Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Colgate
Colgate Sweeps PL Twinbill From Army
April 07, 2012 | Softball
April 7, 2012
HAMILTON, N.Y. - Emma Dolfi blasted a game winning walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning of the nightcap as Colgate rallied behind the long ball in a Patriot League doubleheader sweep of Army at Eaton Street Field Saturday afternoon. The Raiders overcame deficits in both games to win by scores of 4-1 and 5-4.
The sweep allowed the Raiders (11-15) to remain undefeated in league play with a 6-0 mark while snapping Army's eight game unbeaten string as the Black Knights slipped to 21-14 and 4-2 in the league.
Army senior co-captain Alexis AuBuchon had a three-hit, four-RBI day having a hand in four of Army's five runs in the twinbill. She drove in the Black Knights lone run in the first game and delivered three in the nightcap.
AuBuchon stacked Army to a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the opener on her two-out RBI single to the gap in center field delivering April Ortenzo, who reached on a fielder's choice and moved to second on Alex Reynolds' groundout.
Army freshman RHP Morgan Lashley (17-11), touched for both losses, retired 11 of the first 13 batters she faced in the first game before having her no hitter snapped by Dolfi, 2-for-3 with an RBI, in the bottom of the fourth inning. With a runner at first base, Dolfi ripped a double to left field, but Army denied Colgate a run when Tera Vaughn , who drew the walk, was thrown out trying to reach home on a relay from OF Amanda Nguyen to 3B Clara Navarro to C Rachael Duval.
Colgate tied the game 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning on Stephanie Hartquist's solo home run to left center field. The Raiders broke open the game in a three-run sixth on RBI doubles by Jennifer Ortega, Dolfi and Courtney O'Connell for a 4-1 lead.
Winner Rachel LeCoq, who scattered three hits, struck out seven and walked one, held Army scoreless over six straight innings after yielding the lone run in the first inning. She worked her way out of jams when Army threatened with runners in scoring position in the third and fourth innings.
She stranded Nguyen, who led off the third with a single and reached second on a fielding error, by retiring the side. In the fourth inning she stranded Reanna Johnson, who reached on a fielder's choice and stole second, on back-to-back strikeouts en route to retiring nine straight batters. She yielded her final hit to Johnson in the top of the seventh, but a double play and strikeout ended that threat.
AuBuchon, 2-for-3 with three runs batted in, keyed Army's 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning in the nightcap as the Black Knights opened that frame with three straight hits to load the bases. With one out, AuBuchon's single up the middle chased home Nguyen and Ortenzo and moved Reynolds (2-for-3 with two runs scored) to third base. AuBuchon moved around on the throw home and a wild pitch, that delivered Reynolds for the third run, before being stranded at third when O'Connell (6-4) got out of the frame on back-to-back strikeouts.
Colgate scored a run in the bottom of the first on Dolf's two-out single to draw to 3-1, but a groundout left a pair of runners on base. After Colgate loaded the bases on a walk, hit and error in the second inning, Lashley got out safely on a groundout to the second baseman.
Army padded its lead to 4-1 with a run in the top of the third on AuBuchon's one-out single to the gap in left field to score Reynolds, who led off that frame with a two-bagger. That proved to be Army's final hit of the game as O'Connell retired 13 of the next 17 batters she faced and did not allow Army into scoring position despite yielding a pair of walk along with a hit batsman and an error during that span. The Colgate hurler fired a six-hitter, walked three and struck out three.
The Black Knights were unable to hold onto their three-run lead as Colgate made excellent use of the long ball over the final three frames. The Raiders scored a run in the fifth to draw to 4-2, tied the game 4-4 in the sixth on Haley Fleming's two-run homer and broke it in the seventh when Dolfi, 2-for-3 with two RBI, took a 2-0 count and blasted the ball over the right field fence.
Army will look to bounce back in Sunday's twinbill starting at 12 p.m.
