Samford 4, Wright
State 2
Samford 2, Southeast
Missouri 1
MEMPHIS, Tenn. ---- Samford started its weekend at the Blues
City Classic strongly, earning two wins defeating Wright State, 4-2, and
Southeast Missouri, 2-1, in extra innings.
Samford (5-5) was led at the plate Saturday by Megan Dowdy,
who collected three hits in eight at-bats, adding an RBI in the Wright State
game. Madison Dickey failed to collect a
hit in the Wright State game, ending her hitting streak at five games, though
she had two RBI in the Wright State game and a triple in the SEMO game.
Mollie Hanson (4-4) added two wins to her record today,
closing out the Wright State game and going the distance in the SEMO game. The Bulldog bullpen only allowed one earned
run today while striking out a combined 19 batters.
GAME ONE: Samford 4, Wright State 2
Samford’s first game of the day against Wright State (1-8)
was not a particularly efficient win, with both teams committing a combined six
errors, but a clutch two-run rally in the top of the seventh ultimately gave
the Bulldogs the edge over the Raiders.
All three of Samford’s pitchers saw time in the game, with
Mollie Hanson earning the win after pitching 1.1 shutout innings to close out
the game. At the plate, the Bulldogs
were led by Dowdy and Alex Adams, who both went 2-4 while Dickey drove in two
of the Bulldogs’ four runs.
In the bottom of the fourth, back-to-back singles with one
out gave the Raiders their first serious scoring threat, ending the outing for
starter Misha Aldridge in the circle.
Shelby Scott came in relief and walked the next batter, loading the
bases with just one out. Scott regrouped
quickly and got the Bulldogs out of the jam, striking out the next two batters
to leave three stranded and keep the game scoreless.
In the top of the fifth, Rachel Bickert pinch-hit to lead
off the inning and knocked a double into center field. Abby Adams re-entered the game to run for
Bickert and, with one out in the inning, Hannah Taylor came in as a
pinch-hitter and brought Adams home with an RBI single to left field, though
she was tagged out trying to advance on the throw. A groundout ended the inning but the Bulldogs
now had the lead, 1-0, over Wright State.
Samford added another run in the top of the sixth off a
double steal, as Kayla Shaffer stole second and Madeline Baker, pinch-running
for Alex Adams, stole home to put Samford up 2-0.
Wright State threatened in the bottom half of the sixth, as
the leadoff batter reached off an error, eventually advancing to third as they
had runners at the corners with two away.
The runner at first stole second and the next batter reached off a
fielding error, scoring one to put runners at the corners with two away. A single then brought home the game-tying
run, which ended the day for Scott as Hanson entered looking to stop the
scoring rally. Hanson struck out the
final batter of the inning to limit the damage, though the score was now tied,
2-2, heading into the seventh inning.
Abby Adams was put on base as the potential go-ahead run in
the top of the seventh, hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Caroline Wilder reached off an error and
Adams advanced all the way to third to put runners at the corners with nobody
out. Arica Dykes singled into center
field, advancing Wilder to second but Adams was held at third as the bases were
now loaded with nobody out as the Bulldogs turned to the top of the batting
order. Dowdy dropped a single into right
field to move everyone up a base, scoring the go-ahead run as Samford now led
3-2. Dickey flew out to left field,
scoring another off the sacrifice fly, and a double-play ball ended the inning
with the Bulldogs holding the 4-2 lead heading into the final half-inning.
Wright State would put a runner on first in the final
half-inning but Hanson would strike out the final batter to secure the 4-2
victory for Samford.
GAME TWO: Samford 2, SEMO 1 (8 innings)
In their second game of the day, Samford edged out SEMO
(3-4) in a 2-1 pitcher’s duel that stretched to extra innings. Hanson earned her fourth win of the season
going the distance in the circle, throwing 8.0 innings with 13 strikeouts. Six different Bulldogs collected a hit in the
win, with Alex Adams and Kayla Shaffer driving in the Bulldogs’ two runs.
The Samford bats were working early as Dickey started things
off with a one-out triple in the top of the first. Alex Adams reached on a fielder’s choice as
Dickey was tagged out at home and Kayla Shaffer brought Adams home with an RBI
double into left field. A groundout
ended the inning with the Bulldogs holding the early one-run lead.
The Redhawk offense was equally as efficient in the bottom
half of the first, as a one-out RBI double to the right-field gap tied the game
at 1-1 at put two runners in scoring position.
Hanson limited the damage to one run however, striking out the remaining
two batters to end the inning with the score 1-1.
After scoring in the first inning, neither offense could
regain the momentum as pitching dominated for most of the game. In the top of the seventh, Callie Brister
came in to pinch hit and singled with two outs and Aldridge, also
pinch-hitting, singled to left field to put the potential go-ahead run into
scoring position. A groundout ended the
inning and Hanson shut down the Redhawks in the bottom half of the inning as
the teams headed to extra innings tied at 1-1.
With Dowdy placed at second to start extra innings, she was
moved to third on a groundout and was scored off a sacrifice fly by Alex Adams,
putting Samford up 2-1 in the top of the eighth. With a runner placed on second, the SEMO
leadoff hitter reached on an infield single to put runners at the corners with
nobody out. A huge double play put two
away, as the batter grounded out to second and then the runner at third was
tagged out at home, leaving a runner at second with two away. Another groundout ended the game as Samford
came away with the one-run extra inning victory.
Georgia Southern
9, Boston 1
Wisconsin 4, Georgia
Southern 0
KISSIMMEE, FLA. – Georgia Southern Softball earned a split
in day two of the 2013 Citrus Classic at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
with a run-rule win over Boston University and a loss to Wisconsin. Kourtny
Thomas’ fourth home run of the season sparked a nine run fourth inning in the
BU game that gave GSU the five inning victory.
- GAME ONE | GSU 9 | BU 1 | 5 Inn. -
A day after dropping a 2-1 result in extra innings to the
Terriers, Georgia Southern got revenge on the Terriers with a 9-1 run-rule
victory over Boston University. A nine-run fourth inning did all the damage for
the Eagles.
Kourtny Thomas opened the inning with a solo home run to
left field to open the biggest inning of the season for the Eagles. RBI doubles
by Alexa Lewis, and A.J. Hamilton scored two runs each, while a Shelby Morrill
single pushed two more runs home. Another RBI single by Hamilton and an RBI
single by Lindsey Wilcox capped off the high-powered Eagle fourth.
Sophomore pitcher Brooke Red earned her first win of the
season by going the distance. She fanned six batters and allowed just one run,
a fifth inning RBI single, off three total hits.
- GAME TWO | GSU 0 | WISCONSIN 4 -
Wisconsin got four runs in the fifth and sixth innings to
take a 4-0 win over the Eagles in Georgia Southern’s second game of the day. An
RBI double in the sixth gave the Badgers a 1-0 lead, but a pair of home runs in
the sixth gave Wisconsin three runs in the inning to take a 4-0 lead.
The Eagles tallied five hits in the game with five different
batters throughout the lineup registering singles.
Wisconsin and Georgia Southern square off again on Sunday
morning at 9 a.m. in the Eagles’ finale at the 2013 Citrus Classic from the
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
UNCG 10, Quinnipiac 8
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG softball team used 13 hits and
10 runs to defeat Quinnipiac, 10-8, on Day One of the Spartan Classic Saturday
night at the UNCG Softball Stadium.
Freshman Kelly Lupton (Galloway, N.J./Absegami) improved to
2-0 on the season after throwing 4.1 innings in the victory. Lupton allowed
five earned runs but had seven strikeouts, while redshirt junior Raeanne Hanks
(Rainier, Ore./Rainier Senior) picked up her second save of the year in 2.2
innings of relief. Hanks only allowed two hits, three unearned runs with four
strikeouts to close the game.
UNCG was led at the plate by freshman Danielle Vega (Rialto,
Calif./Aquinas) who finished 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and four RBI.
Junior Katelyn Bedwell (Surrey, B.C./Elgin Park) also had a two-hit night with
a solo home run and two RBI.
The Spartans took an early 3-0 lead after RBI singles from
Bedwell and senior Eileen Horsmon (Dunkirk, Md./Northern) in the bottom of the
first. With two outs, freshman Allison Geiner (Raleigh, N.C./Middle Creek) and
sophomore Dominique Madruga (San Diego, Calif./Cathedral Catholic) earned
consecutive walks to add another run for UNCG.
Quinnipiac cut the lead to 3-1 after an RBI double from
Courtney Solt. Bridget Figmic scored with two outs on the double.
UNCG built a 7-1 advantage after a four-run bottom of the
fourth thanks to five hits. Horsmon started the inning with a single, followed
by another single from senior Heather Robb (Apex, N.C./Middle Creek). After two
outs, sophomore Tatiana Alcala (Oxnard, Calif./Pacifica) lined a two-run double
to left center to give the Spartans a 5-1 lead. Junior Aisha Figueroa (Virginia
Beach, Va./Ocean Lakes) reached first on an infield single, followed by a
clutch two-run double from Vega to make
the score 7-1.
The Bobcats would answer in the top of the fourth with
three-straight solo home runs from Jordan Paolucci, Nikki Barba and Kortney
Kesses.
In the bottom of the fourth, Bedwell blasted her second home
run of the season to left center to give UNCG a 8-4 advantage.
Quinnipiac added another run in the top of the fifth when
Barba roped a double to left center for her second RBI of the game. With one
out, Hanks entered the game in relief and ended the inning with a strikeout,
followed by a groundout.
In the bottom of the fifth, Figueroa reached on a one-out
error when Vega blasted a two-run home run off the bottom of the scoreboard to
give UNCG a 10-5 lead.
The Bobcats would score an unearned run in the sixth and two
unearned runs in the seventh off Spartan miscues. With the tying run at the
plate, Hanks would get Abby Johnson looking to end the threat.
UNCG continues the Spartan Classic Sunday, Feb. 24 against
Quinnipiac at 12:30 p.m. at the UNCG Softball Stadium.
Elon 8, Temple 3
Elon 10, St. Peter’s
0
Elon 13, St. Peter’s
3
ELON, N.C. – Tomeka Watson tied the all-time career home run
program record as the Elon softball team won all three of its games on the
opening day of the Phoenix Softball Clash on Saturday, Feb. 23. Elon (4-4)
defeated Temple (0-2), 8-3, in its opening game then swept Saint Peter’s (1-6)
in its remaining games of the evening, 10-0 and 13-3.
Watson hit her 26th career home run against in the second
game against the Peacocks to tie Brandi Jones (2006-09) for the most homers in
Elon softball history.
Elon 8, Temple 3
The Phoenix started strong against the Owls, plating two
runs in the bottom of the first inning. Watson hit a two-run home run to put
Elon on the board first, 2-0, scoring herself and Carleigh Nester.
Temple would respond in the top of the second inning with
Leah Lucas answering with a one-out solo shot over Watson in left field to pull
the Owls within one, 2-1. After allowing another base hit, Phoenix starter
Kayla Caruso got the next two batters to fly out to end the top half of the
inning.
The Owls held Elon scoreless in the bottom of the second and
added two more runs in the top of the third to move ahead 3-2.
The Phoenix countered with three runs in the bottom half to
push back ahead, 5-2, on a Johanna Spencer three-run home run into right
center. Elon would get two more on base, but struck out to end the inning with
a three-run advantage.
That would be more than enough run support for Caruso as the
freshman allowed only two hits for the remainder of the game, both coming in
the top of the fourth.
Elon added three more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning
when Aly Quintana hit a one-out double into center field, scoring Caitlin
O’Shea. Grace Eng followed with a two-run homer over the left field fence to
drive in Quintana.
Temple went down in order in the sixth and seventh inning as
the Caruso (1-2) earned her first collegiate win. The freshman from Kennesaw,
Ga., pitched a complete game in 7.0 innings of work and struck out five
batters.
Temple’s Jessica Mahoney (0-1) took the loss after pitching
4.1 innings with six strikeouts. Kelsey Dominik pitched 1.2 in relief.
Elon 10, Saint Peter’s 0
Eve Clausen toed the rubber for the second game of the day
for the Phoenix versus the Peacocks. The sophomore transfer from the University
of Hartford was making her Elon debut in the circle.
Clausen benefited from great run support to start the game.
Elon plated five runs in the bottom of the first to jump ahead 5-0. After the
Peacocks forced Elon’s first two batters out, Watson was intentionally walked
with Spencer coming to the plate. Watson was able to steal second followed by
Spencer hitting a double into right field scoring Watson. Spencer herself would
score after Emily Cameron stole second base and advance home on the throw.
After Quintana drew a free pass, Eng would hit her fourth
home run of the season to give Elon a 5-0 lead. It also forced Saint Peter’s to
go with a pitching change and relieve starter Erica Colon with Lee Harrison.
Neither team could muster any offense until the bottom of
the fifth inning. Camille Hill drew a walk to lead off the inning followed by
Watson hitting a two-run home run over right center to give Elon a 7-0 lead.
After the next two Phoenix batters singled to get on base, Amanda Allen homered
into left field adding three more runs on her first collegiate hit to end the
game 10-0 on a run-rule.
Clausen (1-0) allowed only two hits in 5.0 innings of work,
striking out five. Colon (0-2) received the loss for the Peacocks.
Elon 13, Saint Peter’s 3
In the nightcap, Saint Peter’s started the game strong with
Harrison hitting a solo home run into left center to give the Peacocks an early
1-0 advantage in the top of the first. The next three batters could not add to
the momentum and Phoenix was able to get out of the first half down 1-0.
Elon countered with five runs in the bottom and lead 5-1
after the first inning. Spencer hit a one-out triple to drive home Nester and
Watson. Cameron would single into right field to bring home Spencer then moved
into scoring position after stealing second. After Quintana drew a free pass,
Eng hit a single up the middle scoring both Cameron and Quintana.
The Peacocks would not go away quietly adding another run in
both the top of the second and third innings. The Phoenix offense was too much
as Elon plated another five runs in the bottom of the second.
Watson would make history in the bottom of the third as the
Jackson, Ga., native tied the Elon all-time home run record with a solo shot
into right field that pushed the Phoenix’s lead to 6-3. Emilie Rowand would
drive in her first career RBI on a single to finish the scoring for the inning
for Elon and give itself a 12-3 advantage going into the fourth.
Nester would lead off the bottom of the fourth with a solo
shot over the right center wall, her first of the season, to give Elon a 13-3
lead with the game ending in that score the following inning.
Karen Berna (1-2) picked up the win for Elon after 2.0
innings of in the circle. Clausen pitched in relief. Saint Peter’s Tori Feorenzo
(0-2) picked up the loss.
Elon returns to the field tomorrow to conclude the Phoenix
Softball Clash against Hampton. That game scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m.
Chattanooga 10,
Miami (OH) 6
Boston College 6,
Chattanooga 1
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.-The Chattanooga Lady Mocs softball team
(7-6) claimed a dramatic 10-6 win over the Miami RedHawks (1-8) Saturday
evening at Frost Stadium to record its third win of the Frost Classic. Senior
Kasey Tydingco (Fairfield, Calif.) delivered the knockout punch in the bottom
of the ninth inning - a grand slam over the left field fence - to lift the Lady
Mocs to a win. Despite the walkoff-fashion win, UTC was unable to hold off
Boston College (2-2), falling 6-1 in seven innings.
Chattanooga 10 - Miami 6
The Lady Mocs began the second day of the Frost Classic
nearly two hours late due to a one hour rain delay and extended game before
hand, but the win was well worth the wait for fans at Frost Stadium. Before the
ninth inning excitement, Chattanooga found itself on the board first in the
first inning with a 1-0 lead. A single and stolen base from Sara Poteat
(Thomaston, Ga.) set up the inning and Sarah Beth Roberts (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.)
doubled in the senior to give UTC the lead.
Chattanooga added onto the score in the third inning, again,
with the aid of Roberts. A single from Anyssa Robles (Lawrenceville, Ga.) began
the three-run frame and junior Hannah Thurley (Nashville, Tenn.) was called on
to pinch run. A wild pitch moved Thurley into scoring position and Roberts
recorded her second double to drive the runner in. A double from Stephanie
Rieck (Chandler, Ariz.) brought Roberts around to score and outfielder Courtney
Ervin (Seymour, Tenn.) singled to bring in Rieck.
The Redhawks answered with two runs in the sixth inning,
bringing the score within two, but UTC jumped back ahead 5-2 when a throwing
error allowed freshman Yoshi Hooks (Cleveland, Tenn.) to score on a
Poteat-batted ball.
Despite the deficit, Miami shocked the Lady Mocs with three
runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game at 6-6, sending the matchup into
extra innings. Both teams managed to score in the eighth to keep the game
alive, but Tydingco put another tally-mark in the win column for Chattanooga
when she lifted a pitch to left field to bring in four runs, handing UTC a
four-run win.
Chattanooga 1 - Boston College 6
The Lady Mocs came up short in the second game of the day
with a 6-1 loss to the Boston College Eagles. Boston College struck in the
first inning with two runs and one more in the third, chasing sophomore pitcher
Taylor Deason (Clarksville, Tenn.) after just 2.1 innings. Despite the three
runs given up, Deason gave up only two hits.
Freshman Kaisey Carson (Indianapolis, Ind.) was brought on
in relief but did not fare much better, giving up four hits and two runs in 2.2
innings. Fellow freshman Rachel Albritton (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) relieved Carson
in the sixth inning, allowing a run to score in the frame.
Chattanooga was able to score one run in the fifth inning on
the shoulders of junior Tyler Templet (Woodstock, Ga.) and freshman Amanda Ross
(Torrance, Calif.). Templet singled and stole second base before Ross singled
to drive in the junior.
Chattanooga wraps up the Frost Classic Sunday at 12:15 p.m.
as the Lady Mocs take on Missouri State at Frost Stadium.