Samford 10, SIU-Edwardsville 6
MOBILE, Ala. - The Samford softball team tabbed its first win of the season Saturday in a 10-6 win over Southern Illinois University-Evansville on the second day of the Mardi Gras Invitational hosted by South Alabama. Saturday was truly the first full day of play in the three-day tournament after Friday's action was canceled due to winter weather.
Samford jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning Amanda Barrs singled to bring in Amy Gonzalez with the bases loaded and two out. Next, Alex Adams doubled to bring in Barrs to put the Bulldogs ahead early in the game.
Samford scored again in the fourth after Aaren Fisher tripled to set up a scoring opportunity. Amanda Jordan then reached on a fielder's choice while Fisher scored to put the Bulldogs ahead 3-0.
After five scoreless innings, the Cougars of SIUE posted all six of its runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Cougars then took a 6-3 lead but Samford staged an incredible comeback, scoring seven in the top of the seventh before shutting out the Cougars in the bottom of the inning.
Rachael Reeves led off the inning with a walk before Gonzalez singled to advance her to second. Robyn Harmon then singled to load the bases before Reeves was walked in to score on Katie England's at bat. Barrs then grounded out, bringing home Gonzalez, before England and Harmon scored on a Cougar fielding error. Jordan then singled to bring home Fisher and to bring it all full circle, Reeves singled to score Jordan after Jordan had advanced on two wild pitches.
The Bulldogs were paced by Barrs, Fisher and Jordan who combined for six of Samford's nine RBI. Fisher and Jordan went 1-for-3 at the plate while Barrs was 1-for-4. Fisher scored two runs while Jordan and Barrs scored one each. Harmon was 2-for-3 with one run while Adams went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.
Leading the defensive effort was Fisher with five putouts along with Adams and Frates four each.
Stephanie Royall secured the win for the Bulldogs after pitching two innings in relief of Harmon. Royal gave up two unearned runs on three hits and walked two of 11 batters faced. Harmon pitched five full innings, giving up only three earned runs on six hits. She walked five batters and retired three.
The Bulldogs will be back in action Sunday at 11 a.m. when they face off with Central Arkansas. They will then wrap up play in the Mardi Gras Invitational at 4:30 p.m., as they take on host team South Alabama.
Drexel 3, UNC Greensboro 0
UNC Greensboro 5, Bethune-Cookman 3
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - UNC Greensboro split a pair of games at the Jacksonville University Tournament on Saturday, falling to Drexel 3-0 before bouncing back with a 5-3 win over Bethune-Cookman. Freshman Heather Robb was a combined 3-for-6 with three RBI on the day.
In UNCG's 2010 season-opener, Drexel scored all three runs in the first two innings and pitcher Hillary Allen (1-0) made the lead stand, two-hitting the Spartans (1-1).
Robb and junior Kristen Gabel accounted for UNCG's two hits. Robb belted a triple for her first collegiate hit.
The Dragons (1-0) struck for two runs in the first inning. Hanna Parrish led off with a single up the middle then stole second. Decon Metcalf attempted to sacrifice her to third, but a UNCG error allowed Metcalf to reach base and Parrish to score. Metcalf stole second and went to third on a groundout, then scored on Ashley Botelho's RBI single up the middle.
UNCG starter Amber Harrell (0-1) struck out the next two batters to avoid further damage, but Drexel added one more run in the second inning. Laura Stagliano drew a one-out walk, then stole second. A Rachel Campbell single moved her to third, and Stagliano came home on a wild pitch.
UNCG tried to mount a rally in the top of the third inning, but left the bases loaded. Emily Akiyama drew a leadoff walk, but was erased on a fielder's choice. Gabel singled to put runners on first and second, but another fielder's choice took out Whitney Sirois at third. Jordan Jewett drew a walk to load the bases, but Allen induced a grounder from Alex Emeterio to end the threat.
The Dragons left the bases full in the bottom half of the third, but Harrell struck out the side around a walk and two singles to keep the score 3-0.
Meanwhile, Allen settled in, sitting down 12 straight before Robb's two-out triple in the top of the seventh. Allen struck out Akiyama swinging to nail down her first win of the season. Allen also had the only multi-hit game on either roster, as she was 2-for-3 at the plate.
Harrell took the loss in the circle for the Spartans, as she allowed three runs - two earned - on six hits and four walks in 6 innings. She struck out 10.
UNCG found its offense against B-CU (0-1), rapping out eight hits and taking advantage of five Bethune-Cookman errors in picking up its first win of the season.
Brittany Ausley was 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while Robb was 2-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored. Jewett was 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Freshman Raeanne Hanks (1-0) picked up the win in her first career start, as she allowed just one earned run on four hits and two walks in the complete-game effort. She struck out four.
Down 3-1 in the bottom of the fifth, UNCG exploded for four runs to rally for the win. Ausley led off the frame with an infield single, then took second and third on a Wildcat error, which also allowed Jewett to reach second.
Emeterio followed with a single to score Ausley, and after Kaitlin Merkt was intentionally walked to load the bases, Robb brought in Jewett and Emeterio with a single. A fielder's choice and a wild pitch moved Robb to third, and the rookie from Apex, N.C., came in on an RBI grounder from Sirois.
Hanks retired the final six batters in order to lock up her first win.
The Spartans took an early 1-0 lead in the contest, with Ausley hitting a leadoff single and eventually scoring on Robb's fielder's choice. B-CU committed two errors in the inning.
The Wildcats answered with two runs in the top of the second, with Allison Garcia reaching on an error to lead off and taking second on a wild pitch. One out later, Michelle Banuelos-Smith walked, then both runners advanced on another wild pitch. Joanna Hernandez brought in Garcia with a sacrifice fly to center, and Liz Parrish followed with an RBI double to bring in Banuelos-Smith. Hanks struck out Tameika Jonas to end the inning.
Bethune-Cookman added another run in the top of the fifth on Parrish's leadoff home run.
Garcia (0-1) took the loss for the Wildcats, allowing five runs - two earned - on eight hits and a walk in 6 innings of work.
The win was the 99th of UNCG coach Jennifer Herzig's career. She will go for No. 100 Sunday, as the Spartans return to action at 1 p.m. when they will take on Virginia Tech. UNCG will wrap up its stay at the JU Tournament when it takes on host Jacksonville at 3 p.m.
Oklahoma 1, Chattanooga 0
Michigan State 12, Chattanooga 1
CLERMONT, Fla. - On a clear and sunny day in Florida after the first day was rained out, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga dropped contests to No. 10 Oklahoma (1-0), 12-1, and No. 3 Michigan (1-0), 1-0, at the National Training Center Invitational in Clermont, Fla. Senior Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) posted nine strikeouts against the Sooners, while junior Tiffany Baker (East Ridge, Tenn.) when 2-for-3 in the contest.
Due to a change in the tournament schedule because the first day was rained out. The Lady Mocs will now battle Florida Atlantic and UCF on Sunday starting at 11:30 a.m. The change was to allow all the teams to play four games and accommodate travel schedules.
Game One: No. 10 Oklahoma 1, Chattanooga 0
Sophomore Jessica Traxler (Chino Hills, Calif.) notched the first hit of the contest against freshman Keilani Riecketts in the third, but the Sooners answered with a hit in the bottom of the innings.
To start the fourth inning, junior Michelle Fuzzard (Huntington Beach, Calif.) walked and freshman Kasey Tydingco (Fairfield, Calif.) made her first appearance for Chattanooga as a pinch runner.
Baker came thru with a single down the left field line to move Tydingco over to second and a passed ball put two Lady Mocs into scoring position with one out. The Sooners came up to the challenge eliminating the Chattanooga rally with a strikeout and groundout.
The Sooners struck in the bottom of the six, when they loaded the bases with one out after a walk, an illegal pitch moving the runner to second, a bunt single and hit batter.
To score the only run of the game, Riecketts hit a sacrifice fly to left field that was dropped, but Flores instinctively threw the ball to third base beating the runner from second. Loudermilk erased the Oklahoma threat with two fly outs to end the inning.
In the top of the seventh, Baker hit a liner down the third base line that hit the Sooners' third baseman' glove and bounced away. Freshman Sarah Poteat (Thomaston, Ga.) pinch ran for Baker at first, but the Lady Mocs were unable to rally.
Ricketts notched 12 strikeouts, three hits and only a single walk to record her first career win.
Game Two: No. 3 Michigan 12, Chattanooga 1
After two scoreless innings from junior Nikki Waters (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.), No. 3 Michigan flexed its offense for four runs on their way to a 12-1 victory in five innings. Freshman Sarah Poteat (Thomstaton, Ga.) started for the Lady Mocs at shortstop and used her speed to beat out a bunt single in the bottom of the first.
Chattanooga notched its first run of the season during the bottom of the fourth when, junior Lyndsey Stiles (Hixson, Tenn.) singled up the middle leading off the inning. Poteat moved the Stiles to second on a sacrifice bunt before junior Michelle Fuzzard (Huntington Beach, Calif.) lined a double into the right center gap driving home Stiles. The lone run was all that the Lady Mocs were able to produce against one of the top pitching staffs in college softball.
Junior Kandice Irwin (Knoxville, Tenn.) came in relief of Waters in the fourth inning allowing two runs and starting the fifth before Waters reentered.
After four runs in the third followed by two in the fourth, Nikki Nemitz led off the inning with a single up the middle before Dorian Shaw hit a towering home run over the centerfield fence. The Wolverines would go on to score six runs on seven hits.
The Wolverines used 15 base hits, all of which were singles except the Nemitz home run. The Wolverines seemed to find holes in the Lady Mocs defense all day as Chattanooga did not commit an error in the contest.
Michigan's Jordan Taylor pitched a three hitter and struck out eight allowing only one run.