Softball Wins Two to Keep Hopes Alive
5/7/2009 10:11:00 PM | Softball
Game One vs. Appalachian State
Georgia Southern defeated Appalachian State 1-0 behind another outstanding pitching performance by Brianna Streetmon (Winder, Ga.).
Streetmon shut out the Mountaineers to pick up her 16th win of the season. Her 16 wins ranks fifth in Georgia Southern history for wins in a season. The sophomore pitcher kept Appalachian State in check allowing only three hits and no runs. She retired the side in order in four innings and tied a career high with seven strikeouts.
Both teams got runners in scoring position in the first inning, but only the Eagles managed to get a run across. Nina Iduate (Norcross, Ga.) led off the bottom half of the inning with a base hit. Marie Fogle (Rincon, Ga.) moved Iduate to second on a sacrifice bunt. An error by the catcher allowed Fogle to reach base. Iduate tried to take third on the error and caused the second error of the inning, putting two runners in scoring position. Robyne Siliga (Oceanside, Calif.) loaded the bases on a throwing error by the shortstop. Amanda Hall (Haddock, Ga.) plated the lone run in the game with a ground ball to second. GSU appeared to have scored another run on a sacrifice fly, but Fogle was called out for leaving third base early.
The Eagles used back-to-back two out hits by Hanna Ennis (Snellville, Ga.) and Michelle Beasley (Metter, Ga.) to put a runner in scoring position in the fifth inning, but GSU was unable to plate a runner after Iduate hit a line drive back at the pitcher.
Game Two vs UNC Greensboro
The Eagles' bats came alive in the second game of the day and helped GSU advance to within a win of the championship game. Siliga, Sam Russo (Snellville, Ga.) and Megen Smith (Springfield, Ga.) all hit home runs and helped power the Eagles to a 9-2 win over UNC Greensboro.
Kristan Glover (Evans, Ga.) earned her eighth win of the season after allowing only two runs on seven hits in six innings.
Siliga put GSU on the board in the first inning with a two-run homer -- her ninth of the season.
Smith followed suit in the second inning and added a lead off home run giving the Eagles an early 3-0 lead.
GSU broke open a 3-1 ball game, scoring five runs in the fifth inning. Beasley and Iduate started the rally with back-to-back one-out base hits. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Fogle brought home one run with a suicide squeeze, scoring Beasley from third base. Siliga plated the second run with a base hit to left. With two outs Russo cleared the bases on a three-run homer to right.
Russo drove in her fourth run of the game in the seventh inning, giving the Eagles a 9-1 lead. Stephanie Peet (Lawrenceville, Ga.) singled with one out and moved to second on Hall's two-out single. Russo plated Peet from second on a base hit to left. Smith loaded the bases with an infield base hit before Cory Mattson retired the side on a check swing grounder to first.
Glover retired the first eight batters in order before Laura Olenderski singled to left and scored on Brittany Ausley's double. Glover rebounded and did not allow a base runner to reach second again until the sixth inning.
The Spartans added a second run in the sixth inning. Jordan Jewett led off the inning with a base hit to left and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Glover retired the next two hitters on ground balls before Kaitlin Merkt drove in Jewett with a base hit.
Streetmon came on in relief in the seventh inning and worked around a one-out double to retire the side.
Softball will face Samford at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow, with the winner advancing to the championship game against Chattanooga at 1:30 p.m.
