Softball Uses Long Ball to Advance over App State
5/7/2008 4:20:00 AM | Softball
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. --- Georgia Southern received home runs from sophomore Jenny Side (Loganville, Ga.) and Amanda Hall (Haddock, Ga.) to defeat Appalachian State 4-2 in the first round of the Southern Conference Softball Tournament Wednesday afternoon at Patriots Point.
The Eagles (35-28) move on to face the winner of College of Charleston-Furman tomorrow at 5 p.m.
The opening-round win is the first for the program since head coach Natalie Poole's first season in 2002. The last two years GSU has rebounded from a first-day loss to advance to the championship game, winning it all in 2006.
“It feels good,” said Poole. “I was a little nervous going in because we weren't able to start Mel (Laliberte) but we felt confident that Megen (Smith) had beaten this team. I was just hoping App wasn't confident because we weren't able to pitch our number one.”
Laliberte was a last-minute scratch due to an undisclosed illness.
Side got the key blow, a three-run homer in the third inning. She drove the first pitch she saw over the left-field fence to score junior Robyne Siliga (Oceanside, Calif.) and senior Aubrey Thweatt (Georgia, Vt.). Side adds to her school-record total of 14 home runs in 2008.
Hall added an insurance run in the fifth with a solo shot, her seventh of the season.
“Jenny's (homer) was with two outs and I'm definitely happy about that,” said Poole. “Amanda battled with two strikes and was able to pull out a home run. It was on a good swing too, so I was happy about that also.”
Freshman Megen Smith (Springfield, Ga.) allowed eight hits and two runs (both unearned) to move to 13-8. She struck out two and walked four, including two in the seventh which led to both App State runs.
“I think she did a good job,” said Poole. “The walks have to be eliminated, but that's something she'll learn from because a lot of times we won't be able to get out of that situation as easy as we did this time.
ASU's Kayla Richardson (6-18) gave up five hits and four earned runs.
The Eagles (35-28) move on to face the winner of College of Charleston-Furman tomorrow at 5 p.m.
The opening-round win is the first for the program since head coach Natalie Poole's first season in 2002. The last two years GSU has rebounded from a first-day loss to advance to the championship game, winning it all in 2006.
“It feels good,” said Poole. “I was a little nervous going in because we weren't able to start Mel (Laliberte) but we felt confident that Megen (Smith) had beaten this team. I was just hoping App wasn't confident because we weren't able to pitch our number one.”
Laliberte was a last-minute scratch due to an undisclosed illness.
Side got the key blow, a three-run homer in the third inning. She drove the first pitch she saw over the left-field fence to score junior Robyne Siliga (Oceanside, Calif.) and senior Aubrey Thweatt (Georgia, Vt.). Side adds to her school-record total of 14 home runs in 2008.
Hall added an insurance run in the fifth with a solo shot, her seventh of the season.
“Jenny's (homer) was with two outs and I'm definitely happy about that,” said Poole. “Amanda battled with two strikes and was able to pull out a home run. It was on a good swing too, so I was happy about that also.”
Freshman Megen Smith (Springfield, Ga.) allowed eight hits and two runs (both unearned) to move to 13-8. She struck out two and walked four, including two in the seventh which led to both App State runs.
“I think she did a good job,” said Poole. “The walks have to be eliminated, but that's something she'll learn from because a lot of times we won't be able to get out of that situation as easy as we did this time.
ASU's Kayla Richardson (6-18) gave up five hits and four earned runs.
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