Softball

DeSales University 4, Delaware Valley 3 (Game 1)
DeSales University 8, Delaware Valley 6 (Game 2)

DOYLESTOWN (PA) - The Delaware Valley College softball team ended its 2005 season with a pair of Freedom Conference losses to visiting DeSales University. The Aggies fell 4-3 in the opener, then dropped the nightcap, 8-6.

Delaware Valley, under second-year head coach Rich Matarese, finished the campaign with a 14-23 overall record and a 3-11 mark in the conference. The young squad (11 of the 14 players on the roster were freshmen) improved on its 8-25 mark (1-13 Freedom) from a season ago.

The nightcap saw the Bulldogs (17-18, 7-7) score two run in the top of the seventh for the doubleheader sweep. With two outs and a runner on first, Jenna Rau and Valerie Valach notched back-to-back singles to load the bases. Jennifer Cybularz then drove the first pitch she saw into center field for a two-run single and an 8-6 advantage. Delaware Valley put the tying run on base in the bottom of the seventh but a double play ended the contest.

DeSales jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first as Jennine Mara hit a grand slam home run over the right field fence. The Aggies got one back in the bottom of the inning as Kim Harle led off with her first collegiate home run.

The Bulldogs got the run back in the second inning, but Delaware Valley came back with two runs in the third and fourth innings to tie the contest at 5-5. In the third, Katie Leach and Fawn Harmer drove in runs with Leach's RBI coming on her record-setting 14th double of the season. Leach came through again in the fourth with a two-run single. Leach went 2-for-4 with three RBIs as the senior centerfielder ended her finest season with a .316 batting average and 22 RBIs.

DeSales and Delaware Valley exchanged runs to remain tied before Cybularz's big hit in the seventh gave the Bulldogs the victory. She finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Mara went 3-for-4 with five RBIs and Elise Wilk upped her record to 6-10.

In addition to Leach, Harle went 3-for-5 with a double, home run, three runs scored and a RBI. Nicole Dorney went 3-for-4 while Jennifer Bummer and Amy DeBuck each went 2-for-4.

In the opener, DeSales led 4-1 before the Aggies made a seventh-inning rally. They put runners on first and third with two outs and a DeSales error brought in both players for a one-run ballgame. However, Danielle Jenson got the final batter to ground out and she improved her record to 9-4 for the Bulldogs. Mara was 3-for-3 with two RBIs while Cybularz was 2-for-4 and scored and a pair of runs.

Dorney went 2-for-3 in the opener as the freshman catcher finished the season with team highs in batting (.361), slugging (.630), hits (39), home runs (a school-record 7) and RBI (24). Kirstyn Ruhling took the loss despite giving up just three earned runs and eight hits over the seven innings.