Feb. 24, 2008

Boston College Box Score

Florida Gulf Coast Box Score

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Western Carolina softball (1-6) dropped a pair of games at the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament Saturday. The Catamounts dropped a heartbreaker 6-3 to Boston College on a walk-off three-run blast and fell to host Florida Gulf Coast University (9-5) 5-2.

It was a tie ball game, 3-3, heading into the bottom of the seventh inning between Western Carolina and Boston College. Transfer Michelle Tating went six innings on the mound before she was replaced by freshman Lilly McDonagh.

McDonagh got into an early jam with back to back-singles to put runners at first and second. It looked like it might go into extra innings when McDonagh forced Boston College to pop the ball up twice for the first two outs of the inning. Renee Ramos ended that train of thought when she jacked a three-run homer over the right field wall to give the Eagles the win.

Boston College got on the board early posting two runs in the top of the first inning. Amy Tunstall hit a two RBI double to give the Eagles the early lead.

Western Carolina capitalized on Boston College miscues in the fifth inning. After pinch hitter Ashley Steinel drew a walk, freshman Rachel Drawdy re-entered the game and moved to second and then third on a passed ball and wild pitch. Lauren Ross drew the second walk of the inning to place runners at first and third. Freshman Casey Camp's ground out to third scoring Drawdy giving Camp an RBI. Nicole Shook pinch ran for Ross and after she moved to third on a ground out by Heather Pritchard she scored off a Boston College passed ball.

Tied at two, Boston College added a run in the bottom half of the fifth to re-take the lead.

Western Carolina battled back in the top of the seventh to tie the game for the second time in the game. Junior Beth Hauser opened the inning with a single through the right side. Hauser moved to second on a sacrifice hit and advanced to third thanks to a single by Ross. Camp came through again grounding out to second but allowing Hauser to score for her second RBI of the game.

Tating tossed six innings allowing three runs on five hits and six strikeouts. McDonagh takes the loss and falls to 0-3 on the season.

Ross got the call to the mound in the second game of the day and tossed four scoreless innings before Florida Gulf Coast got on the board in the fifth inning. FGCU scored one run in the fifth inning and added three in the sixth inning. Ross went 4.1 innings allowing four runs on six hits and had six strikeouts and falls to 0-2 on the season. Tating closed out the game allowing one run on one hit.

Western Carolina attempted a rally in the bottom of the seventh inning. Mollie Fowler reached first to open the inning thanks to a Florida Gulf Coast error. With one out, junior Stephanie Beatty singled up the middle to place runners at first and second. With two outs Ross hit a two RBI double plating Fowler and Beatty.

The Catamounts had just three hits in the game credited to Beatty, Ross and Jamie Swank. Ross has gotten a hit in the last three games and has hit a double in two of her last three games.

Western Carolina closes out the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament Sunday with a rematch against St. Bonaventure whom it lost to 6-1 Friday.