WASHINGTON - It was a day to remember at Hoy Field on Saturday afternoon as Gallaudet University started its 2023 baseball season with a win and in the second game made history with the debut of the first woman to play on a Bison baseball team.
Gallaudet (1-1) split its doubleheader with Elmira College as the Bison won the first game, 11-3, while the Soaring Eagles (1-1) took the second contest, 22-3.
Junior catcher Salvador Diaz (Norwalk, Calif.) had himself a day as he drove in six runs and was a single shy of hitting for the cycle. Diaz drove in two runs with a double in the six-run first inning, he slammed a three-run home run in the fourth and tripled home a run in the bottom of the sixth. Diaz finished the first game 3-for-4 at the plate, two runs scored and six RBI.
Freshman pitcher Christina Elsbury (Uniontown, Ohio) joined an elite fraternity of women who have played college baseball as she debuted in the second game in the top of the sixth inning. Elsbury pitched the entire inning as she faced eight batters and got one fly out and two ground outs to get out of the inning. The Soaring Eagles scored three runs in the frame on four hits and one walk but history had been made as Elsbury became the first woman to play in a Gallaudet baseball game.
"It was an inspiring moment to see Christina take the mound and pitch in a game for Gallaudet. She is making the most of her opportunity. We are proud of Christina and her teammates for being part of history," said Gallaudet baseball head coach Curtis Pride.
In the first game, freshman Brandon Drolsbaugh (Lansdale, Pa.) pitched a complete game as he allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits, four walks, and struck out seven. Brandon is the younger brother of senior third baseman Darren Drolsbaugh (Lansdale, Pa.), who scored three runs as he reached base on two walks and one hit. Gallaudet's first four batters scored nine of GU's 11 runs.
In the second game, Diaz picked up where he left off and added a RBI double in the fourth inning. Junior Joshua Dugan (San Antonio, Texas) followed with a two-run single to help the Bison in a three-run fourth.
Dugan (0-1) took the loss on the mound as the Soaring Eagles scored five runs in the first two innings.
While Elsbury became the first woman to play for a Gallaudet baseball team the Bison program has already faced a woman on the diamond in Julie Crouteau (1989-92) at St. Mary's College of Maryland.
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