Pirates Blank Stephen F. Austin To Sweep Opening Day

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Madison Strunk fired a four-hit shutout to improve to 2-0

Alex Rabbetts went 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs in the win

Feb. 12, 2016

Final Stats | Box Score (PDF)

MONROE, LA. – Madison Strunk spun a four-hit shutout to lead the Seton Hall softball team (2-0) to a 6-0 victory over Stephen F. Austin (0-1) on Friday afternoon at ULM Softball Complex. The contest was The Hall’s second at the 2016 Louisiana Monroe Mardi Gras Classic, as the Pirates opened their season with back-to-back victories.

Strunk (Adkins, Texas) went the distance in a complete game effort, not walking a batter to go along with four hits and a strikeout in seven clean frames. Offensively, Alex Rabbetts (Corona, Calif.) went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs and Chrisa Head (Lewisville, Texas) had two hits including a two-run home run. The Pirates jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning and added multiple runs in the fourth and fifth innings.

Turning Point

The Pirates took a 1-0 lead to the bottom of the fourth inning in a pitchers’ duel before grabbing some breathing room with a three-run frame. Rabbetts had the big hit in the inning with a two-run double, coming home to score later in the frame on a Noel Lent (Yaphanic, N.Y.) single that stretched the lead to 4-0.

Inside The Numbers

- The Pirates out-hit the Ladyjacks, 11-4, notching double-digit hits in each of their first two games

- All four hits allowed by Strunk were singles, and SFA went 0-for-8 with runners on base and 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position

- The Hall hit .417 (5-for-12) with two outs

- Against SFA and Grambling on Friday, Pirate pitching allowed a .176 (9-51) batting average against

News and Notes

- Chrisa Head hit her first career home run in the fifth inning

- Madison Strunk (2-0) made her first career start in the circle

- The shutout for Strunk was the first for a Pirate since a five-inning blanking for Danielle DeStaso on March 13, 2015 vs. Quinnipiac – the last seven-inning complete game shutout was DeStaso vs. Creighton on April 13, 2014

- The Pirates are 7-0 in season-opening tournament play over the last two seasons

- Friday’s contest with the first-ever meeting with Stephen F. Austin

Up Next

The Pirates continue play at the 2016 Mardi Gras Classic against Prairie View A&M on Saturday, Feb. 13. The Hall and the Lady Panthers are scheduled to square off at 1 p.m. and again at 5 p.m.

Pirate Softball Home

http://www.shupirates.com/sports/w-softbl/recaps/021216aac.html

 

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Big Sixth Inning Leads The Hall To Opening Day Win Over Grambling

Faith Laudano and Alexis Walkden both hit three-run home runs in the sixth inning

Alexis Walkden hit a three-run home run and stole a base in the win

Feb. 12, 2016

Final Stats | Box Score (PDF)

MONROE, LA. - The Seton Hall softball team opened 2016 with a bang, erasing a late three-run hole by way of an eight-run bottom of the sixth inning in a 10-5 victory over Grambling State on Friday morning. The contest at Louisana Monroe's ULM Softball Classic was The Hall's first of the 2016 Mardi Gras Classic and was the season opener for both squads.

Faith Laudano (Islip, N.Y.) and Alexis Walkden (Cibolo, Texas) provided the punch for The Hall, each launching three-run home runs in the big sixth inning. Yasmin Harrell (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) provided a spark from the top of the order with three runs scored and a stolen base, while Valerie Suto (Mercerville, N.J.) went 3-for-3 with a run and an RBI.

The Pirates erased a pair of early leads to level the contest at 2-2 before Grambling scored three times in the top of the fifth. Lauren Fischer (Robbinsville, N.J.) got the start in the circle for The Hall and tossed 4.2 innings, fanning a career-high seven and going 2-for-4 with an RBI at the dish. Madison Strunk (Adkins, Texas) earned the win with 2.1 scoreless innings of relief in her Seton Hall debut.

Turning Point

Down 5-2 heading to the bottom of the sixth, the Pirates exploded for an eight-run frame to take their first lead of the game and pull ahead for the eventual victory. Emily Supercynski (Aurora, Colo.) led off the inning with a walk before Alex Rabbetts (Corona, Calif.) doubled to bring the tying run to the plate. That run was Laudano, who drove herself and two more home with a three-run home run that evened the contest at 5-5. The Pirates pulled ahead later in the frame with an RBI fielder's choice from Harrell, before Walkden smashed another three-run shot two batters later to push the advantage further.

Inside The Numbers

- Lauren Fischer had a career-high seven strikeouts, topping her previous high of six last season

- The Hall out-hit the Lady Tigers, 12-5

- The Pirates brought home runners from third with less than two outs four times in five chances

- Seton Hall hit .400 (12-for-30) on the day and held Grambling State to a .192 (5-for-26) performance

News and Notes

- Friday's contest marked The Hall's first all-time meeting with Grambling State

- Valerie Suto notched her first three-hit game of the year after recording two in 2015

- Yasmin Harrell notched the 64th stolen base of her career in the first inning, moving to three away from the Seton Hall all-time record

- The Pirates improve to 3-1 in season openers under Paige Smith

- Opening Day included the Seton Hall debuts for freshmen Chrisa Head, Ragen Reddick, Madison Strunk, Emily Supercynski and Brianna Wallace

Up Next

The Pirates continue play at the 2016 Mardi Gras Classic against Stephen F. Austin at 12 p.m. on Friday afternoon. The Hall in total will play five games in three days in Monroe, concluding on Sunday against host ULM at 10 a.m. (ET).

Pirate Softball Home

http://www.shupirates.com/sports/w-softbl/recaps/021216aaa.html