Allegheny Ends Florida Trip with Split

Mar 23, 2007

Wellesley Box | Hamilton Box

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – In the fifth and final day of the Rebel Spring Games, the Gators split for the third straight day, falling 6-3 to Wellesley before erupting for a season-high 12 runs in a 12-0 five-inning win over Hamilton, a team they defeated 2-1 in their first game of the Florida trip.

In the first game of the day, against the Wellesley College Blue, the Gators fell victim to a strong pitching performance by Wellesley’s Jenna Harvey, who struck out 14 Gator batters, one off of her season high of 15 set earlier this week against Bridgewater State.

The Blue put up two runs in the top of the first inning, giving the visitors on the scoreboard a 2-0 lead. The Gators cut into the deficit with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning when junior Abby Bodenlos (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side Academy) singled, and stole second base, her second steal of the day, before being driven in on a Rachel Ryan (West Salem, Ohio/Northwestern) single. Wellesley responded with a four-run fifth inning, with the Blue not using an extra base hit to bring in a run, as two runs scored via bases loaded walks, one on a bases loaded single and the fourth on a sacrifice fly, giving the Blue a 6-1 advantage.

The Gators started their comeback in their next at-bats, when Katie Wills (McKees Rocks, Pa./Montour) grounded out to the pitcher, scoring Stephanie Lasinski (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine Richland), and dropping the deficit to four. An inning later Ryan scored on a single by Emmalynn Sigrist (Amherst, N.Y./Williamsville North), cutting the Blue lead to 6-3. After getting out of a jam in the top of the seventh inning, Harvey retired the Gators in order to end the game.

Ryan was 2-for-3 from the plate, as the other five hits in the game came from five different players. Bodenlos led the team with two stolen bases, her 14th and 15th of the season, giving her 41 for her career and pushing her into fourth on the school’s all-time steal list, passing Nancy Nelson (1985-88). Allison Korotkin (Birmingham, Mich./Detroit Country Day) picked up the loss for the Gators, pitching the entire seven innings, striking out four and allowing five walks, evening her record at 1-1 on the season.

After seeing their bats struggle during their Florida trip, the Gators unleashed their offense, scoring 12 points in the first three innings in a 12-0 victory over Hamilton. Freshman pitcher Alisha Morley (Sinclairville, N.Y./Cassadaga Valley) scattered two hits on the day, striking out four while Abby Bodenlos and Ryan combined to go 5-for-6 from the plate with five runs scored and four runs batted in.

The Blue and Gold wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard in the contest, as Liz Burr (Farmdale, Ohio/Badger) led off the game with a walk, before Wills reached first and advanced Burr to second when she reached base via an error by the Hamilton shortstop. Burr and Wills then did a double steal, Burr scoring and Wills advancing to second base. Abby Bodenlos followed with a base hit, scoring Wills before Ryan tripled, her fifth of the season, scoring Bodenlos, giving the Gators a 3-0 lead.

After being held to a 1-2-3 second inning, the Gators erupted in the third inning, scoring nine runs on eight hits, as the team had 15 players bat in the inning, nearly batting around twice. The Allegheny put the offense on cruise control the rest of the way, as head coach Sandra Sanford was able to empty the bench, giving everyone on the squad at least one at-bat in the contest.

While the offense was pouring in the runs, Morley was un-hittable for the first three and two thirds inning of the game, before she gave up back-to-back hits, an infield single and a hit to shallow right field. With the pressure of the no-hitter past her, Morley easily retired the final four batters of the game, en route to her first collegiate shutout.

Abby Bodenlos was 3-for-4 from the plate in the win, with Ryan going a perfect 2-for-2 with a pair of walks. The Gators finished 10-for-27 from the plate as a team, drawing six walks and stealing six bases, three by Bodenlos, giving her 18 on the season, just four off of the conference record of 22 she has a share of from last season.

After traveling back to Meadville, the Gators will go on back-to-back road trips, to Alliance, Ohio to face off against Mount Union on April 1 before making the trip to Oberlin, Ohio to face off against the Yeowomen of Oberlin College on April 3.

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