Softball Wins Two, Looks to Sweep
4/11/2009 6:10:00 PM | Softball
ELON, N.C. - The Georgia Southern softball team won games one and two in Saturday's near tripleheader.
Game One
The Eagles came out swinging, scoring three runs in the first inning and went on to win game one 14-4 in five innings. Marie Fogle (Rincon, Ga.) and Robyne Siliga (Oceanside, Calif.) walked with one out before Amanda Hall (Haddock, Ga.) singled, plating Fogle. Sam Russo (Snellville, Ga.) drove in two more runs with a base hit to center.
Brianna Streetmon (Winder, Ga.) earned her 11th win of the season allowing only one earned run on four hits.
Fogle, Hall and Russo all had three hits, and Megen Smith (Springfield, Ga.) and Hanna Ennis (Snellville, Ga.) added two more hits each.
Brandi Jones led off the bottom half of the first for the Phoenix with a triple and scored on a base knock by Jacqueline Gonzalez. A base running error by Patti Weber allowed Georgia Southern to record two quick outs. Ashlee Crewe flew out to right; and Weber, assuming two outs were already recorded, was rounding third for the plate when Fogle threw her out at first.
The Eagles scored two runs and had another runner thrown out at the plate in the top of the second. Smith drove in the two runs with a double to left center.
Elon loaded the bases with two outs in the third inning, but Streetmon struck out Crewe to end the threat.
Nina Iduate (Norcross, Ga.) and Fogle led off the fourth inning with back-to-back base hits before Hall smacked a three-run homer over the wall in center to give the Eagles an 8-1 lead. The game was halted at that point due to rain and resumed Saturday at 11 a.m. Jenny Side (Loganville, Ga.) came to the plate with two strikes from the previous day and promptly smacked a RBI double to left. Ennis plated Side with a double of her own, giving the Eagles a 10-1 lead.
The Phoenix responded loading the bases with no outs in the bottom half of the fourth and scored three unearned runs on bases loaded walks. An error by Russo allowed the lead-off runner, Jaimie Rao, to reach. A base hit by Kaitlyn Piazzolla and a hit batter loaded the bases with no outs. Streetmon recorded two quick outs including a play at the plate by Siliga, but three straight walks scored three runs. Kristan Glover (Evans, Ga.) came on in relief and struck out Crewe to end the inning.
Georgia Southern came right back scoring four runs in the fifth inning to take a 10 run lead. Iduate reached base safely and scored a run for the second straight inning. Fogle added her third hit of the game moving Iduate to second. A passed ball and a wild pitch allowed Iduate to score and moved Fogle to third. Hall drove in her fifth run of the game with a double to left. The senior outfielder set a career high with five RBIs in game one. Smith plated the fourth run of the inning with a RBI single to center.
Glover retired the side in order in the bottom half of the fifth inning to give the Eagles a 14-4 win in game one of the series.
Game Two
Georgia Southern got a late scare but held on to win 6-5 in game two Saturday.
Kristan Glover got the start and earned a complete game win allowing only six hits.
Glover worked around a lead-off single by Melanie Helterbran in the second inning and retired the side with three straight outs.
Siliga chopped a ball over the pitcher's head in the fourth inning for her first hit of the series. Hall followed Siliga to the plated and added her second home run of the series. Smith walked and advanced to third on Russo's third double of the series. Ennis plated Smith on a suicide squeeze, giving the Eagles a 3-0 lead.
The Phoenix scored an unearned run in the fifth inning after an error by Iduate allowed Caitlin McGowan to reach third. She later scored on Jacqueline Gonzalez's RBI base hit.
Georgia Southern added two more runs on three straight hits in the sixth inning, extending their lead to four runs. Smith led off with a base hit to right. Russo and Ennis followed with back-to-back doubles, plating a run each. Michelle Beasley (Metter, Ga.) walked to put runners on the corners, but Iduate lined into a double play to end the inning.
Elon had their best opportunity in the bottom half of the sixth inning. They loaded the bases with no outs on a error and two walks. The Eagles recorded three straight outs but allowed an unearned run to score, cutting their lead to three runs.
Georgia Southern got the run back scoring an unearned run of their own in the seventh inning. Fogle led off with a base hit and stole second base on the next pitch. Siliga fouled out on a stellar catch by the first baseman. Fogle took third after the out and forced an errant throw, allowing her to score.
A three-run bomb in the bottom of the seventh by Piazzolla cut the lead to one run, but two outs were quickly recorded by Glover to give the Eagles a 6-5 win in game two.
