Softball: Sendelsky Smashes Another, Garnet Shut Down Shorewomen
SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Freshman second baseman Christine Sendelsky collected three hits (including her third home run of the season), three runs, and three RBI as the Garnet swept a doubleheader with the visiting Washington College Shorewomen, 2-1 and 4-2. Freshman Alexandra Zelaski and junior Marianne Klingaman picked up complete games victories.
The Shorewomen struck first in game one, scratching across an unearned run on a hit, a walk, and an error in the top of the second.
Swarthmore got all of its offense in the third frame. Senior rightfielder Danielle Miller led things off with a single and scored when Sendelsky roped a two-bagger to the wall in the left field corner. Sendelsky later scored from third when shortstop Katie Gold '08 drove an 0-2 pitch to deep right-center to pick up the sacrifice fly.
Zelaski was never in trouble again, facing the minimum three hitters in four of the last five innings. The freshman got strong defensive play from Sendelsky, who started a 4-3 double play in the fifth frame, and third baseman Melissa LaVan '07, who earned assists of five of the last 11 Washington outs.
By the end, Zelaski had scattered five hits over seven innings, allowing just the second-inning unearned run to improve to 9-4 on the season while lowering her ERA to a team-low 1.93
Washington again drew first blood in the second game when Laura Mozzer scored on a Klingaman wild pitch in the third.
The Garnet created some two-out magic in the bottom of the frame. Miller reached on an error to keep the inning alive, Sendelsky doubled to put runners on second and third, and Gold came up with the big hit, a two-run single.
Klingaman helped her own cause in the fourth, singling in centerfielder Lauren Walker '09, who had led off the inning with a double. Sendelsky gave the Garnet a three-run cushion in the fifth with a home run on a 1-1 pitch.
Washington strung together three singles in a last-ditch rally in the top of the seventh, but Klingaman got cleanup hitter Kim Proctor to fly to center to end the game.
Klingman struck out three while allowing nine hits, improving to 5-4 on the year.
Walker finished 3-for-3 in game two, raising her season average to .341. The Garnet boast a Centennial-leading .323 team batting average in 2006.
Swarthmore (19-12, 6-4 CC) will look to maintain its hold on fourth place in the conference on Saturday against Franklin & Marshall. Gametime for the doubleheader is 1:00 p.m.