Beauchman's Two Home Runs Help Propel Blackbirds to 7-3 Victory over St. John's

(boxscore)

2/16/07 -- Sophomore Renae Beauchman (Eagle Rock, Calif.) belted two home runs, including a pivotal third-inning grand slam, and had five RBIs to help lift the Long Island University softball team to a 7-3 victory over St. John's in its season opener at the Dunkin' Donuts Classic in Boca Raton, Fla.

Senior Randi Gillespie (San Jose, Calif.) added two hits and two runs for the Blackbirds, who erased an early three-run deficit with five runs in the decisive third inning.

After a two-out, three-run home run by Lisa Geer opened the scoring in the first inning, Long Island responded with a five-run rally in the third. Junior Celina Castillo (Bay Area, Calif.) began the effort with a hit-by-pitch. It was her first of two on the day.

Junior Vanessa Mejia (Roanoke, Va.) reached on an error and after Gillespie laced a single through the left side, freshman Raylene Asman (Escondido, Calif.) got LIU on the board with a bases-loaded walk. With the bases still juiced, Beauchman stepped to the plate and smashed her first home run as a Blackbird to give the team a 5-3 advantage.

From there, sophomore Jenny Giles (Melbourne, Fla.) would limit Red Storm batters to just two hits after the second frame. Giles tallied eight strikeouts in the complete-game victory, moving her into eighth place on the all-time LIU career list with 184.

Long Island would tack on a run in the fifth courtesy of another Beauchman blast, this time a solo shot to right centerfield. Junior Jessie DePippo (West Lake Village, Calif.) drove home the Blackbirds' final run in the seventh after Gillespie had led things off with a double.

LIU continues play in the Dunkin' Donuts Classic this evening against host Florida Atlantic at 8:00 p.m.