RADNOR, Pa. - The Cabrini softball team has a busy weekend, as the team will host Marywood University today in a doubleheader at 3 p.m. before welcoming Keystone College to Cabrini Field for Senior Day on Saturday for a doubleheader at 12 p.m.
During Saturday's doubleheader, the Cavaliers will honor its three seniors,
Lea Enoch,
Steph Diegel and
Becca Miles, along with sophomore Breanna Millilo. This quartet has been instrumental in taking the Cavaliers from 17 wins in 2012 to the CSAC Championship game in 2014.
The Blue and White met the defending CSAC champion Pacers four times last season, suffering a pair of convincing regular season losses before dropping two one run ball games during the CSAC Tournament.
After dropping the regular season games 16-2 and 10-2, Cabrini played the Pacers to a 1-0 loss in the first round of the CSAC Tournament, surrendering just a fourth inning unearned run. Sophomore
Kiley Sharp tossed a gem in the loss , allowing six hits with five strikeouts.
The Cavaliers faced an uphill battle to reach the CSAC Championship game following their defeat but did not shy away. Cabrini topped Immaculata 5-4 in extra innings before defeating Neumann 7-3, advancing the Cavaliers to the title game against the Pacers.
The Pacers jumped ahead in the first inning, as it took advantage of two Cabrini errors to build a 2-0 lead. The Blue and White began to chip away in the second, as Miles led off the inning with a double before scoring on a single to left center by sophomore
Taylor Gallagher. The Cavaliers evened the score in the third as Miles' sacrifice fly plated sophomore
Amber Dietrich.
Marywood took advantage of Cabrini's fifth error of the game, scoring the eventual game winning unearned run in the bottom of the fifth.
The Cavaliers, who have won 13 of their last 16 contests, improved to 15-7 overall and 11-3 in the league with Wednesday's 6-5 win over Gwynedd Mercy, in a game that was suspended due to rain on April 7. Cabrini built a 4-1 lead before the Griffins rallied for a pair of runs when the rains came. When the game resumed, freshman pitcher
Jess Giordano immediately gave the Blue and White the momentum, as the rookie pitched out of abases loaded jam.
Senior
Becca Miles clubbed a solo home run in the fifth inning to give Cabrini some breathing room before Diegel's single through the right side drove in the winning run in the bottom of the sixth.
Dietrich recorded a pair of base hits in the win, while Cooper, Diegel and Miles notched RBI. Giordano earned the win, allowing two earned runs over the final 4.1 innings.
A trio of Cavaliers lead the CSAC's top hitting club, as senior
Steph Diegel, freshman
Christine Ferraro and Dietrich are hitting over .415. Diegel leads the way with a .437 average, while Ferraro boasts a .422 average and .418 for Dietrich. Diegel also leads the Blue and White with 31 hits, four more than Ferraro and Cooper.
Cooper has provided much of the Cavaliers' power on the season, leading the club with 27 RBI, nine doubles and four home runs, while her 22 runs scored are second to Ferraro's 23.
Sharp leads the Cabrini pitching staff with a 6-3 record on the year, ranking fourth in the CSAC in wins, and a 2.77earned run average. Freshman
Kaitlyn Hohman has struck out a team high 29 batters and has a 5-1 record to show for it.
After a slow start dropping each of its eight games during its Spring Break trip to Florida, Marywood has found its way, earning 11 wins in its last 13 games. The Pacers improved to 11-10, including 10-2 in the CSAC, with Wednesday's 7-6 win over Scranton.
The Pacers broke open a scoreless game in the third inning, exploding for six runs on eight hits, including a two RBI triple by sophomore Brooke Labs. The Royals rallied late but Emily Perruso held on for the win, despite allowing six runs on 11 hits.
All nine Marywood hitters recorded at least one base knock, with the line-up's top three hitters, freshmen Alexa Scala and Heather Schultz and Labs tallying two each.
Labs keys the Pacers' offense, as the sophomore sports a .493 batting average, with a team high 36 hits, including 15 doubles. The sophomore also ranks second on the club with 19 RBI and 20 runs scored. Scala boasts a .397 batting average with 27 hits and 21 runs scored, while senior Chelsea Epler leads the club with 21 RBI.
Sophomore pitcher Alyssa Bavaro has been solid in the circle are year for the Pacers, with an ERA of 2.20, good for fourth in the CSAC.
Cabrini faced the Keystone Giants on April 2, 2014, scoring 7-3 and 13-5 wins.
Cooper went 4-4 in the opener, with a pair of doubles and two runs scored, while Miles supplied the power with a grand slam in the third inning. Gallagher added a sacrifice fly in the fifth to extend the lead to 6-0. The Giants found some life in the bottom half, scoring two runs on a pair of hits. Keystone also added a run in the sixth to bring it within three but Gallagher's second sacrifice fly in the seventh pushed the lead back up to four for the Blue and White.
Gallagher pitched a complete game for the Cavaliers, allowing just one earned run and scattering nine hits in the win.
In the nightcap, the Blue and White scored a pair of runs in the first and added another in the second. Keystone answered with a five run third inning to put the Giants on top 5-3. In the fourth, junior
Lea Enoch crossed home plate following Cooper's single to left center. Dietrich scored a three run double to retake the lead in the fifth, while Cooper extended the lead to 8-5 after tallying her second hit of the game.
Cabrini added five more runs in the seventh, while sophomore
Kiley Sharp held the Giants scoreless the rest of the way.
Keystone brings an 8-12 mark to Cabrini Field for Saturday's doubleheader. The Giants improved to 6-8 in CSAC play with Tuesday's sweep at Rosemont. Rookie Katie Thompson went 2-4 with 3 RBI, while sophomore Sara Stacey paired two base hits and two runs scored in a 4-1 victory in the opener. Junior Lindsey Bucklaw led the Giants to an 11-0 shutout in the nightcap, going 3-3 with a triple, three RBI and two runs scored.
Senior pitcher Karissa Worobey was the story in the sweep, as the senior scattered six hits and struck out four in the opener. She outdid herself in the second game, tossing a no-hitter, allowing just two walks in the five inning game.
Thompson leads an offense with five players hitting above .325. The freshman leads the team with a .375 batting average, 14 runs scored and 11 RBI. Senior Sara Schraden ranks second on the club, hitting .370 with 20 hits and 11 RBI. Sophomore Antonette Scialpi leads the team with 22 hits and 13 RBI
The Blue and White will have a tough matchup against Worobey, as the senior ranks third in the CSAC with six wins and 48 strikeouts and has held opposing teams to a .299 batting average.