NAPLES, Fla. (March 8, 2016) – The bats remained hot, a young pitcher continued her emergence and the Drew University softball team won its fourth game in a row with a doubleheader sweep on Day 3 of the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic in Florida.
 
The Rangers (4-2) topped Swarthmore College, 7-3, in the opener before a come-from-behind 7-6 victory over Clark University. Drew trailed Clark 6-0 after two innings, but came all the way back to tie it up before taking the lead in the top of the seventh. The Rangers racked up double-digit hits in each game while freshman pitcher Bethany Budner picked up a pair of wins in the circle, allowing a single earned run in 12.1 innings of work on Tuesday with seven strikeouts.
 
Sophomore catcher Heather Ronchi paced the offense with a 4-for-7 day and four RBIs, two in each win. Junior right fielder Phylicia Pellot kickstarted her bat with five hits in eight at-bats on Tuesday, while sophomore left fielder Brooke Adams went 4-for-6 with three runs scored.
 
The Rangers will enjoy an off day in Fort Myers on Wednesday before two more on Thursday against Alfred State College and Kenyon College.
 
Eleven-Hit Attack Supports Budner's Brilliant Start on the Mound vs. Swarthmore
 
Budner went the distance, allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits. The rookie starter didn't issue a single walk and struck out three.
 
Drew jumped ahead early, chasing the Garnet (3-2) starter from the game with six runs in the second inning. Two runs came on stolen bases with runners on the corner. Budner stole a base, allowing junior Emma Agostini to score from third on the throw. On a similar play, freshman Katie Grodski swiped second to allow sophomore Danielle Martinez to score after she knocked in a run with a single earlier in the inning. Junior shortstop Meghan McGuire added an RBI groundout and Ronchi handed Drew the 6-0 lead with an RBI single.
 
Swarthmore would push two unearned runs across in the third thanks to a few Ranger miscues in the field. It was a sloppy game for both defenses with a combined 10 errors, four for Drew and six for the Garnet. The Rangers earned some insurance in the sixth as Ronchi lined a sacrifice to centerfield, allowing Grodski to score her second run of the game.
 
That was plenty support for Budner, who was forced to work out of a bases loaded, no out jam in the seventh. Budner coaxed a foul out to third base, gave up an RBI ground out, then got a grounder to shortstop to end the game.
 
Rangers Erase 6-0 Deficit, Score Seven Straight to Aid Budner's Win in Relief
 
Agostini got the start in Game 2 and fell victim to four walks, none of which missed the strike zone by much. Five runs crossed the plate, but just one earned run was charged to Agostini, who only allowed two hits. Budner came on in the second, and on her first pitch, gave up a bases-loaded triple that cleared the bases. That hitter also came around to score that inning and the Cougars (3-5) were in firm control, 6-0.
 
Drew quickly went to work on the comeback, scoring four runs on five hits in the third inning on RBIs from Ronchi and sophomore third baseman Lauren Mastropierro. Budner answered in turn with a 1-2-3 bottom of the third.
 
The Rangers tied it up in the fourth with another string of hits and the help of a Clark error. All four hits and both runs came with two outs with RBI hits from McGuire and Ronchi.
 
Budner allowed four base runners over the next three frames, but solid defensive play and a strikeout kept the game knotted at 6-6.
 
Now in the final scheduled inning of play, Ronchi led of the seventh with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After a walk and a productive groundout, Ronchi made her way to third base with just one out. That led to the biggest at-bat of the young career of freshman Sammie Booth, who hit a deep fly ball to center to score Ronchi as the go-ahead run on the sac fly.
 
Budner worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning with a strikeout to put the come-from-behind victory on ice.