Florida 11, Illinois State 0
TAMPA, Fla. – The Illinois State softball team fell 11-0, in five innings to No. 2/4 Florida on Saturday evening at the USF Tournament in Tampa, Fla. The Gators’ efficient offense produced 11 runs on 11 hits, including a pair of home runs and Florida starter Hannah Rogers allowed just three hits, while striking out nine Redbirds.
ILS (2-1) had an opportunity to go up in the top of the first, when junior Jhavon Hamilton looped a one-out single into right field and senior Liz Andrews reached on an infield single to put runners on the corners with two outs. Rogers ended the threat with a strikeout and conceded just one hit the rest of the evening.
Florida (3-0) opened the bottom of the first with a pair of singles from Michelle Moultrie and Sami Fagan, and Brittany Schutte loaded the bases with a one-out walk. Cheyenne Coyle followed with a grand slam to left and Kelsey Fagan lined an RBI double to right center later in the inning to put the Gators up 5-0 after one.
The lead would grow to 8-0 in the bottom of the second on Florida’s second homer of the night. Moultire was hit by a pitch and Fagan singled to lead off the inning and Lauren Haeger cleared the bases with a three-run shot to dead center to chase Illinois State starter Taylor Baxter.
Freshman Sophia Perez made her collegiate debut in relief of Baxter and retired the first six Gators she faced. However, the Florida bats would come alive again in the fourth, as UF plated three more runs on hits by Haeger, Schutte and Coyle to extend its lead to 11-0.
The Redbirds put a pair of runners on base in the fifth, when redshirt sophomore Nichelle Harrison singled and Hamilton drew a two-out walk, but ISU could not break up the shutout.
Baxter took the loss in the circle, allowing eight runs, all earned, in her inning of work, while Perez notched three strikeouts and allowed three runs on four hits in 3.0 innings of relief.
Illinois State will wrap up the USF Tournament Sunday morning against Florida Gulf Coast. The first pitch is slated for 10:15 a.m.
California 5, Bradley 0
Bradley 2, Western Michigan 1
TEMPE, Ariz. -- California's Valerie Arioto tossed a two-hit shutout and drove in a run in the fourth inning to help the third-ranked Bears to a 5-0 win against Bradley Saturday morning at the 2012 Kajikawa Classic.
Bradley (1-2 overall) managed two singles off California's two-time All-American Arioto, who missed last season due to injury.
A College World Series participant last year, California (2-0 overall) got all the runs it would need in the bottom half of the first inning. Britt Vonk had a leadoff single and Arioto drew a one-out walk, before Jace Williams ripped her second home run in as many games to stake the Bears to an early 3-0 lead. Danielle Henderson gave Cal a 4-0 lead later in the inning with an RBI single.
The Braves drew walks in each of the first two innings and had their best scoring chance of the day in the third after senior Alison Kresl (Kankakee, Ill./Bishop McNamara) led off the frame with a walk and Julie Sherman (Hickory Hills, Ill./Stagg) followed with a single. BU had runners at second and third with no outs after a California error on Sherman's single, but Arioto retired the next three batters she faced to preserve the shutout.
A Bradley error in the in the bottom of the fourth led to an unearned Cal run on an RBI single by Arioto to make it 5-0 and the Braves did not reach base until the seventh after the missed scoring opportunity in the third.
Sophomore Bailiegh Basham (Mattoon, Ill./Mattoon/Lake Land C.C.) led off the top of the seventh with an infield single for Bradley's second hit of the game, but the Braves couldn't push a run across and Cal closed out the 5-0 win. Arioto struck out 11 BU hitters in the complete game shutout.
Sophomore Madeline Lynch-Crumrine (Sedro-Woolley, Wash./Sedro-Woolley) suffered her first loss of the year in the circle for Bradley to drop to 1-1 on the season. She struck out four and walked two, while giving up five runs (four earned) in the setback.
Senior Jackie Roth (Hickory Hills, Ill./Stagg) hit a solo home run and freshman Shannon King (San Jose, Calif./Archbishop Mitty) scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch in the fourth to help Bradley to a 2-1 win against preseason Mid-American Conference West Division favorite Western Michigan Saturday at the 2012 Kajikawa Classic.
Roth opened the scoring for Bradley (2-2 overall) with a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the second and gave the Braves a 1-0 lead.
Senior pitcher Lindsay Hufeld (Mapleton, Ill./Limestone/Illinois Central) gave up just one hit in the first four innings and kept Western Michigan (0-4 overall) off the scoreboard until giving up a single run in the sixth as she went on to earn her first win of the year.
With Bradley holding a 1-0 lead, King led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a walk and later scored from third on a wild pitch to put the Braves in front 2-0.
Western Michigan got on the scoreboard in the top of the sixth after Meredith Whitney reached on a one-out single. Whitney moved to second on a wild pitch and eventually scored on a RBI single off the bat of Emma Bogart to pull the Broncos within a run.
Hufeld scattered four hits over the first six and one-third innings before getting chased from the game after giving up a pair of one-out singles in the seventh. Sophomore Madeline Lynch-Crumrine (Sedro-Woolley, Wash./Sedro-Woolley) entered the game with one out and runners at first and second, but retired the first two batters she faced to close out the 2-1 win and earn her first save of the year.
Hufeld struck out four and walked three, giving up one earned in 6.1 innings of work. Senior Julie Sherman (Hickory Hills, Ill./Stagg) hit safely for the fourth consecutive game, going 2-for-3 to improve her batting average to .462.
Bradley closes out play at the 2012 Kajikawa Classic Sunday with a noon (CST) game against McNeese State.
Creighton 18, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 0
Creighton 14, Arkansas
PINE BLUFF, Ark. - Creighton opened the season in fine fashion Saturday afternoon, crushing Arkansas-Pine Bluff in a doubleheader sweep. The Bluejays opened the season with an 18-0 win to set a school record for winning margin and followed with a 14-2 victory over the Lady Lions in the night cap.
Freshman Allie Mathewson batted leadoff in both games and finished her first two career games 6-for-10 with five RBI and five runs scored. Junior Amy Baker went 6-for-7 with seven RBI in the twin bill as the Bluejays smacked 33 hits and scored 32 runs in the sweep.
In the opener, the Bluejays scored twice in the first inning, as senior Christa Ruf drew a one-out walk and moved to second on a single by sophomore transfer Alexis Cantu. Baker followed with a two-run double to put the Jays ahead 2-0 after one.
In the second inning, Creighton scored three more to push ahead 5-0. Ashley Frutos led off the frame with a double and scored when freshman Liz Dike tripled in her career at bat. Dike would later score on a fielder's choice and Cantu added an RBI single to give the Jays a five run lead.
The Jays then exploded for an 11-run fourth inning to blow open the opener. Hits in the frame included a two-run double from sophomore Blair Lowe, a two-run single from Frutos, a two-run double from Mathewson and a two-run single from Baker.
Mathewson added a two-run triple in the fifth inning to conclude the scoring and end her first career game 3-for-5 with a single, double, triple, two runs scored and four RBI.
Baker went 3-for-4 with four RBI in the opener. Cantu and Dike each added two hits in their first game as Bluejays, while Frutos also finished with two hits to help the Bluejays pound out 16 hits in the opener.
Becca Changstrom (1-0) and Brittany Telecky combined on the shutout. Changstrom pitched the first three innings, striking out three, while Telecky pitched the last two innings and of the six players she retired she fanned five.
Creighton's 18 runs were its most since an 18-5 win over Saint Louis on Feb. 20, 2009 and its 18-0 winning margin topped the former school record of 17 which had been done three times previously.
In the second game, Mathewson singled to start the game just as she did in the opener. She crossed the plate for the first run of the game on Baker's second double of the day. Rookie freshman Bri Lingl then drove in a run on a single in her first collegiate at bat and fellow freshman Taylor Flodman followed with an RBI single. A bases loaded walk to Ruf put the Bluejays up 4-0 after one inning.
Lingl added an RBI single in the second inning before the Lady Lions scored their first run of the afternoon in the bottom of the frame.
Creighton scored four more runs in the third inning keyed by a two-run double from Baker. Mathewson and Flodman also had RBI hits in the frame.
Five more Bluejay runs scored in the fourth inning before UAPB scored a run in the bottom of the frame, with Lingl driving in two more runs on her fourth hit of the day.
Bluejay freshmen went 10-for-16 in the second game, helping the team log 17 hits in the night cap. Lingl, who started at catcher, went 4-for-4 with four RBI in her first career start after entering as a reserve in the opener. Flodman was 3-for-3 with two RBI and Mathewson went 3-for-5 with three runs scored in the night cap.
Baker, making her first career start at first base in the night cap, went 3-for-4 with two doubles and four RBI. Baker, who led the MVC with 18 home runs but had one double in 53 games last year, posted three doubles in Saturday's doubleheader.
Cantu (1-0) started in the circle and picked up the win for the Bluejays. The right-hander went three innings, allowing one run on three hits, finishing with three Ks. Sammy Snygg did not allow a hit in her two innings of relief.
The Bluejays will look for another twin bill sweep of UAPB on Sunday when the teams play a doubleheader beginning at 11 am.
Drake 3, Western Illinois 2
North Dakota 4, Drake 3
Ames, Iowa - The Drake Bulldogs team split its first two games of the 2012 season on Saturday. Drake (1-1) defeated Western Illinois, 3-2, in the first game of the 2012 ISU Classic and North Dakota defeated Drake, 4-3, in the second game of the day.
In game one against the Leathernecks, Jordan Gronewold tossed a two hitter and held WIU to one run and the sophomore struck out ten to move to 1-0.
Drake rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the bottom of the sixth inning after Western Illinois tied the game 1-1 in the top of the frame. The Bulldogs plated two runs off of WIU starter, Haley Bickford to earn the win.
In game two, freshman Rebekah Schmidt took the loss for the Bulldogs. Schmidt made her collegiate debut against the Fighting Sioux and the freshman battled control problems with six walks.
She gave up two runs to begin the game to put the Bulldogs in an early hole but Torey Craddock blasted a two-run home run in the bottom half of the first to even the score.
North Dakota added two runs in the fifth inning with a two-run shot from Caralyn Chewning.
Drake was able to get one run back in the bottom of the seventh against the Sioux after Amy Pierce plated pinch runner Nicole Randel (Alpine, Calif.) with a
single but the Bulldogs rally fell just short.
The ISU Classic is being held in Ames because UNI had to cancel the UNI-Dome Ramada Inn Classic in Cedar Falls due to the machine that rolls out the turf at the UNI-Dome being broken.
Drake will finish the ISU Classic on Sunday with two games against Green Bay (8 a.m.) and Valparaiso (Noon).
Northern Iowa 9, Green Bay 1
The UNI Panther’s softball team entered day two of competition Saturday afternoon as they took on Wisconsin-Green Bay at 2:00pm in the Bergstrom Indoor Practice Facility located in Ames, Iowa.
Coming off a tough loss in extra innings to North Dakota on Friday night the Panthers came out firing defensively as “Newcomer of the Year” recipient Jamie Fisher took the mound and played exceptionally well with an excellent defense backing her up throughout the game. As Fisher continued to take the mound her dominating performance never slowed down. Fisher threw five innings facing eighteen batters while striking out five and allowing just four hits which led to one Green Bay run.
The Panthers were aggressive at the plate early getting off to a hot start as senior short stop Mackenzie Daigh got the Panther’s rolling with a double hit hard to center field wall. A new face to the Panthers, transfer Melissa Walls along with seniors Hannah Borschel and Courtney Dunker
kept the rally going as the Panther’s got off to a nice 3-0 lead in the first inning. Borschel led the Panthers with three runners batted in while second basemen Haley Kreiner tacked on two as well. As the Panthers continued to attack throughout the game they never seemed to let up as they cruised to a 9-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning which finished off the game. The Panthers will see day three action of the Ramada Inn Classic Sunday February 11, 2012 at 6:00p.m. when they host University of Nebraska-Omaha followed by an 8:00p.m. matchup with Western Illinois.
Miami (OH) 3, Southern Illinois 2
Southern Illinois vs. Kennesaw State - Cancelled
WOODSTOCK, Ga. - The Southern Illinois softball team fell in its season opener to Miami (Ohio) 3-2, Saturday morning.
The Salukis' bats got going early despite frigid temperatures, scoring their only two runs in the top of the first off a walk drew by Allie VadeBoncouer and Haley Gormanscored on a wild pitch.
But the offense would come to a halt for the Dawgs (0-1) who managed six hits in the contest but didn't score after the first inning.
"You don't like losing a ball game and its not acceptable but I feel like we have a handle on why we lost and on correcting it," head coach Kerri Blaylocksaid. "I thought we pitched pretty well and played defense well with no errors and we had a lot of chances but I hope we get better offensively and I think we will."
Taylor Orsburn had an impressive day, going 3-for-4, while Gorman, Jayna Spivey, and Kelsea Ashtonall provided hits in the game.
But it was the RedHawks Jessica Simpson, reigning MAC Pitcher of the Year, who controlled the game, throwing 10 strikeouts to doom the Salukis. The Dawgs also left 14 runners left on base in the game.
"We faced a tough pitcher in Simpson and they (Miami-Ohio) were picked preseason favorite in the MAC and I feel like I've got to give her (Simpson) some credit for what she did in the ballgame," Blaylock said.
The RedHawks (1-0) tied the game in the bottom of the sixth off a Remy Edwards single and the Salukis bats went cold before a fielder's choice in the bottom of the seventh gave up the win.
Katie Bertelsen picked up the loss in her first collegiate start as she struck out three but allowed three earned runs and walked four batters.
The unseasonably cold weather combined with 13 mile-per-hour winds made for a below freezing wind chill, forcing cancellation of the Salukis second game of the day against host Kennesaw State. The game will not be rescheduled.
In tomorrow's action, game times have been pushed back. The Dawgs will face Austin Peay at 11 a.m. CT and Mercer at 1 p.m. CT.
Texas-Arlington 6, Wichita State 1
Wichita State 7, Belmont 2
WACO, Texas- The Wichita State softball team gave Kristi Bredbenner her first victory as the Shocker head coach defeating Belmont, 7-2. The win came on a cold and windy afternoon that saw many players and coaches wearing extra layers to keep warm.
The Shockers got another strong pitching performance from sophomore pitcher Sloan Anderson. Anderson threw her second consecutive complete game allowing two-earned runs while striking out seven Bruins.
The game was close throughout with neither team trailing by more than one run until the Shockers bats came to life, scoring four runs in the top of the
seventh to distance themselves from Atlantic Sun Conference member Belmont.
Sophomore Laura Vickers and freshman Melanie Jaegers each drove in two runs and junior Haley Temple added another RBI to pace the Shocker offense.
Earlier in the day the Shockers dropped a 6-1 decision to UT-Arlington. Rachel Milnark collected two hits and Katie Armagost battled through five
innings on the mound striking out four Mavericks.
The Shockers will play one more game in Waco before making the trip back to Wichita on Sunday. Wichita State will take on SEC member Arkansas at 11 a.m. looking to earn their second consecutive victory and build more momentum heading into next weekends tournament in Denton, Texas.
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