Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Florida Gulf Coast
Herd Softball with Thundering Comeback to Take Split at FGCU
3/21/2018 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Game One Box Score (PDF)
Game Two Box Score (PDF)
FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Marshall softball team fought to the end with a tremendous comeback to split a doubleheader at Florida Gulf Coast. The Thundering Herd lost game one, 4-3, but scored seven runs in the top of the seventh to win game two, 8-4.
Marshall is now 13-14-1 overall and the Eagles are 25-6.
"I'm really proud of our fight to finish tonight," Herd head coach Jen Steele said. "FGCU is a very good team, and to put up seven runs in the seventh inning speaks volumes about our toughness. We challenged the team in between games to finish ball games.
"We've been letting down in the sixth and seventh innings, making errors and issuing free passes."
Game One: FGCU 4, Marshall 3
Marshall got on the board first with three runs in the third, but the Eagles shut down the Herd offense and continued to push runs across getting the walk-off win in the seventh.
Freshman Katie Adams got the start behind the plate and recorded a base hit to right with her first plate appearance in the third. Adams later scored on an RBI single from junior Briana Daiss. Seniors Eloise Tribolet and Elicia D'Orazio also scored in the inning on a single to center from freshman Aly Harrell.
The Eagles scored one in the fourth, two more in the sixth and then the game-winner in the seventh. Racquel Fournet drove in all four runs for FGCU.
Junior Abigail Tolbert had the start in the circle and took the loss.
Game Two: Marshall 8, FGCU 4
The nightcap started very slowly on the offensive side for Marshall. However, trailing 4-1 going into the seventh, the team kept fighting and came through with seven runs in the top of the seventh on five hits, two walks and one Eagle error.
FGCU scored first in the bottom of the first inning, and then Marshall tied it up in the second. Adams punched a shot through the 5-6 hole into left field. Freshman Rachel Rousseau came in to run for Adams and later scored.
The Eagles kept applying the offensive pressure throughout the game, scoring again in the fourth, another run in the fifth and one more in the sixth.
Sophomore Kailee Williamson had the start in the circle and pitched into the fifth inning. Freshman Tatum Ksiazek came on in relief in the fifth. Ksiazek allowed just one run in the sixth, but stood tall in the seventh retiring the side in order to earn her first career win.
"I'm happy for Tatum getting her first win against a team like FGCU," coach Steele said. "She came in when we were behind, kept us in it, and gave us a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the seventh. Getting the leadoff out in the bottom of the seventh was very important. If she issued a free pass, then she could have given them the momentum late.
"She kept attacking the zone and trusting her stuff and that's the exact mentality we need out of our entire pitching staff late in ball games."
Entering the seventh and trailing 4-1, the Herd got the inning rolling on one out as senior Taylor McCord ripped her 12th double of the season to right field. Daiss followed up with a single to left that scored McCord. Marshall now trailed by two, 4-2. Freshman Grayson Radcliffe stepped up next and was walked for the second time. With two on base, senior Jordan Colliflower sent a pitch down the right field line for a double that plated Daiss and moved Radcliffe to third. Colliflower is on a career-high 10-game hitting streak.
Adams stepped up to the plate and was intentionally walked for the second time in game two, which loaded the bases. Harrell came out of the dugout for a pinch hit and grounded out two second as Radcliffe crossed the plate. Marshall had tied the game at 4-4, but the Thundering Herd was not done.
Sophomore Blakely Burch then reached base safely on an infield error that also allowed Colliflower and Adams to score as Marshall took the lead. D'Orazio kept the inning going with an infield single and that brought junior Abigail Estrada to the plate, the tenth batter of the inning. Estrada led off the seventh with a strikeout but struck back her second time up driving in two runs with a single to right. Marshall led by four, 8-4.
In the bottom of the seventh, Ksiazek and the Marshall defense retired the Eagles in just five pitches to grab the comeback victory.
"It's frustrating to feel like we should have swept the day," coach Steele said. "But, to finish the way we did should give us confidence going into this weekend's series versus a very good Florida Atlantic squad."
Marshall returns to the field Saturday and Sunday, March 24-25, for a three-game series at Florida Atlantic. The Saturday doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m., with the final game Sunday at 12 p.m.
For all of the latest information on the Marshall Softball team, follow the Herd on Twitter @HerdSB, Facebook at Marshall University Softball and on www.herdzone.com.
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