FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 10, 2015) – The Drew University softball team picked up its first two wins of 2015 in style, backing strong starting pitching with abundant offense on the way to a 9-1 victory over Rockford University in five innings and a 4-3 defeat of Swarthmore College on Tuesday at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic.
 
Senior pitcher Laura D'Ornellas tossed all five innings in Game 1 opposite Rockford, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out five. Senior Amy Benedict followed that effort in stride against Swarthmore, allowing three runs and eight hits, while walking none and striking out five.
 
Sophomore first baseman Emma Agostini woke up her bat, going 4-for-7 at the plate over the two victories with three doubles, three RBIs and two runs scored. The Rangers improved to 2-6. Rockford fell to 1-4 while Swarthmore dropped its first of the season and drop to 3-1.
 
"It's a great feeling to get the first win of the season and follow up with a second right away," said head coach Charlotte Labate. "Our players have been playing well through the first six games, but we've been on the wrong end of close games. We backed up some great pitching by Laura and Amy with timely hitting, and it came at a perfect time."
 
Eleven Drew Hits Back Up D'Ornellas' Five-Inning Gem
Box Score
 
While D'Ornellas was spinning a spectacular outing in the circle, her teammates made the effort well worth it with 11 hits recorded by seven different Rangers. Drew scored in four of the five frames in Game 1 on Tuesday.
 
Freshman center fielder Heather Ronchi put Drew on the board with an RBI ground-rule double in the top of the first, plating sophomore right fielder Phylicia Pellot, who led off the game with a double of her own. After a 1-2-3 by D'Ornellas in the home half of the first, the Rangers piled in the second.
 
Drew batted around in the frame and received RBIs from senior Helen Mustafa, Pellot, D'Ornellas, and freshman Brooke Adams as Drew took a 6-0 lead. The Reagents answered the bottom half of the second with an RBI double to score their only run of the game.
 
In the top of the third, Mustafa missed her second home run of the season by inches, launching a triple near the top of the left field fence. The throw attempting to catch Mustafa at third was errant, and the senior trotted home for the 7-1 Drew advantage.
 
D'Ornellas retired six of the next seven Reagents, and Agostini picked up her second double of the day, a run-scoring shot to left-center in the top of the fifth. Mustafa added an RBI groundout to set the score at 9-1 and invoked the eight-run rule heading into the bottom of the fifth.
 
In what turned out to be the final inning, D'Ornellas worked around two one-out walks by getting a grounder to third baseman Kristin Zeigler, who stepped on third for the force before getting run over by the Rockford base runner on the throw attempt to first. The umpire called the runner out on interference to end the game.
 
Benedict Solid Over Seven as Rangers Hold Late Lead
Box Score
 
The Rangers pounded out 10 hits in support of Benedict, whose effective start gave Drew the chance to win the game. Benedict worked out of multiple jams, including a bases-loaded, no-out situation that yielded just one run. The Garnet mounted a comeback with two runs during their last chance in the seventh, but Benedict shut the door for Drew's second win of the year.
 
For the second game in a row, Drew plated a run in the first inning. Agostini continued her hot hitting with an RBI single as the Rangers went up 1-0. Benedict worked out of her first jam in the bottom of the first, working around runners on second and third with just one out. The senior hurler rebounded in the second with a 1-2-3 with two strikeouts.
 
The pivotal inning for the Rangers at the plate came in the third, when Drew pushed three runs across for the 4-0 lead. Adams led off with a well-placed bunt single, and after advancing on a wild pitch, scored on Ronchi's RBI double. Agostini followed with another RBI double before Benedict helped her own cause with a run-scoring single up the middle.
 
Benedict's most impressive frame came in the third, when Swarthmore loaded the bases with no outs. The senior pitcher did allow one hit to score a run, but then fielded a pop up and struck out two swinging to escape the inning without further damage.
 
Benedict cruised to the bottom of the seventh, but Swarthmore launched a comeback attempt with a two-out rally and cut the Drew lead to 4-3. Benedict, however, halted the comeback and got a flyout to left field to end the game.
 
The Rangers play their final day at the Gene Cusic Classic with contests against Wilmington College at 1:00 p.m. and No. 14 Montclair State University at 3:00 p.m.