Skinner's Single Wins It For Bulldogs

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Senior Day ended in dramatic fashion. Allison Skinner's single scored Laina Do with the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning as Yale earned a thrilling 7-6 victory over Brown and a split of an Ivy League doubleheader at Dewitt Family Field. Camille Weisenbach's two-run home run had tied the score earlier in the inning.

Brown won the first game 5-3.

Leading 6-4 entering the seventh inning, it looked like the Bears were on their way to a sweep. The Bulldogs, though, had other ideas. Hannah Brennan led off with a double to left field, and Weisenbach followed with a towering homer over the right field fence. Just like that, it was tied.

Brown head coach Katie Flynn summoned Leah Nakashima from the bullpen but Do and Brittany Labbadia greeted her with back-to-back singles. After Sydney Glover walked to load the bases, Skinner delivered a sharp single to left, setting off a wild celebration.

"This team wouldn't allow the seniors to leave the field without a win," said Yale head coach Jen Goodwin. "To see Hannah get the lead off double to fire up the team was great. Camille stepped up, and I knew she was going to it hard, but when it dropped on the other side of the fence, I knew that inning was ours."

Seniors Brennan, Riley Hughes, Sarah Onorato and Kylie Williamson, who were honored prior to the first game, all played key roles in the doubleheader. Brennan was 3-for-4 with an RBI in the second game and also had a hit in the opener. Hughes was 2-for-3 in the first game, reached base three times in the second game and scored two runs. Onorato was 2-for-3 with an RBI in the second game, and Williamson pitched three innings in the first game.

"Our seniors have given us so much in their time at Yale," Goodwin said. "I couldn't have been prouder of our team's efforts today to get the dramatic, walk-off win. Hannah, Riley, Kylie and Sarah will never forget this day, that win, and neither will I."

Pitcher Francesca Casalino also played a large part in the win, tossing three scoreless innings of relief to give the Bulldogs an opportunity to come back.

Brown (12-20, 6-12 Ivy) scored five runs in the third inning to grab the lead, but Yale answered with two runs in the bottom of the third. Rachel Paris's bases loaded walk forced home the first run, and Brennan followed with an RBI ground out.

Skinner's sacrifice fly to left scored Do in the fourth to pull Yale within two.

The teams traded runs in the fifth, setting the stage for the Bulldogs' dramatic three-run seventh inning.

Yale (10-22, 4-13 Ivy) outhit the Bears 13-11.

The Bulldogs nearly pulled off a last-inning comeback in the first game. With two outs in the seventh, Onorato singled and Brennan reached on an error. A wild pitch moved Onorato to third and pinch-runner Sydney Ginsberg to second, but Brown pitcher Katie Orona induced a ground out to end the game.

Yale had plenty of other opportunities, tallying nine hits but leaving 10 runners on base.

"The first game was a tough loss," Goodwin said. "Whenever you outhit a team and leave double digits on the bases, it's hard to digest. Between games, we didn't have much to say. We just needed a few clutch hits."

Weisenbach and Skinner were happy to oblige.

The same two teams will play a doubleheader in Providence on Saturday. The first pitch of the first game is slated for 12:30 p.m.

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