No. 25 USA Opens Season With Shutout Win Over UAB
MOBILE, Ala. – No. 25 University of South Alabama softball kicked off the 2016 season with a 4-0 win over in-state foe UAB at Jaguar Field on Thursday.
USA (1-0) sophomore right-handed pitcher Devin Brown struck out 11 Blazer (0-1) batters in a complete-game victory. The Mobile, Ala., native limited the visitors to only three hits and twice escaped bases-loaded jams.
"We were consistent all throughout the game," said USA head coach Becky Clark. "We got in some tough jams, but worked our way out of them, and we kept our composure. Devin pitched a great game. Eleven strikeouts to one walk is a big deal."
Seven different Jaguar batters each recorded a hit on Thursday. Senior catcher Stephanie Pilkington led USA with a pair of RBI and a walk. Her first RBI gave USA a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth when she plated freshman Megan Harris from third. Harris pinch ran for sophomore left fielder Haleigh Lowe, who led off the frame with a triple down the right field line.
The Jaguars tacked on three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, keyed by freshman right fielder Haleigh Lane's walk and back-to-back bunt singles from senior third baseman Emily Messer and sophomore second baseman Kaleigh Todd.
Junior center fielder Amanda Minahan sent a chopper to UAB third baseman Danii Fernandez, and the Blazer infielder bobbled the catch, allowing Lane to score by error to double USA's lead to 2-0. After Lowe reached on a fielder's choice that saw Messer thrown out at home, Pilkington drew a bases-loaded walk to score Todd.
Sophomore shortstop Kristan Foster then grounded out to Blazer shortstop Caitlin Attfield, allowing Minahan to score to make it 4-0.
"We talk about the big inning," said Clark. "To put up the three spot was kind of the nail in the coffin. We wanted to hit the ground running on the first night, and I thought we did a good job with that."
UAB loaded the bases in both the fourth and fifth innings, but Brown shut down the visitor push both times. In the fourth, a one-out JoJo Fallen walk preceded Madison Millsaps's two-out single, and Kelly Britt reached on a fielder's choice to fill the bags; however, Brown forced Blazer designated player Mary Warren into a pop up to end the threat.
Brown gave up a leadoff double to Ashley Johnson an inning later and hit Analyse Petree with a pitch in the next at-bat. Fernandez got on with a bunt single to load the bags, before Brown forced Attfield into a fielder's choice that allowed Foster to throw out Johnson at home, and then struck out Sara Bath Williamson swinging.
Madison Hir (0-1) took the loss for the Blazers after giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits with three walks and three strikeouts.
South Alabama moves to 10-2 all-time versus the Blazers, 5-1 in Mobile.
USA returns to action this weekend when it competes in four games at the 2016 Sand Dollar Classic, hosted by The Fieldhouse, at the Gulf Shores Sportsplex. The Jaguars open play at the event on Friday at 6 p.m. versus Lipscomb.
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App State Drops Season Opener at No. 4 Auburn
AUBURN, Ala. - Appalachian State University softball faced a daunting task in opening the 2016 campaign against an Auburn program coming off of its best season in school history. The No. 4 Tigers defeated the Mountaineers by a score of 9-0 in five innings on a brisk Thursday night at Jane B. Moore Field.
App State (0-1) stranded Tiffany Taynor after a leadoff walk in the top of the first before homestanding Auburn (1-0) scored seven runs on five hits in the bottom half of that inning. Taynor was one of only two times the Black and Gold were able to get on base as freshman Natalie Orcutt reached on a fielding error by the shortstop in the top of the fourth.
The Tigers added two more runs in the bottom of the third on a pair of hits while the home team's Marcy Harper and Rachael Walters threw a combined no-hitter in five innings of work. Harper threw four innings with four strikeouts and Walters did the rest with one punchout.
For Appalachian in the circle, Katherine Johnson (0-1) got the nod to start things off and lasted just a third of an inning with seven earned on four hits and three walks. In relief, the team's inning leader from 2015, Vanessa Ciocatto threw 3.2 innings and gave up just two earned on three hits and seven walks.
Appalachian State will play its first doubleheader of the season Friday as part of Auburn's Plainsman Invite by taking on Butler at 1:30 p.m. and Western Kentucky at 4 p.m.
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Mavs Walk Off on Opening Day
ARLINGTON, Texas – Sandra Mendoza provided the crucial hit in the ninth to help UT Arlington earn a walk-off, 5-4, win in extra innings over Texas Southern at Allan Saxe Field on Thursday.
The Mavericks (1-0) won their fifth consecutive season opener by taking the first game of the UTA Invitational. It was a trio of underclassmen that led the way. Mendoza provided two hits, including the game winner, while freshmen Laura Curry and Krista Rude each knocked two hits in their collegiate debuts.
Using international rules to place a runner on second to begin each extra inning Rebecca Stokes pushed Rude over with a sacrifice bunt to leadoff the ninth. Mendoza sent the first pitch of the at-bat to left to score the winning run.
Sam Montes, UTA's leading pitcher in 2015, picked up her first win in 7.1 innings pitched. Montes struck out six and allowed just four hits and two earned runs.
UTA continues action in the tournament on Friday with games at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. Action gets underway with neutral games beginning at 9 a.m.
After threatening in the first to open scoring, UTA broke through in the second with a four-run inning. Two of the first three hitters reached base before Rebecca Stokes lined a triple to right, scoring Rude and Britnea Barilli. Curry continued action with a single two at-bats later to plate another pair.
Texas Southern battled back with a run in the fourth and fifth before tying the game in the sixth. With the bases loaded, the Tigers sent a two-out pitch into left to bring the game to four apiece.
Both teams had an opportunity to pull ahead in extras prior to the walk off. The Mavericks stranded two on base in the eighth as Rude lined out to second. Rude's defensive abilities helped keep TSU off the board in the top of the ninth. The centerfielder combined with Mendoza to throw out the Tiger runner at home.
Quotable:
UT Arlington coach Kristie Fox on the win:
"I was really proud of them. They stayed really composed. Overall, we were pretty nervous. It was good to get this game under our belt on Thursday and get it out of our system. I am proud of the way we competed. They could have very easily given up in that situation when they got caught off guard by the team. Hands down credit to the other team, they came out with energy and I thought they played very well. For our girls to not play very well and still be battling is a positive to me. They could have quit and they didn’t."
Fox on the importance of the eighth-inning play on defense:
"It was beautiful. It was all that practice. You say oh my gosh that is one of our weakest points and you see it all come together in that moment. I was really proud of them and that is what I expect from our defense. We had one mistake and it was a mental mistake, we can learn from that and grow from that."
Fox on Montes’ performance:
"She is a competitor and that is why I gave her the ball. I know she is going to go out there and get us ground balls and compete with everything that she has and that is what we need from the circle."
Mendoza on the walk-off hit:
"I was looking to hit a deep fly ball anywhere. Jarvis said tried to hit one right up the middle so that is what I was trying to do."
Mendoza on the team’s battle:
"I knew we were going to come back and win it. I knew my team picks each other up. We are always positive. I was confident."
UTA continues play on Friday in the UT Arlington Invitational with a pair of games. The Mavs take on Northern Colorado at 4:30 p.m. and then take on Detroit at 6:30 p.m. Video is available for free on Mavs All-Access for the entire UTA Invitational.
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ULM Softball Drops Season Opener to McNeese, 4-0
MONROE, La. – Junior Melanie Coyne had a strong outing and tossed a complete game, but the Warhawks fell in their season opener Thursday night 4-0 versus McNeese at ULM Softball Complex.
Coyne scattered eight hits in the appearance and allowed just three earned runs while striking out four. ULM’s offense only mustered one hit, an Amye Barre single in the bottom of the second inning, against McNeese State pitcher Jamie Allred. Allred threw a complete game shutout and struck out nine.
McNeese scored an unearned run in the third after an attempted throw down from catcher Sam Agamaite was muffed into the outfield. The Cowgirls then scored three more in the top of the fifth, two on a Justyce McClain single and the other from an Emily Vincent RBI groundout which scored Erika Piancastelli.
The Warhawks return to action in the Mardi Gras Classic tomorrow at ULM Softball Complex with a 1 p.m. matchup versus Prairie View A&M and a 3 p.m. duel against Grambling.
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Eagles Fall in Season Opener to Mississippi State
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Georgia Southern softball team kicked off its 2016 campaign Thursday evening, falling 6-0 to Mississippi State at brand-new Nusz Park in the first game of the Bulldog Kickoff Classic. The young Eagles had four players earn their first collegiate starts: Haley Carter, Hannah Ferrell, Macy Weeks and Lydia Witkowski.
The Bulldogs, who have been to five straight NCAA Regionals, struck first with four runs in the second inning thanks in part to two GS errors. In the next half inning, Weeks led off with a sharp single up the middle for her first collegiate hit and moved up 60 feet when Alesha Mann reached on an error. Haley Carter put down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners up, but MSU pitcher Holly Ward picked up a strikeout and third baseman Caroline Seitz snagged a rocket from Witkowski to end the threat.
The Bulldogs strung together three hits in the third inning, scoring a run on a wild pitch and a single through the left side to make it 6-0. That would be the final tally as the Eagles stymied the Bulldogs from the fourth inning on.
Kierra Camp (L, 0-1) went three innings for the Eagles, allowing six runs (three earned) on six hits with a walk and a strikeout. The sophomore induced seven ground outs to help control the pace. Freshman Dixie Raley made her collegiate debut, tossing three scoreless innings. She allowed just a pair of hits and struck out four while walking two.
Weeks had the lone hit for GS while Carter had a sacrifice bunt to lead the offense.
The Eagles will be back in action on Friday, taking on Tennessee Tech at 11 a.m. (ET) and Alabama A&M at 1:30 p.m. (ET) in Starkville.