April 21, 2011
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
PHILADELPHIA- On Thursday afternoon at West Campus Field, the La Salle Explorers dropped both ends of a two-game set to Atlantic 10 rival, the Dayton Flyers by scores of 2-1 and 5-1.
The Explorers wasted little time before getting a lead on Dayton in game one.
Senior Ali Shepherd led off the the first inning with a double into left field. Shepherd scored to put the Explorers ahead 1-0, after sophomore Liz Reed reached base off a fielding error at first base.
La Salle had difficulty manufacturing anymore offense off of Dayton freshman pitcher Alysha Isaacson, as Heather Brabazon pounded out La Salle's only other hit in the second inning.
Dayton tied the game in the fifth inning on a play very simialr to how La Salle scored its run. With two runners on with no body out in the inning, freshman Rachel Archer reached base on a La Salle fielding error at first base, causing Carlyn Harlow to score from second base to tie the ballgame.
Archer scored later in the inning on a single by Kathleen Marlow, giving the Flyers a 2-1 lead and the inevitable victory.
Senior pitcher DJ Guinn threw one of her best outings of the season. Not only did she complete all seven innings of game one, she also pitched the first four innings of the second contest. Guinn's stat lines were identical to the fact that she allowed one run on six hits in each ballgame. On the day, she combined for 11 strikeouts. In game one, she fanned away seven Flyers at the plate.
The offensive woes La Salle was dealing with since the thrid inning of the opening game seemed to make its way into the backend of the two-game set.
La Salle was unable to get a hit in the second game until the fifth inning when junior Shannon Skomorucha singled to reach base for the second time in the game after taking a free pass back in the second inning.
After Guinn exited the game after the fourth inning, Dayton extended its lead. Up 2-0 in the sixth, the Flyers had Archer and Maloof on base. Junior Lauren Nacke increased the deficit to a five-run cushion when she homered.
The Explorers refused to give up the effort. In their half of the inning, La Salle had three baserunners, eventually leading to a run scored.
With Shepherd already aboard, Reed smoked a triple into right field to send Shepherd home to bring the Explorers back within four.
The triple by Reed was La Salle's first three-bagger of the season.
Senior pitcher Kristen Paoletti threw an inning of scoreless relief in the seventh.
In the seventh, junior Breanna DiTommaso made a throw from center field to get Isaacson out going to second base.
Paoletti got even more defensive help when Skomorucha threw out Archer attempting to steal second base.
La Salle (2-31, 0-12) has the weekend off in observance of the Easter holiday. The Explorers will return to action on Tuesday when they host the University of Maryland-Baltimore County in a doubleheader at West Campus Field beginning at 3 PM.
