Marshall University Athletics
Saturday, February 22
Kennesaw, Ga.
3:00 PM
Marshall University
7-3
9
vs
1
East Tennessee State University
4-9
1
2
3
4
5
6
R
H
E
Marshall University
0
1
0
4
0
4
9
9
0
East Tenn. State
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
5
1
Softball Splits on Day Two at Kennesaw
2/22/2020 10:01:00 PM | Softball
Herd to play two games on Sunday
Game One Box Score (PDF)
Game Two Box Score (PDF)
KENNESAW, Ga. – The Marshall softball team split on Saturday, at the Dr. Bobbie Bailey Memorial Tournament. The Thundering Herd defeated East Tennessee State 9-1 in six innings in game one, and then fell to Kennesaw State 10-6 in the nightcap.
Marshall is now 7-4 overall.
Game One: Marshall 9, ETSU 1 (6 inning)
The Herd did not need late inning magic to defeat ETSU on Saturday as the offense exploded for four runs in the fourth and again in the sixth to grab the run-rule win.
Marshall received great defensive play as well to help hold off the Bucs attack including two double plays. Freshman Ashley Blessin had the start and pitched into the fifth to earn the win, her second of the year. Senior Kailee Williamson finished the final 1.2 innings and did not allow a run to cross the plate.
The Herd got on the board first in the top of the second. Junior Rachel Rousseau led off with an infield single and later stole second. She then scored on an error from third with sophomore Grace Chelemen reaching base safely.
In the fourth, with a one-run lead, Marshall got the bats going again after taking advantage of some free passes. With one out, junior Aly Harrell was walked for the third time and then sophomore Mya Stevenson was hit by a pitch. Junior Saige Pye loaded the bases with a single to right-center as senior Haleigh Christopher was brought in for a pinch hit. Christopher smashed a towering shot to left-center for a grand slam, her first home run as a member of the Herd. Marshall led 5-0.
ETSU finally scored one run in the bottom of the fifth to cut the Herd lead to four, until Marshall responded with four more runs in the top of the sixth.
Stevenson led off the inning with a double. Pye then delivered another base hit that moved Stevenson to third. Senior Sierra Huerta hit a sacrifice fly to center that scored Stevenson. Christopher then got on base with a single to left. Rousseau loaded the bases again for Marshall with a single to center. Two batters later, senior Blakely Burch cleared the bases with a double to right-center as Pye, Christopher and Rousseau all scored, and Marshall led by eight, 9-1.
A double play started by Williamson in the circle helped take away the leadoff runner and get the second out in the bottom of the sixth. The Bucs managed to get another runner on base before a ground out to Huerta at short ended the contest.
Pye finished 3-for-3 at the plate and scored twice. Christopher collected two hits and drove in four runs with the grand slam. Rousseau recorded two hits and stole two bases, a single-game career-best for the junior. Burch finished with three RBI, all coming on the bases-loaded double in the sixth.
Marshall batters tallied nine hits and eight walks in the win.
Game Two: Kennesaw State 10, Marshall 6
The game started out as a back-and-forth affair until the Owls piled on six combined runs in the fifth and sixth innings to take the game.
Marshall scored first in the top of the first as Haleigh Christopher kept her hot-hitting day going with a three-run home run to left. KSU responded with two runs in the bottom of the first to cut the Herd lead to one, 3-2.
In the bottom of the third, the Owls took the lead with two more runs scored to go up by one, 4-3. Marshall then answered with two runs in the top of the fourth to take back a one-run lead, 5-4. Grace Chelemen made it to second on a long fly ball that was dropped by the leftfielder. Blakely Burch then popped out in to foul territory on the right-field side that allowed Chelemen to tag up and advance to third. Junior Armani Brown then brought Chelemen home with a base hit to left. Brown then stole second to move into scoring position and then Aly Harrell plated Brown with a double to left.
Marshall scored just once more in the top of the sixth as Chelemen crossed the plate for the second time with Harrell reaching base safely on a fielder's choice.
Junior Laney Jones got the start and was pulled in the first inning after recording two outs and allowing two runs. Junior Megan Stauffer then came in and pitched the next 2.1 innings and recorded a strikeout. Senior Kailee Williamson was brought in to begin the bottom of the fourth inning and pitched into the sixth. Williamson tallied three strikeouts. Jones then re-entered the contest in the sixth and collected the last out.
Harrell finished the game with two hits and two RBI. Christopher went 2-of-4 at the plate with three RBI and her second home run of the season. Burch, Brown and Stevenson all had one hit each.
Marshall returns to the field on Sunday at 10 a.m. to face the Rhode Island Rams. Then the Herd will stay on the field for another match up against Kennesaw State at 12:30 p.m., to make up the game that was originally scheduled for Friday night.
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.
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules, and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android!
Game Two Box Score (PDF)
KENNESAW, Ga. – The Marshall softball team split on Saturday, at the Dr. Bobbie Bailey Memorial Tournament. The Thundering Herd defeated East Tennessee State 9-1 in six innings in game one, and then fell to Kennesaw State 10-6 in the nightcap.
Marshall is now 7-4 overall.
Game One: Marshall 9, ETSU 1 (6 inning)
The Herd did not need late inning magic to defeat ETSU on Saturday as the offense exploded for four runs in the fourth and again in the sixth to grab the run-rule win.
Marshall received great defensive play as well to help hold off the Bucs attack including two double plays. Freshman Ashley Blessin had the start and pitched into the fifth to earn the win, her second of the year. Senior Kailee Williamson finished the final 1.2 innings and did not allow a run to cross the plate.
The Herd got on the board first in the top of the second. Junior Rachel Rousseau led off with an infield single and later stole second. She then scored on an error from third with sophomore Grace Chelemen reaching base safely.
In the fourth, with a one-run lead, Marshall got the bats going again after taking advantage of some free passes. With one out, junior Aly Harrell was walked for the third time and then sophomore Mya Stevenson was hit by a pitch. Junior Saige Pye loaded the bases with a single to right-center as senior Haleigh Christopher was brought in for a pinch hit. Christopher smashed a towering shot to left-center for a grand slam, her first home run as a member of the Herd. Marshall led 5-0.
ETSU finally scored one run in the bottom of the fifth to cut the Herd lead to four, until Marshall responded with four more runs in the top of the sixth.
Stevenson led off the inning with a double. Pye then delivered another base hit that moved Stevenson to third. Senior Sierra Huerta hit a sacrifice fly to center that scored Stevenson. Christopher then got on base with a single to left. Rousseau loaded the bases again for Marshall with a single to center. Two batters later, senior Blakely Burch cleared the bases with a double to right-center as Pye, Christopher and Rousseau all scored, and Marshall led by eight, 9-1.
A double play started by Williamson in the circle helped take away the leadoff runner and get the second out in the bottom of the sixth. The Bucs managed to get another runner on base before a ground out to Huerta at short ended the contest.
Pye finished 3-for-3 at the plate and scored twice. Christopher collected two hits and drove in four runs with the grand slam. Rousseau recorded two hits and stole two bases, a single-game career-best for the junior. Burch finished with three RBI, all coming on the bases-loaded double in the sixth.
Marshall batters tallied nine hits and eight walks in the win.
Game Two: Kennesaw State 10, Marshall 6
The game started out as a back-and-forth affair until the Owls piled on six combined runs in the fifth and sixth innings to take the game.
Marshall scored first in the top of the first as Haleigh Christopher kept her hot-hitting day going with a three-run home run to left. KSU responded with two runs in the bottom of the first to cut the Herd lead to one, 3-2.
In the bottom of the third, the Owls took the lead with two more runs scored to go up by one, 4-3. Marshall then answered with two runs in the top of the fourth to take back a one-run lead, 5-4. Grace Chelemen made it to second on a long fly ball that was dropped by the leftfielder. Blakely Burch then popped out in to foul territory on the right-field side that allowed Chelemen to tag up and advance to third. Junior Armani Brown then brought Chelemen home with a base hit to left. Brown then stole second to move into scoring position and then Aly Harrell plated Brown with a double to left.
Marshall scored just once more in the top of the sixth as Chelemen crossed the plate for the second time with Harrell reaching base safely on a fielder's choice.
Junior Laney Jones got the start and was pulled in the first inning after recording two outs and allowing two runs. Junior Megan Stauffer then came in and pitched the next 2.1 innings and recorded a strikeout. Senior Kailee Williamson was brought in to begin the bottom of the fourth inning and pitched into the sixth. Williamson tallied three strikeouts. Jones then re-entered the contest in the sixth and collected the last out.
Harrell finished the game with two hits and two RBI. Christopher went 2-of-4 at the plate with three RBI and her second home run of the season. Burch, Brown and Stevenson all had one hit each.
Marshall returns to the field on Sunday at 10 a.m. to face the Rhode Island Rams. Then the Herd will stay on the field for another match up against Kennesaw State at 12:30 p.m., to make up the game that was originally scheduled for Friday night.
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.
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules, and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android!
---HerdZone.com---
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Blessin, Ashley (2-0)
L: MacKenzie Dyson (1-3)
Batting:
2B: Stevenson, Mya 1 ; Burch, Blakely 1
HR: Christopher, Haleigh 1
RBI: Huerta, Sierra 1 ; Christopher, Haleigh 4 ; Burch, Blakely 3
SH: Chelemen, Grace 1 ; Burch, Blakely 1
SF: Huerta, Sierra 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Harrell, Aly 1 ; Stevenson, Mya 2 ; Pye, Saige 2 ; Christopher, Haleigh 2 ; Rousseau, Rachel 2
SB: Rousseau, Rachel 2
CS: Chelemen, Grace 1
HBP: Stevenson, Mya 1
Batting:
2B: Nikki Grupp 1 ; Kylie Toler 1
RBI: Kylie Toler 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Andrea Sarhatt 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
2
R
2
H
2
RBI
4
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
2
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballC
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballP
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballMarshall Softball Class of 2025 Graduates
Friday, May 02
Marshall Softball: Kaleea Washington & Brooklyn Ulrich (Post-Radford)
Tuesday, April 22
Marshall Softball: HC Morgan Zerkle, Haleigh Adkins, Paige Maynard (Post-Coastal)
Friday, April 18
Hype and Harmony: the Team Personality Fuels Success #softball
Thursday, April 17