Marshall University Athletics
Saturday, February 12
Atlanta, Ga.
10:00 AM
Marshall University
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8
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0
Villanova University
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4
5
R
H
E
Villanova
0
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Marshall
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X
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Dominant Performance and a Comeback Leads Softball to Saturday Sweep
2/12/2022 11:35:00 PM | Softball
Nester earns two more wins
Game One (Villanova) Box Score (PDF)
Game Two (Saint Joseph's) Box Score (PDF)
ATLANTA – The Marshall softball team took both contests in the Saturday twinbill with an 8-0 win over Villanova and then a 6-4 comeback victory against Saint Joseph's on day two of the Buzz Classic, hosted by Georgia Tech.
The Thundering Herd improved to 3-1.
Game One: Marshall 8, Villanova 0 (5 innings)
The Herd was able to flip the script on the Wildcats from the loss on Friday with a dominant performance Saturday morning. This time Marshall earned the run-rule victory in the fifth as the offense churned out eight runs, while redshirt junior Sydney Nester struck out 11 batters in her second shutout.
Right from the start, the Herd was in control. Marshall's defense retired the side in the top of the first in just eight pitches. Nester tallied her first strikeout of the game for the second out.
Senior Grace Chelemen led off the bottom of the first with a fly ball to left that was dropped, and Chelemen took second on the error. Fifth-year senior Aly Harrell then drove in Chelemen with a base hit to left-center. Three batters later with two runners on, senior Mya Stevenson smashed a 3-run home run over the scoreboard in left field. It was her second of the season and 42nd of her career. Stevenson broke her tie with Harrell and now sits in second all-time in team history. The Herd led 4-0.
Villanova recorded its first of three hits to lead off the second. Nester followed up with back-to-back strikeouts and then redshirt senior Armani Brown had the assist for the third out.
The Wildcats threatened in the top of the third, loading the bases with one out. Nester responded by striking out the next two batters to end the threat and the inning. She brought her game total to five.
Marshall's offense took advantage of Villanova mistakes in the third scoring four more runs. Harrell led off getting plunked in the arm. Freshman Brooklyn Ulrich entered to pinch run at first. Pye then singled to right, followed by fifth-year senior Katie Adams reaching on an infield single to load the bases. Redshirt freshman Amaya Lee then came in to pinch run for Pye at second.
With the bases loaded, Stevenson sent the third pitch of her at bat to deep right field and it was dropped for another Villanova error. Both Ulrich and Lee scored. Freshman Lauren Love came to the plate and singled to right-center to load the bases again. Redshirt junior Autumn Owen grounded out to second, but each runner advanced and Adams scored from third. Freshman Rielly Lucas came out to pinch hit and also grounded out to second, however the runners advanced again and Stevenson scored from third. It was Lucas' first career RBI as Marshall led 8-0.
Over the next two innings, Nester was in complete control striking out the side in the fourth and the fifth to end the game earning her second-straight shutout and appearance with double-digit strikeouts.
The last time a Marshall pitcher had a double-figure strikeout performance was Jordan Dixon on April 21, 2017 in an 8-3 win at Virginia Tech. Nester begins the season with 13 against Saint Joseph's and now 11 over Villanova.
Marshall ended the game with six hits. Harrell led the way with two. Stevenson scored twice and drove in three runs.
Game Two: Marshall 6, Saint Joseph's 4
The Herd scored first and then fell behind early before fighting its way back to another win.
Marshall scored two runs in the top of the first. Grace Chelemen led off the game with a double down the right field line. Three batters later, with two outs, Katie Adams hit a double to center that scored Chelemen. Next, Mya Stevenson hit another double that plated Adams. The Herd led 2-0.
Saint Joseph's responded with three runs in the bottom of the first to take the lead. The Hawks added one more run in the second to take a two-run advantage, 4-2.
Marshall scored one run in the fourth to cut the deficit back to one. Stevenson led off the inning with a double, the Herd's fifth of the game, and later advanced to third. With two away, Stevenson took home on a wild pitch.
Sydney Nester entered the game in the fourth. Redshirt junior Cailey Joyce got the start and then junior Ashley Blessin came on in relief in the second and carried the Herd through the fourth. Blessin tallied two strikeouts in the third.
Nester and the Marshall defense shut down the Hawks through the remainder of the game. Nester tallied one strikeout while the defense made great plays behind her. Senior Camryn Michallas had a couple of great throws from short to get runners out at first.
In the top of the sixth, still trailing 4-3, the Herd's offense got rolling. With one out, Adams drew a walk and then freshman Alex Coleman entered to run at first. Stevenson flew out to deep left and Coleman used her speed to advance to second. Next, Lauren Love stepped to the plate and took the first pitch she saw over the fence in right. It was her first career home run and the two-run shot gave Marshall the lead, 5-4.
The Herd's defense retired the side in the bottom of the sixth and then added one more run on offense in the top of the seventh. Rielly Lucas drew a one out walk and Armani Brown re-entered the game to run for Lucas at first. Chelemen laid down a sacrifice bunt that moved Brown to second. Then Aly Harrell delivered with a single to right-center and Brown scored from second to give Marshall a two-run lead, 6-4.
The defense came through again in the bottom of the seventh. Saint Joseph's got a runner on base with a one-out single. The next batter flew out to Love in left for the second out. Two pitches later, Chelemen ran down a long fly ball at the warning track in right-center, and held on after running into the wall.
Nester earned the win, her second victory of the day and third of the weekend. Marshall's offense finished with seven hits, six going for extra bases with five doubles and one home run.
The Herd returns to the field on Sunday at 1 p.m. against the host Georgia Tech. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. The game will also be broadcast on 88.1 WMUL-FM with audio streamed online at www.marshall.edu/wmul on Stream 2.
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.
Game Two (Saint Joseph's) Box Score (PDF)
ATLANTA – The Marshall softball team took both contests in the Saturday twinbill with an 8-0 win over Villanova and then a 6-4 comeback victory against Saint Joseph's on day two of the Buzz Classic, hosted by Georgia Tech.
The Thundering Herd improved to 3-1.
Game One: Marshall 8, Villanova 0 (5 innings)
The Herd was able to flip the script on the Wildcats from the loss on Friday with a dominant performance Saturday morning. This time Marshall earned the run-rule victory in the fifth as the offense churned out eight runs, while redshirt junior Sydney Nester struck out 11 batters in her second shutout.
Right from the start, the Herd was in control. Marshall's defense retired the side in the top of the first in just eight pitches. Nester tallied her first strikeout of the game for the second out.
Senior Grace Chelemen led off the bottom of the first with a fly ball to left that was dropped, and Chelemen took second on the error. Fifth-year senior Aly Harrell then drove in Chelemen with a base hit to left-center. Three batters later with two runners on, senior Mya Stevenson smashed a 3-run home run over the scoreboard in left field. It was her second of the season and 42nd of her career. Stevenson broke her tie with Harrell and now sits in second all-time in team history. The Herd led 4-0.
Villanova recorded its first of three hits to lead off the second. Nester followed up with back-to-back strikeouts and then redshirt senior Armani Brown had the assist for the third out.
The Wildcats threatened in the top of the third, loading the bases with one out. Nester responded by striking out the next two batters to end the threat and the inning. She brought her game total to five.
Marshall's offense took advantage of Villanova mistakes in the third scoring four more runs. Harrell led off getting plunked in the arm. Freshman Brooklyn Ulrich entered to pinch run at first. Pye then singled to right, followed by fifth-year senior Katie Adams reaching on an infield single to load the bases. Redshirt freshman Amaya Lee then came in to pinch run for Pye at second.
With the bases loaded, Stevenson sent the third pitch of her at bat to deep right field and it was dropped for another Villanova error. Both Ulrich and Lee scored. Freshman Lauren Love came to the plate and singled to right-center to load the bases again. Redshirt junior Autumn Owen grounded out to second, but each runner advanced and Adams scored from third. Freshman Rielly Lucas came out to pinch hit and also grounded out to second, however the runners advanced again and Stevenson scored from third. It was Lucas' first career RBI as Marshall led 8-0.
Over the next two innings, Nester was in complete control striking out the side in the fourth and the fifth to end the game earning her second-straight shutout and appearance with double-digit strikeouts.
The last time a Marshall pitcher had a double-figure strikeout performance was Jordan Dixon on April 21, 2017 in an 8-3 win at Virginia Tech. Nester begins the season with 13 against Saint Joseph's and now 11 over Villanova.
Marshall ended the game with six hits. Harrell led the way with two. Stevenson scored twice and drove in three runs.
Game Two: Marshall 6, Saint Joseph's 4
The Herd scored first and then fell behind early before fighting its way back to another win.
Marshall scored two runs in the top of the first. Grace Chelemen led off the game with a double down the right field line. Three batters later, with two outs, Katie Adams hit a double to center that scored Chelemen. Next, Mya Stevenson hit another double that plated Adams. The Herd led 2-0.
Saint Joseph's responded with three runs in the bottom of the first to take the lead. The Hawks added one more run in the second to take a two-run advantage, 4-2.
Marshall scored one run in the fourth to cut the deficit back to one. Stevenson led off the inning with a double, the Herd's fifth of the game, and later advanced to third. With two away, Stevenson took home on a wild pitch.
Sydney Nester entered the game in the fourth. Redshirt junior Cailey Joyce got the start and then junior Ashley Blessin came on in relief in the second and carried the Herd through the fourth. Blessin tallied two strikeouts in the third.
Nester and the Marshall defense shut down the Hawks through the remainder of the game. Nester tallied one strikeout while the defense made great plays behind her. Senior Camryn Michallas had a couple of great throws from short to get runners out at first.
In the top of the sixth, still trailing 4-3, the Herd's offense got rolling. With one out, Adams drew a walk and then freshman Alex Coleman entered to run at first. Stevenson flew out to deep left and Coleman used her speed to advance to second. Next, Lauren Love stepped to the plate and took the first pitch she saw over the fence in right. It was her first career home run and the two-run shot gave Marshall the lead, 5-4.
The Herd's defense retired the side in the bottom of the sixth and then added one more run on offense in the top of the seventh. Rielly Lucas drew a one out walk and Armani Brown re-entered the game to run for Lucas at first. Chelemen laid down a sacrifice bunt that moved Brown to second. Then Aly Harrell delivered with a single to right-center and Brown scored from second to give Marshall a two-run lead, 6-4.
The defense came through again in the bottom of the seventh. Saint Joseph's got a runner on base with a one-out single. The next batter flew out to Love in left for the second out. Two pitches later, Chelemen ran down a long fly ball at the warning track in right-center, and held on after running into the wall.
Nester earned the win, her second victory of the day and third of the weekend. Marshall's offense finished with seven hits, six going for extra bases with five doubles and one home run.
The Herd returns to the field on Sunday at 1 p.m. against the host Georgia Tech. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. The game will also be broadcast on 88.1 WMUL-FM with audio streamed online at www.marshall.edu/wmul on Stream 2.
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.
---HerdZone.com---
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Nester, Sydney (2-0)
L: Sara Kennedy (0-2)
Base Running:
SB: Alexa Raphael 1
HBP: Angela Giampolo 1
Batting:
2B: Harrell, Aly 1
HR: Stevenson, Mya 1
RBI: Harrell, Aly 1 ; Stevenson, Mya 3 ; Owen, Autumn 1 ; Lucas, Rielly 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Chelemen, Grace 1 ; Harrell, Aly 1 ; Ulrich, Brooklyn 1 ; Pye, Saige 1 ; Adams, Katie 1 ; Lee, Amaya 1 ; Stevenson, Mya 2
HBP: Harrell, Aly 1 ; Pye, Saige 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
2
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
2
H
1
RBI
3
Players Mentioned
C
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C/INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballMarshall Softball Class of 2025 Graduates
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