March 17, 2008

Box Score

ORLANDO, Fla. - Timely defensive plays and clutch hitting helped the Dayton Flyers sweep two games at the Orlando Rebel Games with a 6-4 eight-inning win over the Wagner Seahawks and a 4-1 triumph against the Army Black Knights.

UD improves to 7-8 overall and has won six of its last seven games.

In the first game against Wagner, sophomore Molly Meyer drove in the winning run in the eighth and finished the day 1-for-3 with two runs scored. Sophomore Megan Lee drove in two runs and senior Blair Crabtree continued her strong hitting by going 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored.

However, it was the highlight reel catch by Meyer in center field that saved the game for UD in the fifth inning. Against the Wagner cleanup hitter, Meyer caught the ball over the center field fence to keep the game at 3-3.

"That saved the game," head coach Cara Clark said. "She literally leaped to catch it and fell onto the other side of the fence, still maintaining the ball. It was unbelievable."

Senior Erin Lafayette not only got the win by throwing a complete game, but she also scored the game-winning run on Meyer's single. LaFayette allowed 10 hits and three earned runs while striking out one.

UD jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first, but allowed Wagner take the lead with runs in the first, third, fourth and sixth. The Flyers tied the game in the top of the seventh with a one out rally. After senior Laura Matthews reached on an error, Lee doubled home pinch-runner Alicia Nichols to tie the game and force extra innings.

The second game featured a stellar pitching performance by sophomore Eva Rappe who notched her second win of the season.

Rappe scattered eight hits in seven innings of work allowing just one earned run and striking out three. More impressively was the fact that Rappe allowed only one extra basehit, a double.

"Rappe gets the credit for pitching a great game and offensively we executed much better," Clark said. "By not stranding as many runners as the previous two games, we were much better."

Rappe got just enough offensive help as the Flyers mustered only three hits, but took advantage of three Army errors.

Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the third, UD took the lead for good with two runs in the third and added two in the fifth.

When the Flyers had runners on base, UD did a much better job of getting them home. Crabtree once again came through going 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Junior Katie Jordan scored twice off of two walks.

The Flyers return to action on Tuesday, March 18 battling the Columbia Lions at 11 a.m. ET. Game two will take place at 3 p.m. ET when the Flyers battle the Manhattan Jaspers.