STATESBORO, Ga. ? Georgia Southern softball rallied from a four-run deficit twice to defeat Oakland 11-8 in the final day of the Holiday Inn Eagle Classic.
“We were able to answer them both times that they scored four runs,” said head coach Maggie Johnson. “That was big for us.”
Brianna Streetmon (Winder, Ga.) had another outstanding relief appearance. Streetmon shut down the Grizzlies allowing no runs or hits in the three-plus innings she pitched.
“Bri has been outstanding this weekend. She has handled the pressure situations and shut teams down,” said Johnson. “She is pitching great, and we are going to keep putting her out there.”
Nina Iduate (Norcross, Ga.) and Hanna Ennis (Snellville, Ga.) combined for six hits, five runs, and four RBIs as they did an outstanding job at the top of the order.
“I like them at the top of the lineup,” said Johnson. “Hanna is great about getting on base and when Iduate is on, we use Hanna to move her around. She is a tough one to get out.”
Oakland scored first in the top of the third when Julie Owen cleared the bases with a grand slam giving the Grizzlies a 4-0 lead.
Iduate and Ennis sparked a four-run rally to tie the game in the bottom of the third with back-to-back singles. Robyne Siliga (Oceanside, Calif.) drew a full count walk to load the bases. Amanda Hall (Haddock, Ga.) drove in two runs with a single to left field. Hall went three for four with three RBIs batting in the cleanup spot. Amanda Glover (Evans, Ga.) drove in two more runs tying the game with a two RBI double.
“Both of them (Hall and Glover) have stepped up and are putting the ball in play,” said Johnson.
Oakland took another four-run lead in the fourth inning after they led off with four straight base hits.
Georgia Southern responded again to tie the ball game at eight runs each. Sam Russo (Snellville, Ga.) led off the inning with a base hit. Iduate and Ennis drove in a run each with back-to-back singles for the second straight inning. Hall drove in the third run of the inning with her second base hit of the game. Amanda Glover tied the game for the second time in two innings with a sacrifice fly.
Jordyn Nail (Swainsboro, Ga.) helped spark the four-run rally in the fourth inning. Nail showed great heart and determination after being knocked to the ground when she fouled a pitch off her face. Nail returned to the batter's box only to be hit by the first pitch thrown to her and came around to score on Ennis's single.
“The turning point in the game was the heart that Jordyn showed when she got hit in the face, ribs and got an obstruction call going to third; and if that doesn't fire a team up, I don't know what will,” said Johnson.
Russo led off the fifth like she did the fourth with her second base knock of the game. Iduate gave the Eagles the lead with a RBI double down the left field line. Ennis followed Iduate's hit for the third straight inning with a base hit of her own. She drove in Iduate giving Georgia Southern a 10-8 lead.
The Eagles added an eleventh run in the sixth after Hall doubled and later scored on Jenny Side's (Loganville, Ga.) second single of the ball game.
Streetmon took care of the Grizzlies in the seventh inning with a pair of ground balls and a strikeout.
Softball hits the road Wednesday to face Georgia State in a doubleheader in Atlanta, Ga.
