Eagles Split Breast Cancer Awareness Day Doubleheader to UNCG
4/27/2013 10:07:16 PM | Softball
BOX SCORE (GAME ONE) | BOX SCORE (GAME TWO) | PHOTO GALLERY
STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern Softball split Saturday’s doubleheader at the friendly confines on Breast Cancer Awareness day, winning the opener 5-2 before falling 2-1 to UNCG in eight innings. The day featured a ceremonial first pitch by four-year breast cancer survivor Cheryl Allen, mother of second baseman Lexi Allen. Georgia Southern and UNCG will decide the series on Sunday at 12:00 p.m.
“We played well again today, but it only got us one win,” said Head Coach Annie Smith. “Tomorrow’s game is a big one in terms of seeding for the tournament.”
The split leaves Georgia Southern and UNCG tied at 11-8 in league play, deadlocked for third place. The Eagles are 25-26 on the season while the Spartans are 34-15 on the year.
– GAME ONE –
Georgia Southern overcame an early deficit in game one to take a 5-2 win. Wild pitches accounted for the first two Eagle runs, while a pair of errors in the sixth inning opened the door for a three-run frame in which GSU took the victory.
The Spartans turned a leadoff walk to start the game into a run in the first inning when Katelyn Bedwell’s sacrifice fly to right scored Aisha Figueroa. Pinch runner Kiah Ruffin scored in the third inning off an RBI single by Bedwell in the third inning to put the Spartans up 2-0 early.
The Eagles got on the board thanks to pitching miscues in the bottom of the third. Walks to three batters loaded the bases and a wild pitch allowed Alexa Lewis to cross the plate and score for Georgia Southern, cutting the lead to 2-1.
With Tabby Douberley on third base with two outs in the fourth, another wild pitch drew the Eagles level with UNCG. It was the first time this season that the Eagles scored twice off a wild pitch and just the third run all year to score off a pitching miscue.
In the sixth inning, Georgia Southern was the beneficiary of more UNCG miscues. A fielding error by the third baseman allowed Kourtny Thomas to reach base to open the inning. She was lifted for pinch runner Dominique Grossman. Shelby Morrill hit into what looked to be a 3-4 double play, but the throw down to second hit Grossman in the back and allowed the freshman to scamper to third base with one out.
Douberley’s RBI single gave GSU a 3-2 lead just minutes later. Andrea Tarashuk followed suit with a double to the gap in right which brought Douberley home for a 4-2 GSU advantage. Southern got a sacrifice fly by A.J. Hamilton later in the inning to score Tarashuk and post the 5-2 lead going into the bottom of the sixth.
UNCG put its opening two runners on base in the top of the seventh with a single and a Georgia Southern fielding error. Starting pitcher Sarah Purvis, however, was bolstered by a 5-3-6 double play followed by a foul out to the shortstop to work out of the jam and capture her 12th win of the season. She worked around five UNCG hits and did not strike out a batter for the first time this season.
– GAME TWO –
Georgia Southern dropped the second game of the day 2-1 in extra innings to fall to 4-5 this season when going to extra frames. Two hits by UNCG with two gone in the eighth did the damage for the Spartans to split the day at Eagle Field.
UNCG again took advantage of a leadoff walk to post a 1-0 lead over Georgia Southern in the first inning. The walk was followed by a fielding error, wild pitch and the RBI ground out by Bedwell to plated Figueroa.
GSU struck back in the third inning as Gabrielle Story opened the frame with a single. The junior was making her first career start, replacing Douberley at first base for the contest. Story was lifted for a pinch runner, Nicole Benton, who scored on Allen’s RBI single through the right side with one out to tie the game, 1-1.
Back-to-back singles by the top of the UNCG lineup with two outs in the eighth gave the Spartans a 2-1 lead entering the home half of the inning. An RBI single by Thomas to left field drove in Figueroa for the go-ahead run.
Lewis opened the bottom of the eighth with a single, but was doubled off when Allen’s sacrifice bunt attempt popped to the third baseman who tossed to first for the 5-4 twin-killer. A pop out to second base would end the game as Georgia Southern dropped the 2-1 loss in eight innings.
Sunday’s rubber match of the series has been pushed up to a Noon start due to storms which are expected later in the afternoon. That game can be seen live on GSEagles.com by clicking on the “Watch And Listen” button.
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