The Spectrum

Issue date: 4/6/06 Section: Sports

Media Credit: The Spectrum/ Alyssa DiMaria Megan Spehar's single in the bottom of the seventh Sunday helped Sacred Heart to defeat Yale in the back end of a doubleheader Sunday.

Softball continues with its non- conference games today when they host the Hartford Hawks for a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. at the lower field. The Pioneers are hoping to boost their overall record with a few wins.

"I'd say were pretty confident. We've been hitting really well lately and we are really starting to play well together," infielder Jacqui Riley, a junior from Burlington, Mass., said. "We had a little bit of a losing streak but I think we're really coming together and playing as a team.

"Hartford isn't anything special, but they are a good team. We've beat them in the past, but as long as we produce runs we shouldn't have a problem," she said.

Riley has five RBI's and leads the team with three stolen bases on four attempts.

With an overall record of 8-22, the Pioneers have their work cut out for them, having just come off a split win with Yale last weekend.

"I think that we have a lot of talent on our team and have high potential for a good season," infielder and pitcher Megan Spehar, a sophomore from Thousand Oaks, Calif., said. "I think it will be a good match for us. We have good team chemistry and when we come together and play as a whole it will be good competition."

Spehar has a stolen base percentage of 1.000, 17 hits, seven doubles, seven runs scored and leads the team with a total of 91 plate appearances and 26 game starts.

"We expect many wins to come," said catcher Caitlin Carroll, a junior from Loa Alamitos, Calif., who has had 14 hits and is tied for the lead of seven RBI's.

"We have a young team, but a good team, and our record needs to show how good we actually are," Carroll said.

After losing the first of two games this past Sunday against Yale, Ashley McDonough tamed the Bulldogs when she crossed the plate for the winning run and shut them down while pitching in relief.

The freshman from Lompoc, Calif. led off for the Pioneers and ended the game 2-4 with two runs scored, and Sacred Heart needed every one of those runs since they failed to put away the Bulldogs until the final inning.

The game-clinching inning began when McDonough led off with a double, followed by a single by sophomore Megan Spehar.

Freshmen Amanda Bradley worked out a walk to load up the bases, and then Caitlin Carroll stepped to the plate.

The Pioneers didn't get a hard-hit ball, but the dribbler that rolled to the third baseman off the bat of Carroll was placed perfectly to give McDonough time to score the winning run.

Starting pitcher Danielle Mellin, another California native, gave the Pioneers 5.1 innings of solid pitching, but was lifted in the sixth in favor of the freshmen star when the game was on the line.

The Pioneers, who improved their record to 8-22 after this split, hosts Hartford today and will play a doubleheader.

Sacred Heart will also play its next six contests at home, followed by its next six being on the road.

Stay tuned.

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