HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University softball team highlighted the first day of the Lady Pirates Classic on Friday with an 8-7 come-from-behind win over Buffalo at the Lady Pirates Softball Stadium. Hampton also took on Rhode Island, falling 9-3 in five innings.
The Rhode Island game was called after five innings because of darkness.
The Lady Pirates jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after the first inning against Buffalo – a team whose coach, Trena Peel, won the 2013 MEAC title with Hampton. Junior
Danielle Budden led off the inning with a walk, before scoring when senior
Diamond Ponds reached on an error.
Ponds then singled on a single from senior
Taylor McCoy to give Hampton a 2-0 lead.
Junior
Kayla DeSchepper reached on an error to lead off the bottom of the second, before scoring on a groundout from Budden to put the Lady Pirates (4-2) up 3-0.
Buffalo responded with three runs in the top of the third to tie the game at 3-3, before scoring three more runs in the fifth inning – taking a 6-3 lead after a three-run home run to left-center field from Katie Weimer.
Another run in the sixth put the Bulls on top 7-3.
The Lady Pirates loaded the bases to open the bottom of the seventh inning, thanks to singles from sophomores
Allyson Babinsack and
Jada Fields and a walk to freshman
Ashley Grassini. All three had pinch runners in their stead, and the rally began with a bases-loaded walk to freshman
Hope Sobelewski.
Budden then singled home a run, before Ponds followed suit with an RBI single of her own to cut the lead to 7-6. McCoy then reached on a fielder's choice to tie the game at 7-7 after Sobelewski scored.
Babinsack then reached on a hit-by-pitch to force in the winning run.
Buffalo committed four errors in the game, and four Lady Pirates – Budden, Ponds, McCoy, and Fields – each had two hits. Budden also scored twice.
Babinsack picked up her third win of the season in the circle, striking out six.
Rhode Island took control of Hampton's second game of the day in the top of the second inning, which was when the Rams scored all nine of their runs. The Rams hit two home runs and a double in the frame, including a grand slam from Paige Julich.
Hampton answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second, cutting the gap to 9-2 after a two-run single from freshman
Daniella Milloy that brought home Grassini and freshman
Allie Hotetz.
Hotetz had an RBI single in the fifth to cut the lead to 9-3.
Hotetz had a team-high two hits against Rhode Island, and Milloy drove in two runs.
Hotetz also struck out two in 3.1 innings of relief work.
The Lady Pirates will face Rhode Island again on Saturday at 3 p.m. For more information on Hampton University softball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at
www.hamptonpirates.com.
