Softball is Set to Host The Holiday Inn Eagle Classic
2/19/2009 8:06:00 PM | Softball
STATESBORO, Ga. - Softball (4-2) is hosting The Holiday Inn Eagle Classic this weekend at Eagle Field. The two-field tournament starts at 11 a.m. with Belmont (2-3) vs. Oakland (0-0) on field one and Radford (0-0) vs. Mercer (3-3) on field two. The Holiday Inn Eagle Classic runs through Sunday and features Georgia Southern, Belmont, Charleston Southern (4-3), Mercer (3-3), Oakland and Radford.
“We have a slight advantage being at home, and some of the teams haven't started their seasons yet. I feel that we should be able to start strong and remain strong throughout the whole tournament,” said head coach Maggie Johnson.
The Eagles are coming off their fourth straight win after sweeping Florida A&M in Tallahassee, Fla.
Robyne Siliga (Oceanside, Calif.) and Amanda Glover (Evans, Ga.) are both hitting over .500 in the early going this season.
Hillary Martin (Cumming, Ga.) made her first appearance and picked up a win in game one of Tuesday's doubleheader. She pitched four plus innings allowing one run on two hits.
Kristan Glover (Evans, Ga.) picked up her third win of the season in game two Tuesday.
“There are some good teams coming; but I feel that if we hit the ball and play our game, I think we will be ok.”
Georgia Southern's 3 p.m. game against Radford will be a special one for coach Johnson as she faces her former team.
“It is going to be fun,” said Johnson. “I still stay in contact with the staff and some of the girls there. They are a very tough team, and they hit the ball very well. As long as we play like we can, it should be a good game.”
The Eagles went 3-3 in last season's Eagle Classic. Sam Russo's (Snellville, Ga.) extra inning heroics helped Georgia Southern improve to .500 in the classic. She had a walk-off hit in the 8th inning to give the Eagles a 3-2 win over Georgetown in the final game of the classic.
The Eagles lost 5-4 to Radford last season in the classic, despite Siliga's best game of the weekend. She went three for three and drove in three of the Eagles' four runs.
Georgia Southern faced Oakland for the first time last season and won 10-1 scoring eight runs in the seventh inning. Siliga came up big in the inning with a grand slam.
Softball hits the road after The Holiday Inn Eagle Classic for Wednesday's doubleheader against Georgia State in Atlanta, Ga.
