Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Alabama
@HerdSB Falls on Day Two of the BAMA Bash
2/28/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Game 1 Box Score (Alabama)
Game 2 Box Score (Tennessee)
Coach Stanton Post Game Video
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Marshall softball drops two on day two of the BAMA Bash. The Herd loses 4-2 in a heartbreaker to #4 Alabama and then 18-0 to #14 Tennessee in the nightcap.
Game 1: #4 Alabama 4, Marshall 2
Marshall took #4 Alabama all the way to the end in a tightly contested battle that the Crimson Tide pulled out in the seventh 4-2.
"What a great ballgame game one (vs. Alabama) was," Herd Coach Shonda Stanton said. "For a fan you couldn't ask for anything better. It was exciting and our kids really competed. I was really proud, we were 2-2 going into the seventh. Our word for the day was fearless and our kids were fearless in that game they didn't back down from anything."
Alabama, as the visitor, scored first in the top of the first inning. Marshall answered in the bottom of the second as sophomore Taylor McCord (Gilbert, Ariz.) led off the inning with a line drive double to right field. Freshman Summer Collins (Logan, W.Va.) came in to run for McCord at second base. Two batters later senior Alyssa Woodrum (West Hamlin, W.Va.) dropped a flair into right field for a base hit that advanced Collins to third. The right fielder for Alabama misplayed the ball and Collins took off for home to tie the game at 1-1.
Junior pitcher Jordan Dixon (Edmond, Okla.) and the Marshall defense continued to make great plays throughout the game. With two runners on in the top of the second, freshman first baseman Briana Daiss (Clermont, Fla.) scooped up a grounder and quickly threw home to McCord to tag out a would-be scorer. Later in the inning with bases loaded, Dixon got a Crimson Tide batter to fly out to senior Kaelynn Greene (Eastvale, Calif.) in left to end the inning.
"Dixon has really been doing some great things against some of the top hitters in the country," Coach Stanton said of her pitcher. "She gives us an opportunity to win every time she steps out to the circle."
Alabama pushed the lead back to one scoring a run in the fifth. However, the Herd would come back defensively and get the Alabama batters to go down in order in the top of the sixth with a Dixon strikeout and two grounder to sophomore Elicia D'Orazio (Clermont, Fla.) at short.
Marshall came up in the bottom of the sixth and tied the score at two after some great base running from D'Orazio. She reached first on an error by the pitcher and then advanced to second as the throw rolled into right field. D'Orazio stole third with Daiss at the plate and then jumped up and took off for home after the throw got away from the shortstop coming over to cover third.
"Base running is something we pride ourselves on," Coach Stanton said. "We got in the huddle and talked about how we wanted to go with the fake-bunt and steal and thought 'yeah let's go after it' because that is the way we play. Let's be fearless and we were able to take advantage of the bad throw and we tied the game."
Alabama took the lead in the top of the seventh with a two-run home run. The Herd had an opportunity in the bottom of the inning. With one out sophomore Madi Marshall was hit by a pitch and the tying run was at the plate. Marshall advanced to second after a ground out to third by junior Morgan Zerkle (Milton, W.Va.). Alabama grabbed the final out on the next batter to gain the victory 4-2.
Game 2: #14 Tennessee 18, Marshall 0 - 5 innings
Tennessee jumped out on the Herd from the beginning scoring three runs in the first. Freshman Ali Burdette (Buffalo, W.Va.) got the start in the circle for Marshall.
The Volunteer's offense stayed hot throughout the contest scoring four in the second, six in the third, four in the fourth and one more in the fifth.
"This game was a great learning opportunity for our kids," Coach Stanton said after the game. "Our other kids in the circle have very limited innings but this was a great chance for them. We have to be better because great teams are going to hurt you."
Senior Brittanie Fowler (Avon, Ohio) came in to pitch for Marshall in the second inning and freshman Abigail Tolbert (Barboursville, W.Va.) got her first appearance of the season entering the circle in the third. Eventually Burdette came back to pitch in the fourth.
The Marshall defense did nab two double plays to get out of the second and third innings. In the second, with runners in the corners, a Tennessee runner attempted to steal second. Taylor McCord threw down to Elicia D'Orazio for the out and then D'Orazio immediately turned back to throw home as the runner from third tried to score but was tagged out at the plate.
In the third, with a runner at first, a pinch hitter for Tennessee lined out to freshman Samantha Loose (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) who then tossed to Briana Daiss to double up the runner.
In the fifth inning Daiss broke up the perfect game in the leadoff spot with a triple to right field.
"We as a staff were disappointed that we didn't see that competitive excellence, that competitive spirit and that competitive fire that we saw in game one," Coach Stanton said. "We are about playing hard and being gritty and competing and that can't go out the window when a team jumps out on you so early like Tennessee did and that's what happened in game two."
Marshall will finish up the BAMA Bash Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. central time, 11:30 a.m. eastern with another contest against #15 Arizona. Fans can tune into the game live on 88.1 WMUL-FM and online www.marshall.edu/wmul.
