HONOLULU – The Ole Miss softball team (2-4) and No. 23 Hawaii (5-0) played another tight game at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium on Saturday afternoon, but Hawaii again was able to pull off a tight 2-0 victory to advance to the finals of the Oceanic Time Warner Cable Paradise Classic.
Just two days after dropping a 2-0 decision to Hawaii in which each team recorded just one hit, Ole Miss again played the host school tight and allowed just three hits, but couldn’t bring any runs home and fell to the top-25 ranked team. Despite the loss, Ole Miss softball head coach Windy Thees still saw a lot of good things from her team.
“It’s fun to play top 25 teams, and they’re a good squad,” Thees said. “(Hawaii’s Kaia Parnaby) is a tough pitcher, but we definitely put the bat on the ball more today. We just hit the ball too hard at the wrong times right to somebody. We had bases loaded, one out, and rip one but they turn a double play on it and that kind of let the wind out of our sails. That was a great inning for us and we were finally really attacking on their pitcher.
“I’m proud of the growth of our team. We have nine new people on our squad this year, and getting out here playing the best of the best is really good for us because I think the kids have really elevated their games and it will really help us as we go into the season.”
The Rebels’ best opportunity of the game came in the top of the sixth inning. Freshman right fielder Bri Payne began the inning with a leadoff double to left-center field, followed by a pair of beautiful bunts from junior centerfielder RT Cantillo, and freshman shortstop Haley Culley to load the bases with no outs. Ole Miss was unable to drive any runs home though, as the Rainbow Wahine forced a pop up and turned a double play on a hard hit ball to third base.
Ole Miss received strong pitching performances from its two junior transfer pitchers, Carly Hummel and Shelby Jo Fenter. Each pitcher threw complete games, as Hummel allowed just three hits and struck out four against Hawaii, while Fenter allowed two runs on five hits and struck out six against St. Mary’s earlier in the day.
“They both had their ups and downs this weekend, but I feel like they learned so much in just three days of playing and pitching, about themselves, about how to pitch fatigued, about what they need to do in the dugout and about how they need to look at scouting reports,” Thees said. “I’m really, really pleased with what I see out of them. I think by the end they both were pitching better than they ever did.”
Another bright spot for the Rebels were the performances from their freshmen. Welcoming in seven rookies this season, Ole Miss started four freshmen in each game Saturday, and played five freshmen total against Saint Mary’s.
“I’m so pleased right now (with our freshmen),” Thees said. “Haley Culley at shortstop just makes everything look so easy and she had a great day and a great tournament, really. I’m really excited to see her as a Rebel moving forward. Natalie Martinez throwing somebody out, and gunning them down was great, and Haley had a great tag at second. Then Bri Payne at the fence catching one and the kid tried to tag from second to go to third and she threw a bullet and it wasn’t even close. She was out by a mile.”
Ole Miss will play again Wednesday in its home opener against No. 10 LSU. The game will be a rare non-conference matchup between the two Southeastern Conference foes. With the Rebels and Tigers not meeting in the SEC regular season, Thees and Tigers head coach Beth Torina decided to continue the rivalry.
The game is also special because the Rebels will be participating in the Geaux Play program established by former LSU All-American Brittany Mack. Ole Miss is asking fans to donate any new or gently used sports equipment. Those who donate sports equipment at the game will receive two free tickets to the baseball home opener vs. TCU on Feb. 15 at 4 p.m. CT.
Georgia Splits With Elon, Ohio State
Game 1
Georgia 8, Elon 0 (5 Innings)
Geri Ann Glasco and Katie Browne combined to go 4-for-4, to lead the Bulldogs to a 8-0, five-innig win over the Phoenix in the first game. Glasco hit her first career home run, and the first of the season for Georgia, to bring in the final runs of the game.
Morgan Montemayor earned her first win of the season after pitching a complete-game, two-hitter. Montemayor allowed just two hits and retired nine consecutive batters to help keep Elon scoreless. Karen Berna suffered the loss for Elon after giving up 10 hits in four innings and falls to 0-1 this season.
Elon's offense got started early putting runners in scoring position in the top of the first, before the Bulldog defense settled in to retire the final two batters.
Georgia took a 2-0 lead in the second inning after Katie Browne sailed a long double off of the centerfield wall to drive in Criket Blanco and Christine Olney. The Bulldogs added another run when an Elon error allowed Browne to cross the plate.
Georgia increased its advantage in the fourth, when Samantha LaZear used a single to right field to drive in Anna Swafford, who came on to pinch run for Browne. Paige Wilson extended her hitting streak to 15 games and put Georgia up 6-0 with a two-run bunt single that scored Niaja Griffin and LaZear. With Wilson on first, Glasco belted a two-run home run over the left field wall to seal Georgia's 8-0 win.
GAME 2
Ohio State 5, Georgia 4 (Eight Innings)
In the second game of Georgia's doubleheader, the Bulldogs fell to Ohio State 5-4 in eight innings.
The Buckeyes got off to a fast start, scoring four runs in the first inning. Georgia answered with two in the bottom of the frame to make it a 4-2 game. With two outs, Wilson kept her hit streak alive with a single. Glasco followed with a double deep to left field, scoring Wilson for Georgia's first run of the game. Tina Iosefa added a single to score Glasco and make it a 4-2 game.
The offenses remained quiet over the next three innings, before Wilson homered to straight away center to cut the lead to 4-3.
Ohio State threatened in the top of the seventh after each of its first three hitters singled to load the bases. Montemayor, who came on in relief of Chelsea Wilkinson, along with the Bulldog defense worked out of the no out, bases-loaded jam as Montemayor struck out the next batter, then forced Melaina Saalfeld to ground into a fielders choice which led to the force out at home. Jayla Saibene came in as a pinch hitter for the Buckeye's but grounded out to Wilson at short to end the inning.
Tess Sito put the Bulldogs in position to tie the game in the seventh inning, reaching second base on an error by the Buckeyes. With a runner in scoring position and the heart of the Georgia lineup due up, O'Reilly was relieved by Alex DiDomenico.
Down to Georgia's last out, Glasco came through with a RBI-single to left field that sent Sito home to tie the game at four and send the game into extra innings.
Ohio State was able to come up with a run in the top of the eighth with an RBI-single off the bat of Megan Coletta that gave Ohio State a 5-4 lead. The single proved to be the difference as Georgia only managed one base runner in the bottom half of the eighth and Ohio State hung on for the win.
Alex DiDomenico (1-0) picked up the win for the Buckeye's replacing Olivia O'Reilly with 1.2 scoreless innings. DiDomenico allowed just two hits and did not give up a run. O'Reilly allowed four runs on 10 hits in 6.1 innings in the circle.
Montemayor suffered the loss to fall to 1-1 on the year. She allowed one run on eight hits and struck out five in 6.2 innings of relief. Wilkinson got the start and allowed four runs on two hits in 0.1 innings. Glasco also saw time in the circle, but did not give up a run and allowed just one hit.
Georgia returns to action on Sunday, Feb. 10 at 12:30 p.m., when it takes on the Winthrop Eagles in the final day of the Red and Black Showcase.
Arkansas Sweeps Two
St. George, Utah – The University of Arkansas softball team defeated the Loyola Marymount Lions, 8-3 and the Weber State Wildcats, 10-2 in five innings, at the Red Desert Classic in St. George, Utah.
The Arkansas pitching staff led the team to two victories on day two of the Red Desert Classic. Kimmy Beasley led the Razorbacks in game one against LMU. She recorded eight strikeouts while only allowing two hits and one earned run in 4.2 innings of work. Hope McLemore was able to come in and finish the job in game one. She threw 2.1 innings, struck out a batter and allowed one run. Game two also featured a strong pitching performance, this time by freshman Kelly Young. She went five innings, striking out nine and allowed only one earned run. Head coach Mike Larabee praised his freshman pitcher.
“Young did a nice job in her first start,” Larabee said. “She had nine strikeouts in five innings. We recruited Kelly because she is a winner. She was 26-and-0 in postseason games in high school. She is a competitor and one of the hardest workers on our team. She just loves to compete.”
The Razorback bats were also in full swing as Arkansas outscored its opponents 18-5 in the two games. The Hogs were led in game one by Devon Wallace, Clarissa Navarro and Chloe Oprzedek, all three notched three hits in the game. Navarro, Nicole Schroeder and freshman Claire Clark all netted three RBI. In game two the team was led again by Wallace, she went 1-for-2 with two walks, three runs scored and a three-run homerun that landed in the bullpen behind the centerfield fence. Schroeder and Jayme Gee also delivered solo homeruns in game two.
“I thought we swung the bats really well today,” Larabee said. “We had some runners on base that we need to get home, but the good thing is that we are getting the runners on base. It was nice to see three balls leave the yard. Schroeder and Gee got their first ones and Devon Wallace hit a no-doubter.”
Game one started with two scoreless innings for both teams. Arkansas struck first in the top of the third when pinch runner Ashley Martindale scored on a throwing error from the Loyola defense.
The Lions fought back to tie the game at one run apiece before the Razorbacks delivered three runs in the top half of the fourth. The inning featured a triple by Oprzedek and she eventually scored when Schroeder hit into a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded.
Arkansas broke the game open in the seventh inning when Oprzedek again led off the inning with a hit. Wallace walked and Canfield hit a single to load the bases for Clarissa Navarro. Navarro roped a single up the middle that scored two and the game was out of reach at 6-2. The Razorbacks added two more runs in the inning and the Lions plated one in the bottom of the seventh to make the final 8-3.
Game two featured the Weber State Wildcats jumping on the board first when Alyson Kulp singled and scored on a Silva single. Young struck out three batters in her first inning as a Razorback.
Arkansas answered in the bottom half of the inning when Amanda Geile lined a single up the middle scoring Navarro. Gee continued the scoring in the second when she towered a homerun to dead centerfield, making the score 2-1, Hogs, after two.
This time the Wildcats answered, in the top of the third, when an arid throw from Gee on a double steal resulted in Kulp stealing third. The ball squirted into the outfield and WSU picked up its second run of the game as Kulp trotted home. Young was able to work out of the jam, striking out the next two batters for her fifth and sixth strikeouts of the game.
Schroeder continued the back-and-forth pace when she rocketed a solo homerun over the leftfield wall. Geile followed the solo shot with her second hit of the game, a double off of the centerfielder’s glove. Geile was advanced to third on a single from Gee and then scored on a sacrifice fly from Sierra Bronkey. Wallace then continued the hit parade when she hit a three-run homer to centerfield, scoring three and giving Arkansas a 7-2 lead after the third inning.
After the five-run third inning, Young started to settle in. She retired six of the next seven batters, including three strikeouts. These seven batters were the last that Young would see as Arkansas ended the game in the fifth when Canfield lined a triple into the right field wall, scoring Oprzedek and Wallace. Two batters later Navarro scored on a Schroeder double to right field. Arkansas improved to 4-0 on the young season.
The Razorbacks will conclude play in the Red Desert Classic tomorrow at 11 a.m. CT against the PAC-12’s Utah Utes.
South Carolina Caps Night With Win Over Stetson
DELAND, Fla. - The third-straight double-digit run outing for South Carolina (3-0) sent the Gamecocks to a 14-4 win over Stetson (0-3) in front of 727 fans at Patricia Wilson Field on Saturday afternoon.
Two Gamecocks tied a record in the game, as senior shortstop Samie Garcia and freshman left fielder Alaynie Page both scored four runs, Garcia tying it for the second time on the day. Garcia went 3-for-4 with a double, but her consecutive reached-base streak ended in the fourth at 10 plate appearances thanks to a leaping grab by Stetson second baseman Kayla Drury. Page was 2-for-3. Junior centerfielder Ashlyn Masters tallied six RBI in a 2-for-3 day, posting two sacrifice flies and a bases-loaded triple. Junior third baseman Codee Yeske went 2-for-4 in her first start of the year, while sophomore first baseman Olivia Lawrence hit her first homer of 2013.
The Hatters had homers from both third baseman Demi Meza and Jessica Griffin, with Meza driving in three runs.
South Carolina jumped on the board with five runs in the first. Junior second baseman Dana Hathorn drove in the first run with a single to center, plating Garcia after her game-opening double. Page scored on a wild pitch, and Hathorn came home on Masters' RBI groundout. Junior designated player Kristen Struett plated junior right fielder Chelsea Hawkins with a single after Hawkins doubled to right center, and redshirt sophomore pitcher Julie Sarratt doubled home Struett to close the scoring.
The Gamecocks added two more in the second, starting with Hathorn's RBI groundout, scoring Garcia from third. Masters then hit the first of her sac flies to deep center, giving Page the chance to score.
The score stayed at 7-0 until the bottom of the fourth, when Stetson's Meza hit a three-run homer to center. The Gamecocks finally responded in the sixth with three more runs. Yeske started the inning with a double and later scored on an errant Hatter throw that let Garcia, who reached on a hit by pitch, get to third after she stole second. Masters' second sac fly let Garcia score, while Hawkins drove in another run with a groundout, making it 10-3 in South Carolina's favor.
In the seventh, Lawrence stepped up with one down and sent one out to center. The Gamecocks loaded the bases with a single, a hit by pitch and a walk to the top three hitters, including freshman pinch hitter Lauren Masters, in the order, bringing up the elder Masters. She drove the 1-0 pitch to the wall in right, allowing all three runners to score on her triple. Stetson made it 14-4 on Jessica Griffin's solo shot in the bottom of the seventh.
Sarratt (1-0), in her first start since 2011, went the distance in the win, allowing four runs while scattering five hits and a walk and striking out five. Sarah Read (0-1) took the loss, giving up seven earned runs on eight hits in one inning of work.
The Gamecocks close the trip to the Stetson Lead-Off Classic with a 12 noon EST contest against Michigan State on Sunday. Live audio will be available at GamecocksOnline.com.
Mississippi State Pitches Shut Out
DELAND, Fla. - The third-straight double-digit run outing for South Carolina (3-0) sent the Gamecocks to a 14-4 win over Stetson (0-3) in front of 727 fans at Patricia Wilson Field on Saturday afternoon.
Two Gamecocks tied a record in the game, as senior shortstop Samie Garcia and freshman left fielder Alaynie Page both scored four runs, Garcia tying it for the second time on the day. Garcia went 3-for-4 with a double, but her consecutive reached-base streak ended in the fourth at 10 plate appearances thanks to a leaping grab by Stetson second baseman Kayla Drury. Page was 2-for-3. Junior centerfielder Ashlyn Masters tallied six RBI in a 2-for-3 day, posting two sacrifice flies and a bases-loaded triple. Junior third baseman Codee Yeske went 2-for-4 in her first start of the year, while sophomore first baseman Olivia Lawrence hit her first homer of 2013.
The Hatters had homers from both third baseman Demi Meza and Jessica Griffin, with Meza driving in three runs.
South Carolina jumped on the board with five runs in the first. Junior second baseman Dana Hathorn drove in the first run with a single to center, plating Garcia after her game-opening double. Page scored on a wild pitch, and Hathorn came home on Masters' RBI groundout. Junior designated player Kristen Struett plated junior right fielder Chelsea Hawkins with a single after Hawkins doubled to right center, and redshirt sophomore pitcher Julie Sarratt doubled home Struett to close the scoring.
The Gamecocks added two more in the second, starting with Hathorn's RBI groundout, scoring Garcia from third. Masters then hit the first of her sac flies to deep center, giving Page the chance to score.
The score stayed at 7-0 until the bottom of the fourth, when Stetson's Meza hit a three-run homer to center. The Gamecocks finally responded in the sixth with three more runs. Yeske started the inning with a double and later scored on an errant Hatter throw that let Garcia, who reached on a hit by pitch, get to third after she stole second. Masters' second sac fly let Garcia score, while Hawkins drove in another run with a groundout, making it 10-3 in South Carolina's favor.
In the seventh, Lawrence stepped up with one down and sent one out to center. The Gamecocks loaded the bases with a single, a hit by pitch and a walk to the top three hitters, including freshman pinch hitter Lauren Masters, in the order, bringing up the elder Masters. She drove the 1-0 pitch to the wall in right, allowing all three runners to score on her triple. Stetson made it 14-4 on Jessica Griffin's solo shot in the bottom of the seventh.
Sarratt (1-0), in her first start since 2011, went the distance in the win, allowing four runs while scattering five hits and a walk and striking out five. Sarah Read (0-1) took the loss, giving up seven earned runs on eight hits in one inning of work.
The Gamecocks close the trip to the Stetson Lead-Off Classic with a 12 noon EST contest against Michigan State on Sunday. Live audio will be available at GamecocksOnline.com.
A&M Downs Wright State in Five
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The 17th-ranked Texas A&M softball team improved to 3-0 on the season with an 11-0 run-rule victory over Wright State (0-3) Saturday at UCLA's Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament at Easton Stadium.
The Aggie bats were strong with two outs, sending eight runs across the plate with two marks against them. The team played to a steady victory, scoring in each inning on the way to the win.
Junior Nicole Morgan, who entered the game with nine RBI on the season, added a sixth hit of the year with an infield single in the first. Senior Mel Dumezich took full advantage of the runner on base, sending a ball screaming over the fence in left field for a two-run home run. The hit flew in a perfect line down the baseline, grazing the foul pole on its way over the wall.
In the top of the second, three doubles put the Aggies ahead 5-0. Freshman Cali Lanphear blazed a double into right-center field, but was tagged out in a run-down. With runners on first and second, junior Emily Albus hit a perfect double down the left-field line that bounced just inside fair territory and took a dive toward the third-base dugout to give junior Amber Garza time to score from second.
Stepping up behind Albus, senior Meagan May got down in the count before hitting a double to left that ricocheted off the wall and sent Albus and sophomore Brittany Clopton home for the 5-0 lead.
Dumezich added a fourth double of the game to lead off in the third inning. A two-out ssingle to right field by Garza sent the senior home from third. A double steal by Garza and junior Jenna Stark gave the Aggies a 7-0 lead when Stark crossed the plate. Albus hit a bunt single for her second RBI of the game, pushing Garza home for the 8-0 run.
Pinch hitting for Dumezich, freshman Breanna Dozier reached on an error and took third on a Cassie Tysarczyk single and a hit-by-pitch for Lanphear. With bases loaded, California native Jenna Stark slugged a line drive into left field to score Dozier for the 9-0 run. An RBI hit-by-pitch put Garza on first and sent Tysarczyk home for the 10-0 lead.
Leading off in the top of the fifth, May hit a ball that bounced off of the top of the wall in left field and reentered the stadium. The hit was originally called a single, but was ruled a home run after junior Allison Garrett had entered to pinch run. May was credited with the run and Garrett maintained substitute eligibility.
The Aggies held their 11-0 lead through the bottom of the inning to end the game in an 11-0 run-rule.
Dumezich (2-0) picked up her second victory of the season with three shutout innings. The senior fanned six batters and allowed just two on base with two walks and no hits. Freshman Kristen Davenport spent two innings in the circle in her collegiate debut. The right-hander gave up no runs on two hits in two innings of relief. Wright State's Krystian DeWitt (0-2) took the loss after giving up five runs on six hits in two innings of work.
The 17th-ranked Aggies will close out opening weekend tomorrow with a 1:30 p.m. CST game vs. host school No. 19 UCLA before returning to the Lone Star State. To learn more about Texas A&M softball, log on to AggieAthletics.com and follow @AggieSoftball on Twitter.
Alabama Handles Day Two
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The top-ranked Alabama softball team swept day two of the UNI-Dome Classic with and 8-2 win over Drake and a 10-7 victory against UW-Green Bay, Saturday afternoon on the campus of Northern Iowa. With the pair of victories, the Crimson Tide improves to 4-0 on the young season.
The freshmen duo of Haylie McCleney and Andrea Hawkins collected six hits on the day while junior Jackie Traina and senior Keima Davis drove in three runs apiece. The Tide stole 15 bases on day two of the tournament.
Game One
The top-ranked Alabama softball team opened day two of the UNI-Dome Classic with an 8-2 victory over Drake, Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Crimson Tide remains perfect at 3-0.
Alabama plated eight runs on 13 hits as redshirt junior Lauren Sewell earned the win. Sewell, who is coming back from an injury that cut her 2012 season short, went the distance, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out four.
The freshmen pair of Haylie McCleney and Andrea Hawkins paced the Tide attack atop the order. Both rookies collected three hits. McCleney scored two runs and drove in two while Hawkins scored and drove in a run while stealing three bases. Junior Jackie Traina also collected three hits, including a three-run home run.
Alabama got things going in a hurry as Traina gave the Tide the early lead. Traina belted a three-run shot well over the wall in left for her first home run of the season. The homer plated Hawkins and Kaila Hunt.
The Tide tacked on another in the second inning when McCleney continued her torrid start to the 2013 campaign. The rookie bounced an inside the park home run over the diving left fielder, taking advantage of the turf to race around for her first collegiate homer.
McCleney once again came through for the Tide, this time hitting an RBI triple in the gap in left-center to bring in senior Keima Davis from second. Hawkins then hit a screamer off the third baseman to plate McCleney from third to hand UA a 6-0 lead in the fourth inning.
After Drake scored a pair in the bottom half the Tide got the runs back in the fifth. Junior pinch-hitter Ryan Iamurri plated two runs with a single up the middle to move the score to 8-2.
Game Two
After a pesky UW-Green Bay team fought all the way back to tie the score at seven, it took a two-out seventh inning three-run home run by senior Keima Davis to secure the win for the top-ranked Crimson Tide.
The home run was the second of the tournament for Davis as the shot to dead-center field scored senior Courtney Conley and junior Jackie Traina.
Traina came in relief for the Tide as she earned her second win in as many days. UA used all three pitchers in the contest. The junior struck out four and allowed two hits in 2 1/3 innings.
The speedsters for Alabama wreaked havoc on Green Bay as the freshmen duo of Haylie McCleney and Andrea Hawkins and senior Kayla Braud collected three hits apiece. The trio combined to steal eight bases in the game as Braud swiped four bases in the nightcap.
Alabama started things off in a hurry, plating three runs on four hits, spearheaded by the top of the order. Braud started the scoring with a single to left-center that drove home McCleney. Conley then hit a deep sac-fly to center to score Hawkins. Sophomore Danae Hays then singled to center to plate Braud.
An error and a wild pitch increased the Tide lead to 5-1 in the second before Conley drilled a triple off the base of the wall in center to score Braud and turn it into a three-run second and push the lead to 6-1.
After Green Bay got some runs back and pulled the score to 6-3, junior transfer Molly Fichtner got one run back for the Tide in the fourth by hitting a sac-fly to right to score Hawkins.
In the fifth, the Phoenix tied the score by scoring four runs before junior Jackie Traina came in to end the threat.
Alabama will close the tournament with a single contest on Sunday. The Tide will face North Dakota State at 10 a.m.