struck out Ebersole for the second out. Czajka then struck out but the pitch got away from the Tigers catcher enabling Czajka to run to first. Ashlee Trupp (So., Daniel Boone HS/Birdsboro, Pa.), running for Schappell was forced out at the plate to end the big inning, but the Devils now held an 8-5 lead.

USP added three more insurance runs in the fifth as Sarina Lavooy started things off with a one-out bunt single, stole second and was sacrificed to third by Bossert. Trimble was intentionally walked and then stole second to put two runners in scoring position. Schappell then reached on an error, allowing Lavooy to score as Trimble moved to third. Schappell reached second on a passed ball before Crotti delivered her second extra-base hit of the game, a double in the right centerfield gap to score Trimble and Schappell and make the score 11-5.

The Tigers added a run in the sixth on McBryar's RBI double. McBryar was thrown out by Crotti trying to advance to third on the throw home which was not in time to get Eschemann with Holy Family's sixth run. The Tigers threatened again in the seventh as Marsteller delivered a bunt single but was erased trying to steal by Crotti for the second out. After Vicki Grayson was hit by a pitch, Kristilyn Obert hit a come backer to Flint who threw to Schappell at first for the final out of the game.

In the opener, Sarina Lavooy, Trimble and Crotti each had two hits but it was not enough as the Devils lost, 6-3 snapping their four-game winning streak. Rachel Morgan (Fr., Clackamas HS/ Clackamas, Ore.) took the loss, going the distance, giving up 11 hits, walking two and striking out four to fall to 2-3 on the season.

Searcross earned the complete game win for the Tigers. Lauren Armstrong and Eschemann each hit two-run home runs and joined teammates McBryar, and Dolores Brown with two hits apiece.

Carolynn Snavely's (Jr., Prescott HS/ Prescott, Ariz.) one-out single in the first inning gave the Devils a 2-0 lead as Sarina Lavooy (single) and Trimble (double) scored. The score remained at 2-0 until Armstrong tied the game with a two run home run to right field off an 0-2 pitch from Morgan. Eschemann followed with a single and came home on McBryar's double who later scored on Stephanie Mongiello's sacrifice fly to make the score 4-2.

USP got one back in the bottom of the fourth as Bossert delivered a two-out double to left center field, scoring Crotti who had singled to lead off the inning, making the score 4-3. Eschemann delivered a two-run home run to left center field in the seventh, again connecting on an 0-2 pitch from Morgan. Armstrong had singled and was thrown out trying to steal by Crotti to start the inning. Marsteller then drew a walk before Eschemann launched her shot to make the score 6-3 in favor of the Tigers. USP went out in order in their final at-bat to give the Tigers the win.