DeRosa goes deep twice in opener before Lyons drop first of spring

March 11, 2008

FORT MYERS, FL- Nicole DeRosa (Greenwich, CT/Greenwich Academy) became the third Wheaton College softball freshman to slug two home runs in one game during the Lyons' 7-3 victory over Curry College on Tuesday before Pine Manor College rallied past Wheaton, 8-6 despite the Blue and White's school-record four triples during the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic at Cape Coral Sports Complex. The Lyons saw their season-opening seven-game winning streak end, as Wheaton is now 7-1.

Against Curry, DeRosa joined Randi Carine '97 and Jennifer Nelligan '05 as the only Lyons to go deep twice in one game, while she and Carine are the lone first-years to record three hits and two dingers. DeRosa helped Wheaton get on the board early, singling home senior Audrey Poulton (Charlestown, RI/Chariho Regional) with two down in the bottom of the second inning after Poulton singled and stole second.

Senior Alix Brozman's (Chappaqua, NY/Horace Greeley) RBI groundout the next inning made it 2-0, and DeRosa followed Poulton's two-out triple in the fourth with a two-run inside-the-park homer to straightaway center field. After senior Jodi Moynagh (Worcester, MA/Holy Name Central Catholic) held Curry to three hits through the first four innings, Colonel junior Sara Girard (Turners Falls, MA/Turners Falls) countered DeRosa's shot with a two-run homer of her own early in the fifth that made it 4-2.

Wheaton responded with three runs in the sixth, as Poulton smacked an RBI double with two down before DeRosa launched another two-run long ball, this one an inside-the-parker down the line in left. DeRosa finished 3-for-3 with five RBI and two runs out of the seven hole, while Poulton was 3-for-3 with three runs while falling a home run shy of the cycle as the number-six batter. Moynagh tossed the first six innings, yielding two runs on seven hits while striking out six and walking only one. Colonel freshman Amanda Peters (East Bridgewater, MA/East Bridgewater) took the loss after giving up six earned runs on eight hits.

During the second contest, Pine Manor scored three runs in the top of the first before the Lyons erased a 4-1 deficit with five runs in the fifth, but the Gators plated four runs in the seventh and Wheaton was unable to draw even in the bottom half after getting two runners on base. With her team down 3-0, Poulton tripled leading off the second before coming home on junior Stacey Kelleher's (Brockton, MA/Brockton) groundout, but Pine Manor tallied an unearned run in the fourth.

In the bottom of the following inning, Wheaton broke out for five runs on four hits and two errors. Kelleher led off with a three bagger before coming home on junior Lynn Cotto's (Brookfield, CT/Brookfield) single, and errors on balls hit by the next two batters allowed the Lyons to knot the game. Senior Erika Marini (Pawtucket, RI/Saint Raphael Academy) tripled home Brozman to put the Lyons on top, and junior Brady Benton (Concord, NH/Concord) followed with an RBI single. However, Pine Manor plated four runs, only two of which were earned, on four hits in the seventh. Marini and Benton each singled with one down in the bottom of the seventh, but the Gators turned a double play to end the contest.

Wheaton surpassed the prior school record of three triples, which had occurred three times, last in 1999. Benton finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and a pair of stolen bases, while Marini was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Sophomore Andrea Bagley (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro) took the loss after yielding five earned runs on nine hits while striking out eight and walking two. Junior Nicole Vocaturo (Bellmore, NY/Bellmore JFK) picked up the win for the Gators, allowing four earned runs on eight hits while striking out three.

Wheaton continues a stretch of 12 games in six days tomorrow by facing Ohio Wesleyan University at 9:00 a.m. and Lesley University at 11:00 a.m.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 3/11/08.
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