FRIDAY'S SCORES
Belmont 1, UNC Greensboro 0 (8)
Belmont 7, Alabama State 0
Western Kentucky 9,
Murray State 1
San Houston State 5,
Jacksonville State 3 (11)
Bryant 10,
Tennessee State 4
@Auburn 3,
Tennessee State 2 (8)
@Southern Miss 7,
Jacksonville State 6
BELMONT 1, UNC GREENSBORO 0; BELMONT 7, ALABAMA STATE 0
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Belmont softball team (4-2) continued its winning ways of late, picking up a pair of shutout victories on the opening day of the ASU Hornet Invitational. The Bruins shutout UNC Greensboro (3-1) in extra innings, 1-0, and blew by host-Alabama State (0-6), 7-0, and improve to 4-2 on the young season.
Game one was an intense defensive battle, anchored by strong pitching by both squads. UNC Greensboro was the first to record a hit finally in the fourth inning but it would not be until two innings later that the Bruins would repeat the feat. Unfortunately, neither was able to get a run over the plate.
Stalemated at 0-0, the teams headed into an eighth and deciding inning. BU worked to keep the Spartans off the board in the top half and looked to the bottom of the order to produce the game winning run. With just one out on the board, sophomore Heather Turner (Rosenburg, Texas) was placed on second and moved to third on a throwing error. Junior MJ Lawson (Tucson, Ariz.) reached on a fielder's choice and was able to advance to second to put two runners in scoring position. Sophomore Kat Hollingsworth (Carrollton, Texas) smashed a double to send Turner home for the game winning run, giving Belmont its first shutout of the season.
Belmont finished the contest with one run, three hits and an error while UNCG finished with four hits and two errors.
Rookie Carolyn Snodgress (Torrance, Calif.) tossed her second complete game of the season and finished with six strikeouts.
The Bruins carried their momentum into their second game of the day against host-Alabama State. Hollingsworth's bat remained on fire, getting things started with her first homerun of the season over the centerfield fence at the top of first inning. Sophomore Kirbie Ferrell (Pasadena, Texas) and junior Mia Vierra (Palmdale, Calif.) each tallied singles and runs to send BU into the bottom of the same inning 3-0.
Belmont cruised until the fifth, adding another run behind on Hollingsworth's second double of the day and a single by Vierra sent her home. Alabama State attempted to get into the contest with a rally in the bottom of the fifth inning with one out. A pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases seemed to signal a run would score but the Bruins clamped down defensively and used a squeeze play at the plate and a strikeout by junior Brittanie Albright (Franklin, Tenn.) to hold on to the 4-0 lead. The Hornets surged once in the following inning, loading the bases with no outs. However, BU dug in its collective heels and turned a double play before Vierra tallied her first strikeout of the afternoon to close the inning.
BU finished on a tear, adding three more runs to its tally in the top of the seventh to put the game out of reach for good. Sophomore Amanda Criscione (Upland, Calif.) singled up the middle and stole second before a well-placed bunt by Ferrell moved her over the plate after a bad Alabama State throw. Freshman Jordan Daly (Humble, Texas) made contact, sending a single into right field that set up Ferrell to sneak home on a wild pitch for the Bruins' third run of the inning. The Hornets attempted once more to answer back but stranded a pair of runners as Belmont held on for the 7-0 victory.
BU finished the game with seven runs on 12 hits and one error while ASU finished with five hits and one error.
Albright, who earned the W, finished with five strikeouts. Vierra tossed two innings in relief to help secure the victory.
For the day, Criscione led BU, batting .500, followed by Ferrell and Vierra, who both hit .429 over the two games. Hollingsworth finished with two doubles, one homerun and five RBI. Vierra also tallied five RBI.
Belmont returns to action on day two of the ASU Hornet Invitational. The Bruins face off against UNC Greensboro at 3:30 p.m. and take on host-Alabama State in the nightcap.
WESTERN KENTUCKY 9, MURRAY STATE 1
STARKVILLE, Miss. - A big sixth inning helped propel Western Kentucky to a 9-1 win over the Murray State softball team in the Racers’ season opener on Friday afternoon at the Mississippi State Softball Stadium in Starkville.
The two teams matched up evenly through the first three innings with neither team able to score. However, the Lady Toppers (1-0) took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth with a pair of RBI doubles from Mallorie Sulaski and Kellie Quarles.
In the top of the fifth, Murray State (0-1) cut the deficit in half with their own RBI double from Christian Cox that allowed Casey Castile to cross the plate. In the bottom half of the inning, pitcher CheyAnne Gaskey held WKU scoreless to give Murray State a chance at overcoming the lead.
Murray State was unable to score in the sixth and needed to hold the Lady Toppers in the bottom half of the inning. However, Western Kentucky came out firing on all cylinders in the bottom of the frame and scored seven runs to end the game early.
In addition to Cox, Katie Bunch, Shelbey Miller and Sarah Anderson also notched hits in the contest. Shelby Kosmecki (0-1) took the loss for MSU in the contest, allowing two runs off of six hits over 2.1 innings of work.
Murray State will look to bounce back on Saturday when they continue play at the Bulldog Battle whey they take on Northwestern State and Lipscomb at 4 and 6 p.m., respectively.
BRYANT 10, TENNESSEE STATE 4; AUBURN 4, TENNESSEE STATE 3
AUBURN, Ala. - a hard fought 3-2 eight-inning decision to Auburn after struggling in a 10-4 loss to Bryant to open the day. The Tigers drop to 0-5, while Auburn improved to 8-0 and Bryant starts the season 1-0.
Olivia Gamache (0-2) went the distance in the eight-inning loss to Auburn. The junior pitcher scattered five hits and three walks, while fanning three, as she allowed just one earned run. Auburn took advantage of a two-out error in the top of the second that drove in the first run of the game and provided an early deficit for TSU.
The Tigers fought back to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth. Kacie Daugherty reached on a fielder's choice giving TSU a runner on first with two outs. Daugherty would take second on a wild pitch setting up a clutch opportunity for Tayler Shimizu. The sophomore needed just one pitch to step up to the challenge, as she drove a line drive single into right center that allowed Daugherty to even the score at 1-1.
The game would remain tied and moved to the eighth inning where the international tiebreaker was used. Auburn wasted no time as their runner, who was placed on second base to start the inning, advanced one base on a passed ball and scored a pitch later as Tiffany Howard singled up the middle.
After a double to leadoff hitter Morgan Estell, Auburn pushed a second run across on a groundout to Daugherty at second. Gamache was able to entice a pop fly and a groundout to get out of the inning with no further damage.
Brianna Roberts was placed on second to start the eighth for the Tigers and moved to third on a wild pitch. Daugherty would get TSU closer with a hard line drive into center pushing Roberts across the plate. Shimizu executed a sacrifice bunt moving Daugherty to second and giving the Big Blue an opportunity to tie the game. Kate Morris pinched-hit for Kiarra Freeman and earned a walk putting runners on first and second with just one out. Freeman would reenter to run for Morris, but the Tigers would get no closer as the Auburn pitching staff forced a ground out and a pop up to solidify the win.
In the first game, TSU jumped out with a run in the top of the first as Jennifer Givens led the game off with a single and quickly stole second base. Three batters later, Givens scampered home on a wild pitch.
The lead was short lived as pitcher Shea Morris (0-3) surrendered a home run, after a walk, to the second batter in the Bryant lineup. Morris would continue to struggle in the first allowing two more walks, but worked out of danger before settling in to a groove.
The Tigers regained the lead in the third as the top of the lineup once again proved the spark with back-to-back hits by Givens and Freeman. Jayne Hanawahine drove Givens home on a ground out to short, while Audrey Sensing collected the first hit of her career with a single to right that allowed Freeman to score giving TSU a 3-2 lead.
The Tigers ran into trouble in the fourth as back-to-back errors opened the inning and the Bulldogs to full advantage as they scored five unearned runs to take a 7-3 lead.
TSU would get one back in the top of the fifth as Sensing delivered her second consecutive RBI single that allowed Daugherty to score from second. The Tigers would get no closer than 7-4 as the opponents from the Northeast Conference added two more runs in the fifth and another in the sixth.
Sensing finished the day with three hits in seven at bats and two RBI, while Freeman, Daugherty, Givens and Ashley Haynes all collected two hits.
The Tigers continue play Saturday evening with a single game at 5:30 against UT Chattanooga.
SAM HOUSTON STATE 5, JACKSONVILLE STATE 3; SOUTHERN MISS 7, JACKSONVILLE STATE 6
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Jacksonville State softball team dropped a pair of tough games on the first day of the Southern Miss Invitational on Friday, falling 5-3 in 11 innings to Sam Houston State and then dropping a 7-6 nightcap to the host Eagles.
Senior Krystal Ruth went 5-for-10 with a home run, two doubles and four RBI over the two games for the Gamecocks (2-4), who got a much needed 4-for-7, three-run day out of sophomore Sara Borders.
The Gamecocks couldn't push runners across in the first game, a marathon loss to Sam Houston State that saw them strand 14 baserunners. They had a runner in scoring position in each of the four extra frames but couldn't get one in.
Junior Tiffany Harbin limited the Bearkats to three runs, only one earned, on eight hits in 10 innings in the circle. The Hazel Green, Ala., native struck out 12 batters through the first 10 frames before making way for freshman Casey Akenberger in the 11th. The Bowling Green, Ohio, native suffered the loss after a single and two walks set up a two-run game-winning single from Cecilia Castillo.
Shelby Lancaster went the distance for SHSU and grabbed the win in limiting the Gamecocks to just three runs on 13 hits in 11 innings.
JSU answered a first-inning SHSU run with two in the bottom half of the inning, one that saw Cadi Oliver triple to set up an RBI double by Ruth. Ruth then came home on a single from Kelci Johnston that gave the Gamecocks a 2-1 lead.
Sam Houston State tied it in the fourth and then took a 3-2 lead in the sixth, but JSU tied it back up in the bottom of the sixth. Jessica Guy came through with a one out single that scored Borders, who led off the inning with a single up the middle. Singles from Cara Longworth and Ella Denes put runners at the corners with two outs, but Oliver's attempt to take the lead fell in the center fielder's glove and ended the threat.
Neither team could push a run across until the 11th, when SHSU got Castillo's big hit.
Borders and Guy led JSU at the plate with 2-for-4 games, while Ruth and Hayden Crawford each went 2-for-6.
In the nightcap, the Gamecocks couldn't overcome a five-run fourth inning from the Eagles in the one-run loss. After plating one run in each the second, third and fourth innings to take a 3-1 lead, the Eagles put together just enough of a big inning to escape with the win. The big blow in the frame was a three-run double from Mackenzie Sher that gave them a 6-3 lead, but JSU would have an answer.
The Gamecocks cut the deficit to one in the top of the fifth, thanks to a two-run home run to right center by Ruth that followed a Borders single and made it a 6-5 game.
USM added an insurance run in the home half of the sixth, this time on a double from Danielle LaPointe that would be the clinching run of the game. JSU got one back in the sixth on a pinch-hit home run from junior Amanda Martinez, the first of her career, but it couldn't push across another.
Akenberger was tagged with the loss after going the distance and allowing seven runs on 11 hits in her six innings. She did strike out a career-best eight batters and walked just two.
Beth Dietrich started the game for USM and gave up three runs on five hits in 3.1 innings before making way for Kimberly Wagner. Wagnet earned the win in relief, surrendering three runs on four hits in three innings.
Ruth drove in three runs and went 3-for-4 in the game, while Borders went 2-for-3 for JSU at the plate.
The Gamecocks continue the tournament with games against the same two teams on Saturday, beginning with a 12 p.m. game with Sam Houston State that will be followed by a 2:30 p.m. matchup with Southern Miss.