03/21/2009
Softball Drops Doubleheader to Wellesley College

WELLESLEY, Mass. - The Clark University softball team dropped a doubleheader to Wellesley College in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Saturday afternoon. Clark was blanked in the opener 8-0 and fell in the second game 8-6.

Clark drops to 3-11, 0-2 in conference play. The wins even the Blue at 2-2, 2-0 in NEWMAC competition.

Backed by a no-hitter from senior Barbarajean Grundlock (Blackwood, NJ) in game one, she struck out 12 Cougars while walking three. It was Grundlock's first-career no-hitter.

In the opening inning of game one, Amanda Tai (Melrose, MA) got things started for Wellesley with a one-out single. A double from Jessie Haladyna (St. Johns, FL) put runners on second and third, and Alison Davis(Glen Ellyn, IL) followed with a double to the left field fence to plate two. After a sacrifice from Megan Wood (Jacksonville, FL), Alex Warren's (Delta, BC, Canada) single scored Davis to make it 3-0 for the Blue.

Wellesley made it 4-0 in the bottom of the second, after a single and a stolen base from Tai set up an RBI base hit from Haladyna. After Haladyna's single, Davis walked and Wood laced a single down the third base line to load the bases.However, Clark pitcher Meghan Lennon (Charlton, MA) got a strikeout to end the Blue threat.

The Cougars threatened in the top of the fourth inning, after Chelsea Proulx (Franklin, NH) walked and Melissa Traft (Milton, MA) reached on a fielder's choice.However, Wellesley's Grundlock stuck out three straight Cougars to end the inning and preserve the no-hitter.

Wellesley increased the lead in the fourth inning as Tai scored on a Clark miscue to make it 5-0 in favor of the Blue. Wellesley later notched three more runs in the sixth to seal the no-hit victory for Grundlock.

For Clark, Traft picked up the loss, allowing three runs in the first.

Offensively, Tai led the Wellesley attack with four hits and four runs. Haladyna and Megan Wood tallied three hits each, while Davis notched four RBI.

The Blue opened game two with a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Wellesley added to the advantage in the second, putting runners on second and third after a Shawna McCreadie (Des Plaines, IL) double and an Elora Daniele (Belle Mead, NJ) bunt single. McCreadie was knocked home by Tai while Daniele scored on an RBI single from Townsend.

Clark tied the game at 4-4 in the top of the third, taking advantage of three walks to load the bases. After Blue shortstop Daniele threw out a Clark runner at home for the first out of the inning, Traft doubled to plate all three baserunners and narrow the Wellesley lead to 4-3. Darcy Kurashige-Elliot (Berkeley, CA) followed with an RBI single to score Traft and knot the game at 4-4.

Wellesley needed just one pitch to regain the lead, as Wood blasted her first homerun of the season to open the bottom of the third inning. A walk and two singles later, Tai drilled a liner to center scoring Grundlock. The Blue then capitalized on a Cougar miscue to tally two more runs and stretch the lead to 8-4.

Two innings later, Clark's Lauren Blake Oakland (ME) led off the fifth with a single. After a walk and a fielder's choice, Kurashige-Elliot singled to center to drive in two runs, but that's as close as the Cougars could get.

Kurashige-Elliot led the Cougar offense with two hits and three RBI. Blake, Traft, and Proulx added one hit a piece, while Blake and Maureen Coakley (Worcester, MA) each scored two runs. Sarah Carter (Worcester, MA) allowed 12 hits and four earned runs while striking out two in the loss.

Wood scattered three hits to lead the Blue, while Tai, McCreadie, and Daniele added two each. Tai also tallied two RBI in the win. First-year Sarah Sherburne (Mill Valley, CA) pitched two and 2/3 innings for the Blue, giving up two hits. Grundlock picked up the win in relief, allowing just three hits and two runs four and 1/3 innings.

Up next for Clark, the Cougars will host Brandeis in non-conference action on Wednesday beginning at 3:00pm.

Courtesy of Wellesley College Sports Information