MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – The No. 16 East Stroudsburg University softball team defeated both Barry and Colorado School of Mines to improve its season record to 4-2.
The Warriors (4-2) first defeated the Buccaneers (3-3) convincingly, winning 10-3. In the second game, against the Orediggers (0-7), ESU was down early but fought back to win in walk-off fashion.
Pitching Notables
Sarah Davenport (W, 4-0) picked up two wins on the day, throwing 10.2 innings with only two earned runs while striking out 13 batters.
Abbie Landrum excelled in her role in Game 2, entering the game with the Warriors down four. She pitched three scoreless innings to keep ESU in the ballgame.
Batting Notables
Of the 16 runs the Warriors scored today,
Katie Master drove in eight, with seven of those coming from the long ball. Master hit a first-inning grand slam against Barry, then a three-run walk-off home run against Colorado School of Mines.
Abigail Weirich also drove in runners in both games. On the day, Weirich had five hits, five RBIs, four runs scored, and a stolen base. She was key in the Game 2 comeback, hitting a two-RBI double in the fifth.
Tulana Mingin went 4-for-6 at the plate with a walk and drove in two runners in Game 1 with a single.
Tatum Kresley had three hits across both games and crossed home plate three times to help ESU win both games.
How It Happened – Game 1
After the first two Warriors were retired, ESU managed to load the bases thanks to a walk by Mingin, a Weirich single, and
Delaney Ridgell being hit by a pitch. Barry was a strike away from getting out of the jam, but Master connected on a 2-2 pitch to send it over the left-field wall, giving ESU the early 4-0 lead.
Later in the third, their lead grew as Weirich drove in two more with a single, and Master drove in the third run of the inning on a groundout to push the lead to 7-2.
In the fifth, ESU added on as Mingin drove in two with a single through the left side to make it 9-2. The Warriors went on to claim a 10-3 victory in Game 1.
How It Happened – Game 2
The Orediggers took charge early, scoring two runs and loading the bases with only one out. At that point, Landrum entered the game and limited the damage to only two more runs, which she was not was responsible for.
In the third, Weirich put ESU on the board with a fielder's choice to kickstart the Warriors' comeback. In the top of the fourth, Davenport entered the game to relieve Landrum, who had done a great job in keeping ESU in the game.
Later in the fifth, with two outs, Weirich smacked a double down the right-field line to drive in Mingin and Kresley, making it a one-run ballgame.
In the final frame, ESU found itself quickly down to its last out as the first two batters lined out. With Colorado School of Mines a strike away from taking Game 2, Weirich hit a single toward third base to keep the game alive. After Ridgell reached base, Master came to the plate and, on the first pitch, hit a no-doubt-about-it 3-run walk-off home run to win the game for the Warriors.
Up Next
ESU will end its Florida road trip on Monday, facing Barry again at noon and then Lynn at 3 p.m.
Highlights
