Marshall University Athletics
Herd Splits With Zips
4/24/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Herd Splits With Zips
4/24/2004
- Game One Box Score
- Game Two Box Score
AKRON, Ohio ? The Marshall University softball team split a doubleheader with Akron, 2-3 and 4-2, on Saturday afternoon in Mid-American Conference action at Buchtel Field.
Game One: Akron 3, Marshall 2
Marshall (28-23, 9-8) dropped its sixth one-run loss in conference play in game one at Akron on Saturday afternoon, 3-2, at Buchtel Field.
In the bottom of the second inning, Akron (20-23, 4-12) tallied the first run of the game when a Paige Smith score resulted after two Zip hits and a Marshall error.
Marshall would fight back in the third with a pair of runs after Amanda Williams (Powder Springs, Ga.) got on base via a single over the Zip shortstop and Sarah Wilson (Washington, W.Va.) picked up her second home run in three games for a 2-1 score.
In the fourth, Akron lead-off hitter Becky Stern slap-singled and MU was unable to pull off a fielder?s choice one batter later, placing runners on first and second. Kelly Quigley then sacrificed the runners into scoring position with bunt and Herd hurler Randi Nielson (Tucson, Ariz.) intentionally walked the next batter to load the bases with one out. Aaren McBride would send a ground-ball at Jessica Williams (Powder Springs, Ga.) but a muffed play at third would allow a run home and keep the bases full. Nielson would force a pop fly out but the second Marshall error of the inning would bring in the winning run of the game as the Herd would drop game one, 3-2.
Nielson (12-13) gave up only one earned run on five hits against the Zips. Tina McCauley swept up the win for UA with a complete game four-hitter.
Game Two: Marshall 4, Akron 2
In a back-and-forth game two, it was Marshall that would come out on top, 6-4, in a nine inning affair for a much-needed MAC win.
After four scoreless innings, J. Williams drew a walk to start off the fifth. Wintter followed up with a sacrifice bunt to get a runner into scoring position with one down. Courtney Kacenga (Sierra Vista, Ariz.) notched the second walk of the inning and Sierra Davenport (Tucson, Ariz.) registered a single, loading the bases with pinch-hitter Allison Webb (Wayne, W.Va.) at the plate. A Webb double sent two home before Davenport was caught at home for the third out but not the damage was done and the Herd grabbed their first lead of the series, 2-0.
Akron third baseman Amy Garner hit a double to center field and made it to third on another Herd error in their portion of the fifth. Abigail Harter (Monmouth, Ore.) surrendered a walk a hitter later to put runners at the corners with two outs. Stern then singled to center for Akron?s first run of the contest. Another Zip hit loaded the bases but Harter was able to force a grounder from the Zips statistical hitting leader, Quigley, to escape the inning with the edge.
After getting on first via a single and reaching second on a sacrifice bunt, Jaclyn Spirtos tied up the game with a RBI single to left field, knotting the score at two all.
Sara Spenia (Las Vegas, Nev.) walked in the top of the ninth and J. Williams followed with a single and a wild pitch placed two in scoring position. Wintter then gave the Herd a RBI single and an error resulted in another run, securing the win.
Luers put together a great performance for the Herd in relief as the freshman also snagged the win to move to 4-1 in 2004. McCauley took game two loss and is now 13-11.
Akron outhit MU 9-8 in the game while J. Williams and Webb each registered two hits to lead the Herd battery.
Marshall will vie for the series tomorrow with a 1 p.m. game with the Zips.