Douberley's Seventh Inning Heroics Seal Doubleheader Sweep Over ASU
3/12/2011 11:54:00 PM | Softball
STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern Softball rolled to a 6-4 win in game one, but needed a pair of runs in the bottom of the second to take the game two victory, 5-4, on Saturday (March 12th) to open Southern Conference play. The Eagles (10-14, 2-0 SoCon) led 3-0 going into the seventh, but four Appalachian State (6-13, 0-2 SoCon) runs gave the visitors a lead with a half inning to play. A pair of Georgia Southern runs in the bottom of the seventh sealed the thrilling come-from-behind victory.
"Our goal today was to put pressure on the Mountaineers and get the big hit at the right moment," said Head Coach Maggie Johnson. "Unfortunately, we gave up the runs in the top of the seventh, but our team had the mentality that they weren't going to leave the field without a victory. Our pitching was outstanding today and I'm proud of Bri (Streetmon), Megen (Smith) and Allie (Miles).
The Mountaineers penned a four-run rally with two outs in the bottom of the seventh of game two, started by a single to right-center by Katie Boyd. The hit forced Johnson to remove starting pitcher Megen Smith (Springfield, Ga.) scattered seven hits in six and two-thirds of work. Freshman Allie Miles (Dacula, Ga.) replaced Smith and walked Megan Remielak to put runners on first and second.
A double by ASU's Meghan Smith brought Boyd home and an errant throw from centerfield hit the Mountaneer's shoe, deflecting it away and allowing Rembielak to score. Miles, however, recorded the final out of the inning with a clutch strikeout and the Eagles trailed by one run going into the bottom of the seventh.
A pair of quick hits by GSU's Smith and Hanna Ennis (Snellville, Ga.) put runners on first and second and forced Appalachian State to go to the bullpen. Both Georgia Southern runners moved up on a wild pitch and sophomore Andrea Tarashuk (Flemington, N.J.) singled up the middle to tie the game by plating Smith. On a 1-2 count, sophomore Tabby Douberley (Clyo, Ga.) drew the hero card and laced a single up the middle to push Ennis, representing the winning run home. Miles picked up the victory in the circle, for her fourth win in just a third of an inning of work.
Georgia Southern took a 1-0 lead in the first inning with two outs when Smith scored on a fielding error by the Appalachian State second baseman. The Eagles doubled the advantage in the third inning with Marie Fogle's (Rincon, Ga.) sixth home run of the season to re-take the team lead in that category. In the fourth inning, pinch runner Nicole Benton (Wrightsville, Ga.) scored on an RBI fielder's choice by Kelly Burnett (Boynton Beach, Fla.) to give the Eagles a 3-0 lead.
---GAME ONE---
In the second inning of game one, the Mountaineers struck first by cashing in on an early Georgia Southern error. Starting pitcher Brianna Streetmon (Winder, Ga.) fielded a ball up the middle, but had the toss to first base sail over Douberley's head to allow ASU's McKenzie Phillips to score. The Mountaineers went up 2-0 in the third inning when Hannah Dow singled Megan Rembielak in to score.
In the bottom of the frame, Shelby Morrill's (Madison, Ga.) hot bat brought Fogle home with a single. The next batter, Smith, ripped a towering two-run home run down the left field line and gave the Eagles a lead they would not surrender, 3-2.
An Ennis single in the bottom of the fifth allowed Smith to score, diving spectacularly to avoid the tag by Appalachian State catcher Michelle Lighton at the plate. Consecutive walks to Douberley and Mackenzie Williams (Baxley, Ga.) with the bases loaded pushed Tarashuk across to give GSU a 5-2 lead. Georgia Southern tacked on a single run in the sixth when Fogle scored off an RBI-swinging bunt by Smith to go up 6-2.
Appalachian State mounted a seventh-inning rally, pushing Rembielak across on a triple down the right field line by Smith. A single up the middle by the next batter brought Smith home. Streetmon, however, settled down to induce a pair of pop ups and a ground out to retire the side and preserve GSU's 6-4 victory. Streetmon went the distance for the Eagles to improve to 5-4 on the year adding three more strikeouts to her season total.
The teams close out the three-game set on Sunday with a matinee at 1 p.m. The first 50 fans will win a promotional item courtesy of Verizon Wireless. Fans are reminded to set their clocks forward as Daylight Savings Time begins on Saturday night.
Fans may follow all the action of the 2011 Georgia Southern Softball season by visiting GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com/softball or check in for scores at twitter.com/GSScores or facebook.com/GSAthletics for updates. Live stats and video are available at GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com.
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