University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Dayton
Minutewomen Storm By Dayton, 9-1
April 15, 2011 | Softball
April 15, 2011
DAYTON, Ohio - Meghan Carta hit a third-inning grand slam, Stephanie Mayne homered on the very next pitch, and Sara Plourde struck out 17 to lead UMass (16-14, 8-3 A-10) to a 9-1 victory over Dayton (13-22, 5-6 A-10) on a rainy Friday afternoon at the Dayton Softball Stadium. Cyndil Matthew went 3-for-4 and drove in a pair of runs as UMass won its eighth in a row and 10th out of its last 11.
The Minutewomen erased a 1-0 deficit with a five-run third inning with Carta and Mayne's blasts that came on back-to-back pitches. They went on to tack on three runs in the sixth inning and one more in the seventh. Saturday's series finale has been rained out and will not be rescheduled.
Plourde (15-10) struck out 17 batters in a complete-game three-hitter. She fanned seven in a row at one point as she ran her season strikeout total to 299. The junior All-American walked just one.
All three Dayton hits came off the bat of designated player Brandy Brown. She homered to left to lead off the second inning, doubled in the fourth, and singled in the seventh.
Trailing 1-0 going into the third inning, UMass used an infield single, a hit batter, a fielder's choice, and an error to load the bases for Carta, who crushed the first pitch from Dayton starter Alysha Isaacson over the left field fence for her second home run of the season, both grand slams, and the Minutewomen's fifth grand slam of the season.
On the very next pitch, Mayne hit her third homer of the season to almost the identical spot of Carta's, making it a 5-1 game.
Jordan Storro started the three-run sixth inning off reliever Sarah Wedel with a RBI groundout. Matthew followed with a RBI single, Lindsey Webster later doubled to right-center to bring a run and make it an 8-1 game.
Webster finished the day 2-for-4 with a RB and a run scored.
Matthew closed the scoring in the top of the seventh when she drove in a run with her third hit of the day, making it 9-1.
