University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Dayton
Plourde's No-Hitter Leads Softball In Sweep At Dayton
March 22, 2009 | Softball
March 22, 2009
XENIA, Ohio - After Brandice Balschmiter and Bailey Sanders held Dayton (3-20, 1-3 A-10) to just one hit in a 16-0 victory in game one, Sara Plourde pitched a no-hitter in just her second career start to finish off the UMass sweep, 11-0, at the AIA Sports Complex on Sunday afternoon. Sarah Reeves led the offensive onslaught, hitting a grand slam and a three-run home run, as #23/17 UMass (13-6, 2-0 A-10) extended its Atlantic 10 winning streak to 40 games.
Plourde (2-0) hit the first Dayton batter of game two with a pitch and was perfect the rest of the way, retiring the next 18 in a row, to record the 73rd no-hitter in UMass history. The one hit batter kept her from having just the ninth perfect game in UMass history. The freshman finished the game with nine strikeouts.
Junior centerfielder Carly Normandin led the team with six hits (6-7), while driving in four runs and scoring five times on the afternoon. Freshman second baseman Kyllie Magill was a perfect 5-for-5 over the two games with four runs scored and one driven in.
The Minutewomen pounded out 14 hits in the first game as they posted their largest margin of victory since March 29, 2006 (20-0 vs. Dartmouth). Normandin was 4-for-4 to lead the way with four RBI and three runs scored. Whitney Mollica was 2-for-3 with a two-run triple in the first that started the scoring. Whitney Williams, Reeves, Davina Hernandez, and Magill all had multi-hit games as well in the 16-0 victory.
Balschmiter (10-4) allowed just one hit in three innings of work while striking out four to earn the victory. Sanders pitched the final two innings, not allowing a hit and striking out two.
UMass bettered its game one effort by collecting 15 hits in game two. Magill was 3-for-3 in the game with two runs scored, while Normandin, Williams, Mollica, Reeves, and Samantha Salato all had multi-hit games. Salato launched a solo home run, her team leading fourth, in the at-bat after Reeves launched a grand slam to straightaway center. Reeves added a three-run homer in the sixth to give the junior first baseman nine total RBI for the day.
Sunday's games were played at the Athletes In Action Sports Complex in Xenia, Ohio due to NCAA men's basketball tournament games being played at the Dayton campus over the weekend.
The Minutewomen will play their home opener at the UMass Softball Complex on Friday when they host St. Bonaventure at 3 p.m. The Minutewomen and Bonnies conclude the series on Saturday with a noon contest. Those two games begin an eight-game homestand for UMass.
