May 4, 2008

Box Score

AMBLER, PA- The La Salle Explorers (22-24, 8-12 A-10) wrapped up a record setting season with a 6-0 win in the first game against the Fordham University Rams (33-28, 11-9 A-10) and held off a late rally to win 4-3 in the second game.   The sweep was the Explorers' first over the Rams since 1997.  The Explorers also finished the 2008 season with the most wins since 1997.  

 

In the first game Explorer sophomore hurler Laura Beth McCreesh held the Rams to just three hits en route to a 6-0 shutout.  She improved to 11-6 on the season.

 

La Salle knocked in five singles to take an early 5-0 lead in the first.  Sophomore Gina Massaro led off with a bunt single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior Danielle Signorelli.  A choppy single from sophomore Mary Pat Conville would put Massaro at third with just one out.  Sophomore Angelina Bisbiglia and senior Michelle Sullivan would both reach on Fordham errors and McCreesh had a single for La Salle. 

 

The Rams responded with a double in the top of the second, but could not muster any more offense. 

 

Conville -who finished the season with a team-high .370 batting average, started off the bottom of the second with a single up the middle, and Sullivan had an RBI single up the middle to go up 6-0.  Bisbiglia followed with a single of her own, but a strikeout and groundout would end the inning.

 

Junior Kelli Curcio led off the bottom of the third with a double to left field but was stranded as three Explorer batters were retired.

 

With one out in the fourth, Fordham had runners on second and third, but a diving catch by third baseman Conville would get the second out and junior second baseman Alicia De La Rosa got the third out with a infield grounder. 

 

The Rams were sat down 1-2-3 in the final three innings as the Explorers took a 6-0 win.

 

In game two, Fordham jumped out to 1-0 advantage in the first inning.  The Explorers battled through two scoreless innings until the bottom of the fourth when Bisbiglia had an RBI double score Massaro and make it 1-1.  Sullivan and McCreesh both walked to load the bases with two outs, but freshman Ali Shepherd would ground out to end the inning.

 

The Explorers loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth with singles from Curcio, Massaro and Bisbiglia.  Teddi Hernandez and Conville both had sacrifice flies to give the Explorers a 4-1 lead.

 

The Fordham offense mounted a late rally in the seventh, getting a two-run homer- but the Explorers held on for a 4-3 win.  Massaro improved to 7-12 in her final 2008 appearance in the circle for La Salle.