Softball Eagles Still Perfect at Florida Gulf Coast Tournament
2/28/2010 3:17:00 AM | Softball
FT. MYERS, Fla. - Georgia Southern (7-4) softball continued to dominate its opponents at the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament as they defeated both Connecticut, 9-2, and Villanova, 3-2.
Georgia Southern opened Day 2 of the tournament facing off against the Connecticut Huskies from Connecticut and for the first time of the tournament, the Eagles did not score first. Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the third, the Eagles made the Huskies pay for their miscues. Katelynn Szcezpanski (Chesapeake, Va.) reached by a Huskies' error. Then, with two outs in the innings, Marie Fogle (Rincon, Ga.) singled to left center, driving in Szcezpanski. Megen Smith (Springfield, Ga.) singled, which scored Fogle. Sam Russo (Snellville, Ga.) also singled, which brought Smith in and brought the score to 3-1, GSU. The Eagles would never look back.
After allowing a run in the top of the fifth, the Eagles went back to work offensively. Nina Iduate (Norcross, Ga.) got it started with an infield single. Fogle then singled to right field. Another Huskie error allowed Smith to reach base and Iduate to score. Kayla Brooks (Jonesboro, Ga.), pinch hitting for Andrea Tarashuk (Flemington, N.J.), singled to load the bases. Kelly Burnett (Boynton Beach, Fla.) flew out to center field, allowing Fogle to score, Eagles 5-2.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Eagles went back to work. Jenny Side (Loganville, Ga.) doubled to left. Sara Hinchman (Douglasville, Ga.) tripled, driving in Stephanie Peet (Lawrenceville, Ga.), who was running for Side. Iduate then hit a sacrifice fly to score Hinchman. Another Huskie error allowed Fogle to reach. Smith's bomb to right field brought in the last two Eagle runs. Eagle pitcher Smith improved to 2-3 on the season and 2-0 in the tournament while allowing only three hits and striking out five Huskie batters.
After a lengthy five-hour rain delay, the Eagles second game finally got started around 6 p.m. For the first five innings, both pitchers dominated. Briana Streetmon (Winder, Ga.) (4-1) continued her strong performance in the tournament, striking out six in the game, five coming in the first four innings. Offensively, the Eagles would strike first. Fogle lead off the sixth inning with a single up the middle. Smith would strike again, this time with a double, bringing Fogle in for the first run of the game. After Mackenzie Williams was hit by a pitch and stole second, Side singled brought in both Smith and Williams.
The Eagles would have to survive a Villanova comeback attempt. Clinging to a 3-2 lead, with two Wildcats in scoring position, the Eagles infield defense rose to the occasion on two separate occasions keeping the tying run from scoring. First, Hanna Ennis (Snellville, Ga.) kept the tying run from scoring by making an amazing catch while running backwards. Russo then knocked down a sharply hit ball into the gap between first and second base, and tossing to Ennis helping cover first base from her second base position.
In the seventh inning, the Wildcats once again attempted to tie the ballgame. The Eagles got the lead runner out at second for the first out of the inning. Wildcat Tessa Braga stole second to get into scoring position. Streetmon would then pick up her last strikeout of the game for the second out. A grounder to Side was delivered in time to end the Wildcats hopes and secure the sweep of Big East opponents in Day 2 of the tournament improving the Eagles move to (4-0) in the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament.
Georgia Southern's final game of the tournament against Eastern Michigan has been moved from 1 p.m. to 11 a.m. due to Saturday's weather delay. Sunday's game can be followed at www. GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com under the live stats link at the bottom of the home page.
