April 18, 2008
Box Score
PHILADELPHIA, PA- Led by clutch hitting in the final inning, La Salle University Explorers (15-20, 5-8 A-10) took a 5-4 A-10 win against the Temple University Owls (13-17, 3-10 A-10) on Friday afternoon. Junior Mary Pat Conville (Jamison, PA/ Archbishop Wood) had a two-run single in the seventh to give La Salle a lead they would not relinquish.
"I just wanted to put the ball in play, we definately didn't take the easy road today but it worked," said Conville.
Sophomore pitcher Laura Beth McCreesh (Philadelphia, PA/ St. Basil) had a double and her fourth homer of the season, and sophomore hurler Gina Massaro (Havertown, PA/ Hartford) picked up her fourth win and first save of the season.
Senior catcher Michelle Sullivan (Gibbstown, NJ/ Paulsboro) caught five runners stealing in the victory, the most in a single game this season.
La Salle batters didn't get anything going in the first, as Temple pitcher Katie Burdeaux (6-6) retired the Explorers 1-2-3. The Owls' got onboard 2-0 in the bottom of the first with four hits and a fielding error by the Explorers.
McCreesh led off the third with a double to deep center field, and Massaro walked with two outs to put runners on first and second, but junior Danielle Signorelli (Jenkintown, PA/ St. Basil) struck out to end the Explorer rally.
With a runner on in the bottom of the third, third baseman Conville knocked down a hard line drive to get the lead runner and second out. McCreesh sat down the A-10 home run leader Courtney Norene to end the inning.
Temple's Burdeaux helped her own cause in the bottom of the fourth with a double, and the Owls put runners on second and third with another hit and just one out. The Explorers got their second out on a miffed suicide bunt attempt and McCreesh tossed a dribbler to first to send her team up to bat.
The Explorers were held hitless for the next three innings until Massaro got a single to lead off the sixth. Sophomore Angelina Bisbiglia (Sewell, NJ/ Camden Catholic) knocked in La Salle's first run with a two-out double to center field.
The Owls loaded the bases with just one out in the sixth, Massaro came in to pitch and struck out two batters but the Owls got a two-run double from Samantha Dungan before the inning was over to take a 4-1 lead.
McCreesh started a seventh-inning rally as she homered to make it 4-2, and junior Kelli Curcio (Hatboro, PA/ St. Basil) followed up with a double. Massaro hit a short fly ball to right field to score Curcio and close the gap 4-3. Signorelli smacked a double to left field to put runners on second and third, and Conville hit a grounder through the right infield gap to score two more runs and give the La Salle a 5-4 lead.
La Salle will face Temple tomorrow at 12:00 PM for the second game of the series, and then head to A-10 city rival Saint Joseph's on Sunday, April 20th for a 12:00 PM. doubleheader.
