Scaglione Powers Heat Past Riptide
June 19, 2006 - National Pro Fastpitch (NPF)
Arizona Heat News Release
TUCSON, ARIZ - The Arizona Heat defeated the New England Riptide for the second night in a row and earned a split for the four game series. Heather Scaglione delivered two homeruns including a grand slam and finished with six RBIs. The Heat won by a score of 11-8, holding off a furious rally by the Riptide.
Thursday's starters Desiree Serrano and Danielle Henderson squared off again tonight with Serrano getting the better end. She lasted five and one-third innings, surrendering seven runs - two earned - on nine hits and picking up her third win of the season. She walked three batters and struck out seven. Henderson held the Heat to one run in seven innings on Thursday, but would only last two and one-third innings tonight. She allowed five runs on four hits and stuck out three. Jocelyn Forest came on in relief and gave up six runs in her two innings of work.
The Riptide jumped out to an early lead in the first, using a lead-off walk by Kristen Vesely and a pair of singles by Winkler and Beyster to load the bases. After a strikeout, New England scored a run on an error by Scaglione to take the 1-0 lead. The Riptide would strike again in the third on an RBI triple by Lyndsey Angus.
In the bottom of the inning the Heat bats woke up. Kaleo Eldredge and Crystal Farley led off the inning with back-to-back singles. Nichole Thompson sacrificed both runners into scoring position and Jackie Coburn walked to load the bases. Toni Mascarenas drew a walk to score the Heat's first run and cut the deficit in half. Scaglione followed with a monster shot to left field for a grand slam, putting the Heat up 5-2. Arizona was not done in the inning, adding another run on three straight singles by LaDonia Hughes, April Valdez and Kaleo Eldredge.
The Heat were back at it in the fourth adding two more runs off Forest and extending the lead to 8-2. Forest retired the first two batters of the inning before hitting Mascarenas with a pitch. Scaglione then blasted her second homerun of the game. The fifth was much of the same for the Heat, adding three more runs off Forest. Hughes began the inning with a single and advanced after Valdez was hit with a pitch. Eldredge and Thompson followed with RBI singles to push the score to 10-2. Mariangee Bogado came on for Forest and gave up a RBI double to Coburn before striking out the next two batters to end the inning.
The Riptide would not go quietly into the night, putting up six runs in the sixth and cutting the lead to three. Jen Scavone drew a one out walk and scored on a Destiny Frankenstein single. Jackie Pasquerella would then reach on an error by Farley to give New England a pair of runners. Serrano walked Kristin Vesely to load the bases and surrendered a single to Lisa Iancin before being removed from the game. Celena Velasquez would come on and get the second out of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Lindy Winkler. After a walk loaded the bases again, Angus followed with a bases clearing double making the score 11-8. Saturday's starter Leslie Wolfe would come on and get out of the inning without allowing any more damage.
Wolfe retired the Riptide in order in the seventh to end the game and record her first save of the season.
Heather Scaglione ended the Heat's power drought by smashing two 250 foot homeruns including a grand slam. She ended the night tying Heat records for homeruns in a game (2) and RBIs (6). LaDonia Hughes collected four hits, two runs and a stolen base, pushing her hitting streak to five games. Kaleo Eldredge delivered three hits, pushing her league leading total to 16 and also added two RBIs. Eight of the nine Heat starters had at least one hit, and seven had at least one run.
Lyndsey Angus led the Riptide attack with two hits and four RBIs. Lisa Iancin and Lindy Winkler each added two hits and a RBI.
The Heat travel to Houston next week to face the Texas Thunder in a four game series starting Wednesday.
National Pro Fastpitch Stories from June 19, 2006
- New England Riptide returning home to Lowell for nine games - New England Riptide
- Summer heats up with the Riptide - New England Riptide
- Texas Thunder to Host League City/Galveston Night with the Thunder - Rockford Thunder
- Scaglione Powers Heat Past Riptide - Arizona Heat
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