Box Score WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. –
Chloe Howerth (Roscoe, Ill./Hononegah),
Jill Freese (Oxford, Pa./Oxford Area) and
Brooke Redmond (Cooksville, Md./Glenelg) had two hits apiece, but the Monmouth University softball team was defeated by Drexel, 4-3, Wednesday afternoon at MU Softball Park. The Hawks (5-13) outhit the Dragons (10-11), 11-5, on the afternoon.
Howerth hit a triple and Freese contributed a double, both in a two-run bottom of the first for Monmouth, accounting for the game's only two extra-base hits. Howerth,
Ashalynn Umiamaka (Kapolei, Hawaii/Kapolei [Eastern Arizona]) and
Kayleena Flores (Atwater, Calif./Buhach Colony) scored Monmouth's three runs, while Umiamaka, Freese and
Rachel Shotzbarger (Saugus, Calif./Saugus) had the three Hawks RBI's.
Amanda Riley (Tracy, Calif./John C. Kimball) started in the circle for Monmouth, allowing three earned runs on five hits and two walks in four innings pitched. She struck out two.
Breanna Sniffen (Winter Garden, Fla./West Orange [St. Petersburg College]) took the loss in spite of not allowing a hit in three innings pitched. She allowed one earned run, walking two and striking out the first three batters she faced.
After Riley worked around a leadoff single to begin the game, Howerth tripled with one out and scored on Umiamaka's single. Freese immediately followed with a double that scored Umiamaka from first to stake Monmouth to a 2-0 lead.
The Dragons got a run back in the top of the second. Consecutive singles from Gabriela Kuroda and Sylvia Llamas to lead off the inning got things started for Drexel. The runners moved up on a groundout, before Kuroda scored on a successful squeeze bunt from Sharon Zamora in which the Hawks could not record an out. Zamora stole second to put runners on second and third with one out, but Riley escaped further damage with a pair of groundouts.
Following a scoreless third inning, Drexel took the lead in the top of the fourth on Paula Ueno's two-out, two-run single that short hopped into a diving Flores' glove in center field. The Dragons maintained the lead until the bottom of the sixth. Flores beat out an infield single to the hole at shortstop to lead off the frame, moved to second on a
Vanessa Cardoza (Santa Ana, Calif./Ocean View) sacrifice bunt and took third on a Redmond groundout. Shotzbarger then delivered a pinch-hit, two-out RBI single that Drexel second baseman Baeley Reed knocked down on a backhand, but was late in her attempt to throw out Shotzbarger at first. Flores scored to tie the game at 3-3.
Sniffen walked Reed on four pitches to begin the seventh, before the Dragons' second baseman stole second. Reed was moving to third on a ground ball to the shortstop side of second base that was misplayed by the Hawks' defense, putting runners on the corners. Still with no one out, Vanessa Lightfoot's fielder's choice to short pushed Reed across with what proved to be the winning run.
Freese delivered a two-out single to left, but it was all the Hawks' offense could muster in their final at bats.
The Hawks return to conference action Saturday, when they play host to long-time league rival Quinnipiac. First pitch of the doubleheader is slated for 1 p.m.
