Eagle Classic Ends with 4-1 Loss to UNF

STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern softball fell, 4-1, to North Florida in the final of the 2012 Eagle Classic presented by SpringHill Suites of Statesboro. The offenses logged 17 total hits in the contest to close the tournament in which Georgia Southern took a thrilling victory over Kentucky.

"This was a great weekend for us, we played five teams that have a chance to win their respective leagues. Getting that win over Kentucky, the program's first win over an SEC school since 2000 was a big moment for us," said Head Coach Annie Smith. "Unfortunately we did some things in the last two games that we've got to work on before we return to the field on Wednesday against Tennessee."

Kentucky won the 2012 Eagle Classic with a 3-1 overall record. Georgia Southern dropped to 3-2 in the tournament with the loss to the UNF. Marie Fogle and Sarah Purvis each earned All-Tournament team honors for the Eagles.

North Florida drew first blood in the second frame, stringing together three-straight singles to load the bases with two outs. A throwing error by sophomore Kourtny Thomas (Warner Robins, Ga.) converted the would-be third out of the inning into two unearned runs for UNF and a 2-0 Osprey lead.

The Eagles answered in the bottom of the third, scoring a run on Mackenzie Williams' (Baxley, Ga.) RBI single to cut the lead to 2-1. The Eagles extended the frame by benefiting from a UNF throwing error that put Marie Fogle (Rincon, Ga.) on first base.

UNF struck two-out lightning again in the fourth, producing a single with a runner on second to extend the advantage to 3-1. An RBI double in the fifth scored UNF's fourth run of the evening as the Osprey's tallied eight hits in the first five innings of the game.

In the bottom of the frame, the Eagles strung together two hits to up their total to seven en route to loading the bases with two outs. A strikeout, however, ended the Eagle threat with two innings left to play.

Sophomore Shelby Morrill (Madison, Ga.) opened the sixth with a triple to right field. She, however, would stay on third base as the Eagles could not drive in the run. Morrill's triple was the first triple for an Eagle batter this season. It capped a 3-for-3 day at the plate for the Eagle designated player.

Georgia Southern travels to Tennessee for a midweek doubleheader against the Volunteers on Wednesday night. The Eagles return home for a non-conference doubleheader versus LaSalle starting from 3 p.m. at the friendly confines of Eagle Field.

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2012 Eagle Classic All-Tournament Team

Charlise Castro, Albany
Kylie Apostolina, Albany
Marie Fogle, Georgia Southern
Sarah Purvis, Georgia Southern
Kaycee Crow, Jacksonville St.
Shelby Holley, Jacksonville St.
Kara Dill, Kentucky
Chanda Bell, Kentucky
Lauren Pollack, North Florida
Kaylie Wallace, North Florida
Jackie Jenkins, Radford
Micalah Sacre, Radford

Category: Softball

Published on Sunday, 26 February 2012 19:44