Game 1
Game 2
NORFOLK, VA.(3/6/2010) – Jennifer Ortega (Aberdeen, N.J.) posted three hits while Emmie Dolfi (Pleasant Valley, N.Y.) and Natalie Siedhof (Canton, Pa.) each drove in a pair of runs as Colgate held on to defeat St. Bonaventure 8-5 in the opening game of the Norfolk State Spartan Clash, Saturday morning. The Raiders dropped a 14-11 decision to Niagara in the second game.
Colgate, 3-1 overall, erupted for five runs in the opening inning against “The Bonnies”. Melissa Babb-Renta (Glenview, Ill.) opened the contest with a lead-off triple. Two batters later, Ortega brought the senior home with a single to second. After Stephanie Hartquist (Homer, N.Y.) reached on a hit by pitch and the Raiders got back-to-back walks from Brittany Hanrahan (Frankfort, Ill.) and Nicole Siedhof (Canton, Pa.), Natalie Siedhof laced a two-out bases-loaded single to center to up the lead to three. Two batters later, Dolfi singled to drive in the Siedhof sisters to close Colgate's scoring in the opening frame.
Up 6-5 in the top of the seventh, the Raiders manufactured two important insurance runs. After Ortega opened with a double, Hartquist was hit for the second time in the game. The sophomores then successfully pulled off a double steal to move runners to second and third with no outs. Hanrahan's grounder to the pitcher plated Ortega, while Nicole Siedhof's sacrifice scored Hartquist a play later.
Jesse McCarrick (Oak Hill, Va.) surrendered seven hits and four earned runs in 5.1 innings of work to get the victory. Freshman Courtney O'Connell (Palm Harbor, Fla.) pitched a scoreless 1.2 innings of work to get her first collegiate save.
Four Raider errors proved costly in the second game as the Purple Eagles plated 10 unearned runs to pull out the victory in Colgate's second game of the day.
The Raiders, who posted 11 hits in the loss, got off to another quick start in the opening inning by scoring three, all courtesy of Hanrahan, who unleashed a bases-loaded double. Up 3-1 in the second, the Raiders sent nine batters to the plate and scored five more runs. Colgate pieced together two hits in the inning and took advantage of one Niagara error and two walks. Niagara countered with four runs in the second to pull within three at 8-5 before taking the lead for good with a seven-run third.
Down 14-8 in the top of the seventh, the Raiders rallied and put some drama in the outcome. After the first two batters of the inning reached, Ortega stretched her hitting streak to nine by blasting her second round tripper of the year to give the Raiders hope. Niagara got three of the next four batters out to preserve the win.
Hanrahan, Natalie Siedhof and Dolfi each had two hits in the loss to the Purple Eagles, while Alana Dyson (Grovetown, Ga.) scored three times. O'Connell suffered the loss. The freshman gave up five earned runs in two innings.
Colgate returns to action Sunday as it takes on St. Bonaventure for the second time before playing the host school, Norfolk State in the final game of the Spartan Clash.
