ANNVILLE, Pa. (3/15/12) – Freshman
right-hander Courtney Yard tossed a complete-game,
three-hit shutout in 10 innings to help lead the Kean University
softball team to a doubleheader sweep of host Lebanon Valley
College in non-conference action on Thursday afternoon.
The Cougars (3-1) won the opener, 1-0, in the extra innings,
before closing out the sweep of the Dutchmen (5-7) with a 7-2 win
in the nightcap.
GAME ONE: Yard Goes the Distance in Extra Inning
Shutout Victory
Rookie Courtney Yard pitched all 10 innings and
surrendered just three hits and one walk while striking out nine
batters in her first complete game shutout victory.
After battling to a scoreless tie after nine innings, the
Cougars managed two of their three hits in the top of the
10th to plate the game's lone run. Sophomore
Kelly Moorehead started the inning on second base
due to international tie-breaking rules. Junior second
baseman Katie Schuh moved her over to third base
with a single, before junior third baseman Courtney
Melchionna brought Moorehead home two batters later with
the RBI single.
The Dutchmen moved the potential tying run to third base with
the sacrifice bunt, however the Cougars forced the run out at home
on the fielder's choice and closed out the win with the fly
out.
Schuh, Melchionna and rookie centerfielder Maria
Scopellito (pictured left) each recorded hits for
Kean.
GAME TWO: Scopollito, Cegielski Lead Cougars Past
Dutchmen, 7-2
Outfielders Maria Scopellito and Megan
Cegielski each had a pair of hits and two runs scored and
sophomore Rebecca Rotola (pictured right) earned
the complete-game win in her first appearance of the season in the
7-2 victory.
Kean plated all the runs they would need in the third inning,
taking a 3-0 lead behind hits from both Scopollito and
Cegielski. After catcher Jillian Martin led
off the inning with a walk, Scopollito doubled to put runners on
second and third. A wild pitch would plate Martin and move
Scopollito to third base and Cegielski followed with a RBI single
to bring home Scopollito. Cegielski would steal second base
and eventually score on the RBI groundout by left-fielder
Sandra Binkiewicz.
The Cougars added one run in the sixth inning and broke the game
open with three more runs in the seventh, before LVC got on the
scoreboard with two runs in the final inning on the homerun by
Steph Hulme.
Rotola scattered six hits and one strikeout in seven innings of
work for her first win of 2012.
Binkiewicz and first baseman Kelly Moorehead
each had one hit, one run scored and two RBI in the win.
The Cougars resume action on their Spring Break trip to
Clermont, Fla., where Kean plays eight games at the National
Training Center. The Cougars open action on Sunday, March 18,
against Tufts (5 p.m.) and Babson (7 p.m.).
