Marshall University Athletics
Softball Sweeps Zips
4/3/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Softball Sweeps Zips
4/3/2005
- Game One Box Score
- Game Two Box Score
- Game Three Box Score
Abigail Harter tallied two wins on the mound for the Herd on Sunday. Photo by Matt Riley |
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. ? The Marshall softball team showed serious stamina on Sunday, dropping Akron, 6-3, 8-0, and 5-3, in a three-game Mid-American Conference series at Dot Hicks Field.
Game One
Marshall 6, Akron 4
The Marshall softball team was able to rally for four runs before the rain began to become steady on Saturday and took care of the rest when action resumed on Sunday, dropping Akron 6-3.
MU (20-12, 5-1 MAC) picked up its first run in the first when Amanda Williams (Powder Springs, Ga.) ran out a dribbler to the catcher for a single, advanced to second via a stolen base and took off for third on a sacrifice bunt. Rachel Folden (Baldwin Park, Calif.) would groundout, scoring A. Williams for a 1-0 Marshall lead.
Akron (13-14, 1-6 MAC) retaliated with two runs of its own, one in the second and one in the third, as Becky Stern singled in Becky Santonastaso for a tie ball game in the second. Kerry Omerza scored off a Jacyln Spirtos single in the third.
For Marshall in the third, Jessica Williams (Powder Springs, Ga.) slapped a hit to left field and advanced to second on an error. Folden walked a batter later and took second on a steal while J. Williams advanced to third. Folden and J. Williams would score after Gina Guzzo (Virginia Beach, Va.) reached on an error by the left fielder and Guzzo would score on another Zip error, this time via Sara Spenia (Las Vegas, Nev.). To end the scoring, an Ashley Mitchell (Kennesaw, Ga.) single drove home Spenia as the umpire suspended play.
When play resumed on Sunday, both squads would tally another run as Akron crossed the plate in the sixth off a Rebecca Kraus RBI single and Marshall would punch in its final score in the bottom of the frame off a Dee Tourville (Rescue, Calif.) home run.
Randi Nielson (Tucson, Ariz.) picked up the win after pitching seven innings, giving up six hits and three runs while striking out four. Tourville paced the Herd offensively with three hits.
Game Two
Marshall 8, Akron 0
Marshall gathered eight runs on eight hits to down Akron, 8-0, in five innings.
The Herd went to work early, notching three runs in both the first and second frames. J. Williams reached first on a walk and Folden would later walk to put two on early for MU in the first. A Leigh Wintter (Acworth, Ga.) single scored J. Williams and a Guzzo single brought home Folden for a 2-0 lead. A. Mitchell tallied her second RBI of the series by scoring Guzzo on a slapper to end the first.
In the second, Courtney Kacenga (Sierra Vista, Ariz.) started off the inning with a hit to left field and Tourville sacrificed her to second with a bunt. Three consecutive walks were issued to the Williams duo and Folden to score Kacenga, as UA starter Tina McCauley was pulled for Megan MacKenzie. After retiring Wintter, Guzzo reached on a fielder?s choice that allotted two more runners home for a 6-0 contest.
A. Williams would end the scoring and the game with a two-RBI single in the fifth to give Marshall its fourth MAC win of 2005.
Abigail Harter (Monmouth, Ore.) surrendered no runs and only two hits in five innings of work for the win. Mitchell put up nearly half of the Herd?s hit total, registering three.
Game Three
Marshall 5, Akron 3
The Herd went up big in the first two innings, going up 5-0, and held off an Akron comeback to pick up win number three on Sunday, 5-3.
A. Williams singled to start off the first and advanced to second off the Zip catcher?s error. J. Williams singled to the pitcher with a bunt to put runners on the corners before Folden walked for bases loaded. Wintter picked up a RBI with a sacrifice fly, scoring A. Williams and a Samantha Rodriguez (Oakley, Calif.) hit to the shortstop scored J. Williams.
In the second, Tourville walked and A. Williams grounded out to the second base, advancing Tourville to second. J. Williams singled to first, putting Tourville at third before Folden followed up with a two-RBI single through the right side. A Guzzo sac fly to center would score Folden for a 5-0 game.
Akron came back with three runs of its own, including two in the seventh inning as Nielson came in for the save, stranding three runners for a Marshall win.
Harter picked up the win on the mound. In four innings in the circle, the sophomore gave up four hits and a run.
?Any time you can get three wins in a day, it?s a great thing,? Marshall head coach Shonda Stanton said. ?We are very proud of how we played today?it was a total team effort against a quality opponent.?
Marshall goes back on the road with a doubleheader at Western Michigan on Wednesday.
