Credit: GR Productions
Pirates Take Down Drexel Dragons, 11-6
Published: Wednesday, April 16, 2025
by Darren Worrell
PHILADELPHIA, PA – The Seton Hall softball team (26-18, 10-8) faced off against the Drexel Dragons (3-33, 3-15) and won 11-6, in what was originally scheduled as a doubleheader. However, the matchup was reduced to a single-game showdown due to player availability issues. That didn’t faze the Pirates, as they battled through and came away with a hard-fought victory.
The game got off to a slow start for the Pirates, as they went down in order 1, 2, 3 at the top of the first inning. In the bottom half, trouble began to brew on the mound. A walk followed by a throwing error to third base put the Pirates in a tough spot early. Drexel’s Jr. Devyn Demchak ripped a double, allowing Kylah Reading to score from second to give the Dragons an early 1-0 lead heading into the second inning.
In the second inning, the Pirates responded in a big way, and who else but Taylor Hill to spark this rally. Hill went yard, launching a home run to give Seton Hall a 2-1 lead and briefly shifting the momentum in their favor. However, the bottom of the inning proved challenging, especially on the mound for Schumann.
She gave up back-to-back hits to open the frame, followed by two walks that loaded the bases. Once again, Demchak came through for Drexel, doubling to drive in two more runs. By the end of the inning, the Pirates found themselves trailing 5-2.
In the third inning, the Pirates stormed back into the game. This time, it was Drexel struggling with fielding and control. Pitcher Madison Taylor issued a leadoff walk to Katey Brennan, putting a runner on. One batter later, Alexander singled to left, advancing Brennan to third.
Then, the magic happened; Olivia Gilbert stepped up to the plate and crushed a three-run homer to left field, tying the game at five apiece. In the bottom half of the inning, the Pirates made a pitching change as Dupuis came in to relieve Schumann and promptly retired the side in order. The momentum had officially swung back in Seton Hall’s favor.
The fourth inning is when the Pirates took over. It didn’t look promising at first, with two quick outs that had them on their heels. But then Hobbes reached on a fielding error, and walks from Alexander and Martinez loaded the bases. That brought up Olivia Gilbert, who was already having a game. And she came through again, smashing a double into left center that cleared the bases. Just like that, Seton Hall jumped ahead 8-5 to close out the inning.
In the fifth, the Pirates added a little insurance. Brennan came around to score thanks to a Drexel fielding error. But just when it felt like things were slipping away for the Dragons, they answered back with a solo shot from Garza to cut it to 9-6.
Fast forward to the sixth, and Seton Hall still wasn’t done. Hill came in to score on a throwing error, stretching the lead to 10-6. At the end of the inning, Macie Bergmann knocked a double to left center, but Drexel were shut down after that. Seton Hall’s defense came up big, taking care of business with three straight flyouts to end the inning.
In the seventh, the Pirates decided to put the finishing touches on their win. Brennan stepped up and launched one over the right-center fence, pushing the lead to 11-6.
Things got slightly tense in the bottom half. Reading led off with a hit and advanced to second on a wild pitch, then a couple of walks loaded the bases. But with the pressure on, Seton Hall locked in. A big strikeout and a groundout sealed the deal, and the Pirates walked out of Philadelphia with a tough 11-6 victory.
With the win, the Pirates now look ahead to their next matchup on the road at Rutgers. The first pitch is set for 2 p.m. on April 16 in Piscataway.
Darren Worrell can be reached at darren.worrell@student.shu.edu.Posted in: sports,