May 10, 2012

Box Score

ST. LOUIS - Sixth-seeded Saint Joseph’s eliminated fifth-seeded Charlotte, 6-1 in game six of the 2012 Atlantic 10 Softball Championship at the Billiken Sports Center on the campus of Saint Louis University.

With the win, Saint Joseph’s improves to 22-28-1 on the season and advances to face fourth-seeded George Washington (23-29) in an elimination game on Friday, May 11 at 3:30 PM CT. Charlotte falls to 29-26 on the season with the loss and becomes the second team eliminated in the championship.

Saint Joseph’s got on the board first, following a Bernadette Moran RBI single in the first inning that pushed the score to 1-0. Saint Joseph’s would further increase its lead in third inning following back to back RBI base hits by Moran, a triple, and Lauren Rendon, a single.

In the fourth inning, Saint Joseph’s added three more runs after Melissa Ruf reached base on a dropped third-strike that allowed a run to score and also extended the inning for the Hawks. Batting with the bases loaded, Bernadette Moran then delivered a two-run single to push the lead to six, 6-0.

Charlotte scored its first run in the bottom of the fifth inning after Samantha Slade delivered an RBI single to score Alex Rogers and make it 6-1.

Leading the way for the Hawks on the mound was Erin Gallagher (12-14), who threw five innings for Saint Joseph’s while allowing only one run on five hits while striking out two. Gallagher did not give up a run through her first 11.2 innings of the championship. Taryn Ashway came in and finished the last two innings for the Hawks.

Play continues at the A-10 Softball Championship Friday, as No. 1 Massachusetts faces No. 2 Fordham at 1:00 PM CT. Live audio and video will be provided during the Championship to fans, free of charge, through the Atlantic 10 website - www.atlantic10.com.