May 12, 2005

Box Score

BOCA RATON, Fla. - Sophomores Meghan Doonan and Ashley Greene combined for a one-hit shutout as the Florida Atlantic University softball team opened the defense of their Atlantic Sun Conference Championship title on Thursday afternoon with a 4-0 win over Stetson. Junior third baseman Jessica Sachs led the way offensively for the Owls (36-30), going 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

Doonan pitched the first five innings and struck out five before making way for Greene who was did not allow a hit over the final two innings. FAU will face fellow winners UCF at 8 p.m. in Thursday's finale after the Golden Knights took care of Lipscomb 3-1.

The second-seeded Owls, who have won the A-Sun Championship the past eight years, got all the runs they would need in the third inning.

Freshman Charlotte Baird reached on an error to lead off and then scored on a Jessica Sachs triple that rolled all the way to the wall in right-center field. Next batter Christina Thompson then drove in Baird with a single to make it 2-0.

A single by Pam Mazzarella was followed by Jessica Braggins getting hit by a Brittani Houghton pitch, which loaded the bases. A fielder's choice by Danielle Arriaga drove in Thompson for the third Owls run and the fourth came via a two-out RBI single by Crandall that drove in Arriaga from second.

Arriaga had a chance to double the FAU lead in the fourth when she stepped up with the bases loaded, but the junior could only fly out to deep center field.

NOTES: FAU is now 15-1 at home in A-Sun Championship play and 38-7 overall...second baseman Christina Thompson made a spectacular diving catch in the third inning.