Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
UTSA
@HerdSB Completes Three-Game Series Sweep over UTSA
3/12/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Box Score (PDF)
Coach Stanton Post Game Video
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Marshall softball team completed its home-opening series sweep of UTSA with a 9-3 win Sunday at Dot Hicks Field. The Thundering Herd improved to 17-4 and 3-0 in Conference USA play. The Roadrunners fall to 9-15 and 0-3 to start conference action. The Herd won its eighth straight game.
It was another cold day, but Marshall stayed hot, scoring in the first inning for the fourth straight game. It came once again from the long ball. Junior Elicia D'Orazio and senior Morgan Zerkle reached base on consecutive infield singles. Two batters later, with one out, senior Shaelynn Braxton smacked a pitch to right field for a three-run home run to give Marshall the early 3-0 lead.
Braxton was not finished as she blasted her second home run of the day, a solo shot, over the scoreboard in left-center. Marshall led 4-0.
The Herd added four more runs in the bottom of the fourth to increase the lead to eight. Freshman Elizabeth DeShields walked with one out and junior Madi Marshall came in to pinch run at first. Junior Jordan Colliflower drove in Marshall with a triple down the right field line. Colliflower then crossed the plate when D'Orazio reached on an infield single.
The inning kept going as Zerkle brought D'Orazio home with another triple down the right field line. It was Zerkle's 11th career triple, breaking the 19-year old record of 10 held by Marshall Athletics Hall of Famer Cristy Waring. Zerkle scored her second run of the game as junior Taylor McCord delivered a single into left field.
Senior Jordan Dixon received the start for the Sunday single-game. UTSA recorded 10 hits in its second contest against Dixon but scored just three runs, all in the fifth. A fourth possible run was saved by a diving catch in center field by Colliflower. The Roadrunners left eight runners on base.
Dixon finished the game with five strikeouts and earned her 12th win of the season. It was the 88th win of the senior's career and she has 945 career strikeouts.
The Herd added one more insurance run in the sixth. D'Orazio led off with her third infield single. After stealing second and third, D'Orazio scored on a squeeze bunt by McCord.
Shaelynn Braxton was named the Dot Hicks Significant Sticker Award winner in the final game against UTSA. Braxton was 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs. The two homers moved Braxton into sole possession of third place in program history with 31. She is one behind Sam Rodriguez (2005-08) for second place. Braxton increased her career RBI total to 156.
COACH QUOTES
Head Coach Shonda Stanton
"We did a great job coming out strong in the first inning. Zerkle and Elicia did a great job with their speed, wreaking havoc on the defense and then Shae came up with the opposite field, three-run shot. Then she comes up later and has a monster shot over the scoreboard in center. So, it was really great to see her really square things up today."
"Offensively it was a pretty balanced attack. It was nice to get some scoring up and down the lineup. I would like to see us put a team away, we had the 8-0 lead and they were able to claw back in. But on the whole I am very pleased with our start in C-USA play."
UP NEXT
Marshall returns to the road in the coming week. First, is a single-game at Ohio on Wednesday March 15 at 4 p.m. Then Saturday, March 18, the Herd is back in conference play with a three-game series at Charlotte. The first game of the Saturday doubleheader is set to start at 1 p.m., and then the final game is Sunday March 19 at 12 p.m.
