March 20, 2010

Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

STATESBORO, Ga. - Western Carolina softball (3-17, 0-5 SoCon) hung tough but dropped a pair of tight games at Georgia Southern (15-9, 4-1 SoCon), 2-1, 4-3, Saturday at Eagle Field.

The second game, in which Western Carolina lost 4-3 in the 10th inning, was the first extra inning game of the year for the Catamounts.

Tied at three in the 10th inning of the second game, and Georgia Southern's Stephanie Peet placed on second due to international tie-breaker rules, Nina Iduate, was walked intentionally placing runners at first and second with no outs. Kelly Burnett hit a frozen rope to right field, but Peet was gunned down at home, for the first out of the game. Megan Smith was the second Eagle to be intentionally walked in the inning to load the bases and try and force a double play. Sam Russo hit a sacrifice fly to center field scoring Iduate and clinching the win for the Eagles.

A pair of Georgia Southern homeruns, in the second and third innings of the second game, put the Eagles up 3-0. A solo homerun by Jenny Side and then a two run shot by Megan Smith accounted for the first runs of the game for GSU.

Catamount starting pitcher Amber Steinhardt was replaced by Katie King after tossing 2.2 innings in the second game. Steinhardt gave up three runs on five hits and struck out three. Down by three, when King came into the game, Western Carolina proceeded to tie the game with King on the mound, and she became the pitcher of record. She falls to 0-10 on the season. King went seven innings allowing one run on four hits and striking out three.

The Catamounts picked up one run in the fourth inning. Jordan Fulton led off the inning with a single up the middle and scored off an RBI double by Amber Hawkins.

Western Carolina knotted the game at three in the top of the sixth inning. Fulton led off the inning with a walk and a single by Hawkins put runners on first and second. A double steal by Fulton and Hawkins put them on second and third and the pair scored off an RBI single by Colby Liles.

Hawkins led the team with three hits in the game.

King tossed her best game of the season but was on the losing side in the first game. The south-paw tossed six scoreless innings before giving up two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, to give Georgia Southern the win. King went 6.1 innings allowing one earned run and did not allow a walk. King falls to 0-9 on the season.

Western Carolina took the early 1-0 lead in the top of the seventh inning. Steinhardt led off with a single but was thrown out at second on a fielder's choice. Robyn Burnette was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Liles hit into a fielder's choice and Haley Pace was out at third. The Catamounts scored when Burnette stole third and an errant Eagle's throw went past the third baseman and Burnette trotted home.

A Western Carolina miscue, allowing the Eagle's Smith, to reach first, started the Georgia Southern rally in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, Side singled up the middle to place runners on first and second, and then the bases were loaded when Mackenzie Williams reached on a fielder's choice. Pinch hitter Andrea Tarashuk hit a two RBI single to right field to win the game for the Eagles.

Western Carolina will complete the three-game series with Georgia Southern at noon on Sunday.