Weekend Recap

Briana Gwaltney

Charlotte: Clearly I should not have been so quick to count out the 49ers at the beginning of the year. This squad is not as flashy as the 2009 or 2010 version, but they are getting the job done. Coach DeVos is definitely getting all that she can out of her squad this year and I like the mentality of the 49ers. Charlotte may be the toughest team mentally in the A10 and I think that was shown this weekend with a split against St. Louis. Charlotte lost the 1st game 5-4 before coming back to win the 2nd in comeback and walkoff fashion 8-6.  This team is battling and the fight that this team is showing makes them very dangerous. Katy Hackett is not the dominant strikeout pitcher that former ace Emily Jeffery was, but she is confident and composed which is contagious on this 49er squad. Charlotte also has some big bats this year and they have been coming through again and again. Tenaya Tucker has continued her torrid pace, but one of the key's to Tucker's success has been the players behind her. Briana Gwaltney is having one heck of a year and she is in the zone right now at the plate. Behind Gwaltney, Kalie Lang is doing very well in her rookie campaign and this trio has been giving opposing pitchers fits. Each player has more than 27 RBI which is remarkable. This powerful trio does need some help from the rest of the lineup, Jalisa Rock is doing a nice job, but hitters 7-9 have produced almost nothing for Charlotte. If Charlotte can get those hitters going this team is going to start looking better and better.


Dayton: The Flyers split with George Washington, but the have to be a little disappointed with that outcome. The Flyers had leads in both games before blowing each one. They did manage to come back in the second game to at least salvage some momentum heading into next weekend. The Flyers had the long ball working again including four against the Colonials in game 2 of the doubleheader. Kathleen Maloof has been one of the offensive stars in the A10 this year and she continued to get it done at the plate. Lauren Nacke and her powerful bat stayed hot as well, but I would like to see more from this offense. Dayton has shown that it can score with homeruns, but the Flyers aren't getting those big hits can they find a way to score? This offense carries an enormous load and so far they have produced and they find themselves right in the heart of the A10 standings. In the circle, Dayton continues to pitch by committee and the Flyers are seeing mixed results. Alysha Isaacson has done a great job as a freshman and she has providing some stability out there. Sarah Wedel has done a nice job as well, but they haven't always had solid defense played behind them. Wedel and Isaacson are not big strikeout pitchers and they need a good defense behind them to keep runs off the board. That is one area the Flyers have to improve on moving forward. Dayton has gotten away with splits so far, but they are going to need to sweep some teams to make it to the A10 tournament.

Lauren Nacke

Fordham: Jen Mineau had been having a solid year for the Rams, but this week she elevated her game to that All-American level again. She was dominant allowing just two hits in 10 innings of work against St. Bonaventure and St. John's and she struck out 21 batters. If she can return to her 2010 form the rest of the A10 better watch out because she can pitch lights out. Coach Orchard's strategy of limiting Mineau's use early on seems to be paying off, as she is starting to pitch her best when Fordham needs her the most. Chelsea Plimpton has continued to be effective in the circle and this 1-2 combo for the Rams is getting the job done. Mineau and Plimpton have been helped out by an outstanding defense behind them and that defense does not get the credit that it deserves. On offense, the Rams are heating up, including Nicole Callahan and Samantha Pellechio who have been on fire as of late. These two are leading the Rams offensive charge right now and the players around them are beginning to get involved as well, including last year's Rookie of the Year Jamie LaBovick. The next step for Fordham is to get Beckah Wiggins involved. Wiggins really completes this lineup and when she is feeling at the plate the entire team feeds off her energy. Fordham had a battle in game 1 vs. St. Bonaventure, but the Rams took it one pitch at a time and began taking solid cuts at good pitches. Then the Rams had an offensive explosion in game 2, where everyone got involved. I am really interested in seeing if they can build off of that game moving forward.


George Washington: The Colonials perfect start in the A10 has ended, but the confidence and swagger in this squad remain. George Washington is leaving it all out on the field this year and that's what I like to see. The Colonials are a bit shorthanded right now in the circle without Kara Clauss and Heidi Penna has done an admirable job in her absence. Penna just ran out of gas against Dayton in the 2nd game of the doubleheader, but she is really showing that poise that made her sister so successful at Stanford. She really needs some help and hopefully she will get it, especially with the way the rest of the team is playing. On offense, what more can you say about freshman Chelsea Lenhart she is hitting the ball well and she is setting the tone for this squad with a .373 BA with 10 doubles and 16 RBI. Lenhart is making a serious case for A10 Rookie of the Year and honestly if she keeps it up she will be the hands down favorite. The rest of the order has taken its cue from Lenhart and they are finding ways to scratch across runs. The Colonials are not an explosive offense by any means, but they have been staying close in most of their games. George Washington is going to see some tougher competition this weekend when St. Joseph's and Temple come to town and the Colonials have a chance to send a big statement to the rest of the conference with a good weekend.


La Salle: Well as bad as things were for La Salle, at least they were competitive. The Explorers are in a skid, but they have had opportunities to pick up wins. In fact, La Salle was right in both games till the very end, but they just could not close out either game. DJ Guinn continued her strong work in the circle throwing 10 solid innings against St. Bonaventure and she is really due for a win. Laura Beth McCreesh and Kristen Paoletti are still looking to get things on track in the circle. At the plate, freshmen Jackie McBride and Susan Moran had good days and they are going to be the future for this program. La Salle cannot be discouraged by the fact that they did not pick up a single win; this is a young team and they are fighting every game. This program is definitely improving, even though the results on the field don't necessarily indicate that.


UMass: Maybe we are seeing the end of a dynasty. UMass had another split this weekend down in Philadelphia and now has 3 losses in A10 play, which is as many as the Minutewomen had in 2006. I am not expecting this team to run the table and we may see a new high in losses for UMass. The champs have fallen and we appear to be entering a new era in the A10. Things are starting to look up a bit for UMass, but the Minutewomen still have some significant issues to work through. The Minutewomen are struggling to hit the ball right now, but the offense did get some help with the addition of Sara Plourde to the lineup. This squad does not have the depth of previous UMass squads, especially with a couple key contributors out with injuries so Coach Sortino needs to put her best out on the field. The impact of Plourde was evident right away as Plourde drove in runs in 3 of UMass' 4 games. The rest of the lineup really needs to put good swings on the ball and cut down on strikeouts. In the circle, Sara Plourde is pitching okay. Plourde is not dominating the way she was last year and she is getting into trouble with walks and HR. She must be sharper moving forward, but she did see her load lighten in the circle. Caroline Raymond was given the start in two games this weekend and she delivered in both. She picked up her first win against Temple and then suffered the loss against St. Joseph's despite allowing just 2 ER. Her defense unfortunately let her down with 4 errors in that game and 4 others on the weekend for a total of 8. Those defensive numbers have to improve especially with St. Louis up next for UMass.


Rhode Island: This has just been rough year for the Rams any way you slice it. They really need to catch a break right now. A couple positives to take out of the weekend are the offensive performance in the second game against St. Joseph's and the pitching performance of Erika Szymanski against Temple in game 2, other than that there weren't many positives. Brittany Julich, Szymanski, and Kelly Coker all had RBI against the Hawks, as they did manage to score a couple of runs against Erin Gallagher. Fallon Scorpio and Jocelyn Mattison had the other lone hits on the day for St. Joe's. It didn't get much better against Temple, as URI was no-hit in game 1 and they only managed 3 hits in game 2. Brittany Julich had two of those hits and the other was an Erika Szymanski solo shot.

Jen Sansano

St. Bonaventure: The Bonnies ran into a hot Fordham team on Saturday, but they did manage to put up a good fight in game 1 and then on Sunday, the Bonnies swept a doubleheader from La Salle. The Bonnies team has truly put in work at the batting cages and it is paying off. The Bonnies have now hit 14 HR in 15 games and they are hitting a respectable .268 at the plate. Maureen Wells and freshman Ashley Snider both hit multiple homeruns on the weekend and they are providing this team a power element that they did not have last year. The Bonnies are aggressive at the plate and taking good swings and if they can continue to do they will be right in the hunt for one of those final A10 tournament spots. I just love the improvement that St. Bonaventure has shown and it is not just limited to the plate. In the circle, Coach Threehouse has found himself two very capable pitchers in Diana Phalon and Jen Sansano. Sansano just looks like a pitcher with a tall and lanky figure and she did a fine job against Fordham despite the fact that she had had not pitched since St. Bonaventure's opening weekend. Then the next day she bounced back to throw over 11 innings in helping the Bonnies pick up 2 wins against La Salle. Clearly, Sansano is going to be a special pitcher and once she gets some more game experience she could be a force in the A10. Now Sansano does not need to do all the work in the circle for St. Bonaventure thanks to Diana Phalon. Phalon has really emerged as a solid option for Coach Threehouse and she keeps proving herself out there. Phalon may not have the imposing presence of Sansano, but she has that strong will and fight to win. Now the one area of play that the Bonnies have not improved on is defense. The Bonnies have hurt themselves on the field by committing 29 errors in 15 games, including 17 in just 6 A10 games. That figure has to go down dramatically.

Shannon Kramer

St. Joseph's: The Hawks had a very good weekend going 3-1 against UMass and Rhode Island, yet they come away wanting more. In the past, St. Joseph's would be happy with a split against UMass, but this squad feels that they belong. I am loving the confidence and swagger that I am seeing in this team and I am very excited in how far this program has come under Terri Adams. In the circle, Erin Gallagher is finding her groove and her team has backed her her up on defense minus a 7th inning lapse against UMass. The Hawks have shown that they can beat anyone with Gallagher in the circle. Gallagher is throwing as well as anyone in the conference right now and while she may not be as flashy as Sara Plourde or Jen Mineau, but she gets the job done and it is time for her to get the recognition that she deserves. Taryn Ashway and Lauren Pembleton have done a nice job along with Gallagher and they have an important role in keeping her fresh heading into a postseason run. On offense, Monica Aguilar continued to swing the bat well and she has continued to pour it on at the plate. She is just taking care of business in so many ways for the Hawks and she is proving to be a very tough out for opposing hitters. Aguilar continued to perform, but the big star of the weekend for St. Joseph's was Shannon Kramer. Kramer was clutch this weekend and she was really feeling it at the dish hitting .438 with 2 big HR and 8 RBI. Kramer is providing some much needed protection to Aguilar and this Hawks offense is getting the job done. The Hawks will have another big weekend coming up and with a good weekend they could find themselves in the driver's seat in the A10 race. 

Kelcie Matesa

St. Louis: The Billikens went down to Charlotte and earned a hard fought split. St. Louis could have won both or lost both depending on a couple pitches here or there, but they came away with a split. Each game was a battle and this series did not belong on the second weekend on conference play. In the circle, Kelcie Matesa really got things going with a solid outing in game 1 and she really battled through a tough 49er lineup. Matesa did a nice job of keeping the 49ers at bay before Hannah Huebbe came in to shut the door. Huebbe was effective in closing out game 1, but the 49ers had her figured out in game 2 and they knocked her out early on. Julian Austin saw her first taste of A10 action and had somewhat mixed results. Austin was effective for stretches, but the 49ers had her figured out at the end of the game. On offense, Kristin Nicoletto wreaked havoc on Charlotte with both her speed and her bat. Nicoletti was all over the basepaths, but she also managed to drive in 4 runs. Aly Brand and Jessica Van Nostrand also got the job done at the plate, as the Billikens showed off their depth once again. I would like to see this team keep the pressure on opponents. The Billikens picked up leads in both games and then seemed to slow down on offense. I want to see this squad keep the pedal to the metal moving forward, especially as one of the favorites in the A10.


Temple: The Owls wasted no time in jumping all over Sara Plourde and UMass and they did not look back finishing with a 7-1 win over the Minutewomen. Temple took advantage of walks and timely hits including a 3 run HR by Stephanie Pasquale en route to a 7 run 1st inning. After that inning, it was all Kristen Marris. Marris was masterful in limiting the Minutewomen to just 4 hits and 1 run and she really got herself in a groove that she would continue in the rest of the weekend. Marris was dominant on Sunday in a sweep of Rhode Island going the distance in both games, including a no-hitter in game 1. Coach DiPietro has his ace in the circle and it looks like she is going to get the start in every meaningful game the rest of the way. Coach DiPietro sees the A10 tournament within his grasps and he does not want to fall short again. Game 2 against UMass was the complete opposite of Game 1 for Temple, but the Owls did see Ali Robinson have nice game at the plate against her former Pennsbury Gems teammate. The Owls are beginning to find their comfort zone at the plate and proof of that is all of the softballs flying out of the Ambler complex. Against Rhode Island on Sunday, the Owls hit 4 dingers and this squad is seeing the ball very well right now. Temple is going to look to keep it up next weekend when they hit the road to face two teams who sit above them in the standings. This is going to be a big weekend for the Owls and we will find out just how good they really are.