Eagles Drop Final Two Games at Elon
4/11/2011 1:23:00 AM | Softball
ELON, N.C. - Georgia Southern Softball (22-23, 10-5 SoCon) lost its first Southern Conference series of the season on Sunday (April 10th) with a pair of losses to Elon (19-15, 4-8 SoCon), 2-1 and 3-2, respectively. Home runs off the bats of Mackenzie Williams (Baxley, Ga.) and Megen Smith (Springfield, Ga.) were not enough for the Eagles who return home next weekend against Furman.
The day's first game was the conclusion of the second game of Saturday's (April 9th) doubleheader which was picked up in the sixth inning. Williams' home run to leadoff the seventh forced extra innings, but Elon took the win (2-1) in the eighth inning off a Georgia Southern error.
The Eagles led 2-0 in the middle of the fourth off Smith's home run and an RBI double by Andrea Tarashuk (Flemmington, N.J.). Williams was 2-for-4 in the game to close a weekend that saw her hit .444 with a pair of home runs. Elon mounted a rally to level the score in the fourth frame with a pair of runs. The Phoenix scored the go-ahead run in the fifth inning to take the 3-2 win.
"After this weekend we have a list of things to take into practice this week," said Head Coach Maggie Johnson. "We will focus on becoming stronger as a team and on coming out strong this weekend against Furman."
- Game 1 -
Elon put two runners in scoring position in the third inning, but Georgia Southern starting pitcher Brianna Streetmon (Winder, Ga.) was strong in the circle and worked out of the jam. Two more Phoenix got on base with no outs in the fourth inning. Streetmon coaxed a pop up and the second out came on a lineout to short for two outs, but the Phoenix scored the breakthrough run on a single to go on top 1-0.
The game was suspended in the bottom of the sixth inning with the bases full of Phoenix. Play resumed on Sunday (April 10th) at 3:24 p.m. with Streetmon returning to the circle. The two-time defending SoCon Pitcher of the Year needed just two pitches to induce a ground out and retire the Elon threat in the sixth.
GSU's leadoff batter in the seventh inning, Williams, tied the score at 1-1 with a home run past the 208 feet sign in right field. It was her second home run of the series and her seventh of the year. A quiet bottom of the inning forced extra innings.
In the eighth inning, Elon scored the winning run off a Georgia Southern fielding error with runners on second and third to take the 2-1 victory.
- Game 2 -
Smith handed the Eagles a 1-0 lead in game two with a home run down the left-field line in the third inning. She went deep for the eighth time this season and recorded her 30th career bomb. Smith needs one more home run to tie Jenny Side for second on the GSU career home run chart with 31.
The Eagles doubled their lead an inning later with an RBI double by Tarashuk. Her hit into the gap in left-center plated Kelly Burnett (Boynton Beach, Fla.) from second base to extend the GSU advantage to 2-0.
The Phoenix drew even with the Eagles in the bottom of the fourth when Jackie Gonzalez pulled a triple down the right field line to plate a runner from second. She scored on the next play off a single by Carleigh Nester to tie the score, 2-2.
An inning later in the fifth, Elon took its first lead of the game when a run scored off a single to the right side of the Eagle infield by Gonzalez. Kaitlyn Piazzolla scored the go-ahead run which was enough for Elon to take the 3-2 win.
The Eagles will return home to Statesboro to play host to Furman next weekend. The three-game series with the Paladins begins on Saturday, April 16th, with a 1 p.m. doubleheader. The weekend concludes on Sunday, April 17th, at 1 p.m.
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.
