George Washington University Athletics
GW Softball Rolls Past La Salle in Doubleheader Sweep
4/19/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 19, 2012
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
WASHINGTON - Behind solid pitching and timely hitting, the George Washington softball team cruised past Atlantic 10 rival La Salle in a doubleheader on Thursday afternoon at the GW Softball Field on the Mount Vernon Campus. The Colonials defeated the Explorers, 5-1, in the first game before picking up a 4-1 victory in the nightcap.
Senior Lauren Wilson paced the offense, going 4-for-6 with three RBIs, four runs scored and three stolen bases on the day, and she also walked twice.
GW (17-26, 7-7 A-10) took advantage of La Salle starter Alicia Aughton's control issues to score twice in the first inning. After Wilson hit a leadoff single, Aughton walked junior Julie Orlandi and hit freshman Victoria Valos with a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Aughton then hit junior Autumn Taylor to force in the first run of the game before junior Tara Fogarty made it 2-0 with an RBI groundout.
The Colonials added a third run in the second inning when Wilson walked with two outs and scored on Orlandi's single. After going down in order in the third, GW tacked on two more in the fourth. Wilson drove in the first run with a triple, then came around to score on Orlandi's single up the middle.
The Explorers (6-33, 0-12 A-10) had runners on base each inning and stranded the bases loaded in the fourth. They finally cracked the scoreboard in the fifth thanks to three straight one-out hits, but senior Kara Clauss induced a pair of groundouts to end the inning and escape further damage.
Clauss (11-16) went the distance and allowed eight hits and three walks while striking out six. Aughton (6-16) took the loss after giving up five runs on nine hits in a complete-game effort.
Wilson and Orlandi were each 2-for-3 at the plate. Wilson stole two bases and scored three runs, while Orlandi drove in two.
GW took control of the second game with three runs in the third inning. Senior Amanda Zakeri led off with a single and stole second base before Wilson crushed her team-best ninth home run of the season well over the center field fence for a 2-0 lead. Orlandi followed with a double off the right field wall and scored on a single by Taylor to make it 3-0.
La Salle first baseman Tristan Musho got one back for the visitors with a leadoff homer in the top of the fifth, but Valos responded by lacing the first pitch she saw in the bottom of the inning over the wall in center field for her eighth round-tripper of the season and a 4-1 GW advantage.
Penna (2-1) matched her career-high with nine strikeouts while turning in her second straight complete game. She allowed six hits and walked one batter. Alyssa Bitsimis (0-5) gave up three runs on seven hits in three innings before giving way to Kristin Travers, who allowed one run on five hits in the final three frames.
The Colonials return to action on Saturday, when they host A-10 rival Dayton in a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. GW will honor its seven seniors in a Senior Day ceremony prior to the first pitch.
