Homers, Knocks In Four Runs Against Pioneers

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Sarah Onorato has enjoyed success against Sacred Heart throughout her career at Yale, but she saved her best performance for last. Onorato, a senior who entered Wednesday's doubleheader with a .333 lifetime average against the Pioneers, had four hits, including a home run, and knocked in four runs as the Bulldogs split two games with Sacred Heart on a gorgeous afternoon at Dewitt Family Field.

Onorato was 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI in the opener, an 8-3 Pioneer win in eight innings, and followed that up by going 2-for-4 with three RBI to lead the Bulldogs to a 4-3 victory in the second game.

Lauren Delgadillo also had a big day with three hits, including a double. Hannah Brennan, Brittany Labbadia and Sydney Glover each had two hits on the afternoon.

After falling in the first game, Yale (8-17) jumped out to 2-0 lead in the third inning of the second game. Labbadia started the rally with a bunt single and promptly got into scoring position by stealing second. Glover followed with a single to left, and Onorato's single to right plated Labbadia. After Delgadillo walked to load the base, Rachel Paris was hit by a pitch, forcing home the second run.

Sacred Heart (10-21) cut the deficit in half with a run in the fourth, but Onorato's long two-run homer in the sixth made it 4-1.

Onorato's blast turned out to be quite important when Sacred Heart scored twice in the seventh inning on Kate Nadler's two-run home run. Francesca Casalino struck out Kelyn Fillmore, though, to end the game and preserve the victory.

Rhydian Glass pitched the first four innings and did not allow an earned run. She yielded just four hits and struck out three to earn her first victory of the season.

The Bulldogs, who managed seven hits, stole four bases, including two from Labbadia.

The first game began as a pitcher's duel between Yale's Lindsay Efflandt and Adrianna Mallory.

The game was scoreless until the fourth when Justine Sibthorp homered and Hannah Ford added an RBI single to give the Pioneers a 2-0 lead.

Yale used a bit of small ball to scratch across a run in the bottom of the fourth when Onorato doubled, advanced to third on Laina Do's sacrifice bunt and scored on Allie Souza's ground out.

The Bulldogs then scored twice in the fifth. Glover tripled and scored on Allison Skinner's sacrifice fly. With two out, Brennan walked, Delgadillo singled and Onorato followed with an RBI double to right field.

Sibthorp's RBI double in the sixth tied it at 3-3.

Yale had a great chance to win in the seventh, loading the bases with two outs, but couldn't push across the winning run.

Sacred Heart then erupted for five runs in the eighth inning. The big hit was Ford's three-run homer.

The Bulldogs return to Ivy League play this weekend with a four-game series at Harvard. The teams play doubleheaders on both Saturday and Sunday beginning at 12:30 p.m.

Report filed by Tim Bennett (timothy.bennett@yale.edu), Yale Sports Publicity