Delaware State Hornets sweep doubleheader over Drexel in home finale



COURTESY DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

DOVER, Delaware  --  Playing at home for the final time this season, the Delaware State softball team (26-15) completed the season sweep over the Drexel Dragons (17-21) in Thursday afternoon’s doubleheader with a 7-2 victory, along with an 8-0 five-inning win.

With these victories, the Hornets not only wrapped up their 2014 campaign with a 17-5 mark at home, but it was the third and fourth time this season DSU defeated the Dragons.  To begin the year, the two squads met twice in the Pirate Snow Classic with the Hornets coming out on top, 4-3 and 6-2.

As for Thursday, DSU took an early 3-0 lead in the opening inning of game one, headlined by a two-run Jessica Madrid RBI-double to left center.

After the Dragons scored their lone two runs of the afternoon during the third because of a DSU error, the Hornets made it a 7-2 ball game over the next three innings, capped off by Sandy Hawthrone driving in her second run of the day with a single through the right side.

Along with her two RBI, Hawthorne went a perfect 4-for-4 to lead the way for DSU’s 11 hits, whereas Madrid went 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored.  Outfielder Jordan Stamps, on the other hand, went 2-for-3 with an RBI, while both Chloe Oro and Nicole Gazzola scored twice.
In the circle, starter Vanessa Ciocatto (9-5) allowed five hits, a walk, no earned runs and recorded a game-high four K’s in the winning effort.

Game two, meanwhile, began with Delaware State once again taking a first inning lead, this time with a Hawthorne sac-fly RBI and infielder Rochelle Sablay driving in Madrid from second with a single.

With the Hornets now up four after capitalizing on two Drexel miscues in the third, Madrid continued her stellar afternoon in the following inning with a two-run RBI-double, followed by Stamps RBI-singling down the left field line to make it a 7-0 ball game.

To seal the win, Oro drove in pinch runner Nkili Matthews from third with a single for not only her third hit of the game, but DSU’s 12th overall. Additionally, Stamps also went 3-for-3, while Madrid and Sablay both went 2-for-3.

In the case of Rachel Meagley (7-5), who pitched her final game at home in a Hornet uniform, she was two outs away from a perfect game until Drexel’s Ashley Panetta churned out an infield single.  Nevertheless, the Spokane, Wash. native, picked up her second consecutive shutout victory while surrendering just one walk, which occurred in the fifth, and totaling three strikeouts.

With eight games remaining in the regular season, the Columbia Blue & Red will travel to Washington, D.C. to face MEAC foe Howard this weekend for a three-game series.

GAME 1 BOX SCORE
GAME 2 BOX SCORE
HORNET SEASON STATS

COURTESY DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS