Feb. 10, 2008

Hokies Defeat Florida International 4-0

MIAMI, Fla. - Despite a nearly two-hour rain delay that set things back, the Virginia Tech softball team came out hot and put away the host Florida International Golden Panthers Saturday night, 4-0, at the FIU Invitational.

Heather Lowry got the start in the circle and threw well for the second game in a row. The sophomore from Riverdale, Ga., got the start and went 2.1 innings before her defense let her down in the third inning. Leading 2-0, the Hokies committed two errors and the Golden Panthers loaded the bases with just one out

At that point, head coach Scot Thomas inserted All-American Angela Tincher to stop the bleeding. She got a fly out and a strikeout to promptly end the threat.

The Hokies struck first, scoring a run in the second inning. Charisse Mariconda led off with a single and moved to second on Caroline Stolle's sacrifice bunt. She came around to score on Misty Hall's single to left. In the third inning, Jenna Rhodes reached on an error and stole second base. Jessica Everhart drove her in with a single up the middle.

Roark Shines in Collegiate Debut as Hokies Top Texas-Arlington

MIAMI, Fla. - A gem of an outing from freshman Kenzie Roark and a timely double from Jessica Everhart led the 15th-ranked Virginia Tech softball team to a 1-0 win over Texas-Arlington Saturday morning at the FIU Invitational.

Roark, making her collegiate debut, was spectacular in the circle, tossing a complete-game, one-hit shutout. The Old Hickory, Tenn., native struck out nine and walked just two.

After being no-hit for the first three innings, the Hokies scratched a run across in the fourth inning to take a 1-0 lead. Erin Ota drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on Kelsey Hoffman's sacrifice bunt. Everhart then drove her in with a double just inside the third base bag.

That would be enough as Roark sat down the last 10 Maverick batters she faced.

Florida State Drops Louisville for Early Bird Tournament Crown

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Despite the loss to Troy earlier in the day, Florida State kept Louisville from a perfect weekend with a 6-4 win on JoAnne Graf Field as the Early Bird Tournament came to a close Saturday, February 9. Senior and tournament MVP Brittany Osmon's seventh inning home run secured the victory and the tournament crown as the Seminoles advance to 2-2 on the season.

In the top of the seventh, Florida State had runners on first and second with two outs and the score tied at three apiece with Osmon up to bat. With an 0-1 count, Osmon took a swing and knocked a bomb 200-feet over the right field wall for the second FSU homerun of the tournament. Three RBI's would score as the Seminoles pulled ahead 6-4 with a pop-up to second by Robin Ahrberg ending the inning for the Seminoles.

"I love it, that's what you play for," Osmon said. "I wasn't going out there to hit a homerun; I just wanted to help the team by hitting the ball hard and trying to get a base hit. It was pretty sweet that I got it over the fence."

Seminoles Fall to Troy, 3-1, in Early Bird Tournament

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida State was handed its second loss of the Early Bird Tournament after dropping a 3-1 decision to Troy on day two on JoAnne Graf Field. The loss was the first against Troy since 2006 when Florida State split a double-header with the Trojans at home. The Seminoles will head into the championship round against undefeated Louisville with a 1-2 record.

Despite taking the loss, sophomore Terese Gober broke her career high strikeouts after notching 12 at the end of seven against Troy. Gober ended the game with four hits, two runs and one error and walked two.

Troy was strong out of the gate, scoring two runs in the first inning. Florida State would not answer until the seventh inning as pinch runner Melissa May scored on an RBI single by senior Kelly Langston.

Leading the Seminoles in hitting was Langston who went 1-for-2 with the lone RBI of the game. Sophomore Monica Montez and freshman Allison Collins both went 1-for-3 while senior Whitney Buckmon ended the game 1-for-4.

Tar Heels Take Two On Second Day Of Carolina Classic

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - A record that had stood since 2002 fell twice in the span of 24 hours on Saturday as the North Carolina softball team slugged out 24 runs against NC Central at Anderson Stadium in the Carolina Classic. The Tar Heels broke the school record (18) for runs scored on Friday with 21 against George Washington before setting a new precedent on Saturday with 24 against the Eagles. In the first game of the day, Carolina took down Kent State 6-3 on the back of a three-run homer from Whitney Allen, her second in as many days. The Tar Heels have punched their card for the championships game on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. at Anderson Stadium with a 4-0 mark.

In the first game, UNC jumped out to a 3-0 lead on the back of a three-run round tripper from Whitney Allen. The junior outfielder delivered a shot over the left centerfield fence to give pitcher Lisa Norris some early run support.

Norris would strike out a pair in the top of the third before allowing a leadoff single to start the fourth. The Snellville, Ga. native was able to get out of the jam as she got some fancy glovework from Christine Knauer. The sophomore shortstop grabbed a pop up for the first out and then turned in a double play on the very next pitch as she fielded a grounder up the middle, stepped on second and fired to first for the twin-killing.

Maryland Softball Cruises by North Florida, 7-0

BOCA RATON, Fla. - The University of Maryland softball team scored five runs in the third inning and Sarah Dooley and Meredith Nelles combined on a one-hit shutout in a 7-0 victory over North Florida on Saturday afternoon.

Sarde Stewart drove in three runs while Alex Schultz added two more RBIs to lead the Terps (3-0) over the Lady Ospreys (1-3). Kerry Hickey went three for three, including her first career triple in the fifth inning, and Meghan Booth scored a run in her third straight game.

Maryland opened the scoring in the second when Breanna Shaw scored on a Schultz sacrifice fly to left field. In the third, the Terrapins had five consecutive hits, concluding with a bases loaded double by Stewart.

In the fifth inning, Hickey led off with a triple to right center. Stewart singled to center field to score the Huntington, Md. native to round out the scoring for the Terps.

Maryland starter Dooley (1-0) pitched three scoreless innings, striking out two, while only allowing one hit. Nelles, who came on in the fourth, did not allow a hit in four innings of work and struck out three.

NC State Blanks Central Arkansas in Five, 10-0

ORLANDO, Fla. - NC State run ruled Central Arkansas, 10-0, in five innings on Saturday, Feb. 9, at the UCF Softball Tournament in Orlando, Fla. Alyssa Ishibashi had three RBIs, while Lauren Peters and Allison Presnell both had two. Alyssa Allbritten went 3-for-3 and Lacey Holm mashed her first career home run.

The victory pushes the Pack's record to 2-2, while UCA slides to 0-3. Mendy McKenzie (2-0) won her second-straight start, while Claire Collom fell to 0-1. McKenzie gave up just three hits in four innings of work, while walking one and striking out two.

The Pack hit paydirt early when Presnell scored Peters from first base with an RBI double to deep center in the bottom of the first.

State kept plugging away in the top of the second, adding another run to its tally. Allbritten ripped a two-bagger down the left line, then moved to third on a perfectly placed bunt single from Blair Harkey. Allbritten later scored on a wild pitch.

Illinois State Downs Wolfpack, 7-3

ORLANDO, Fla. - A day removed from torching the ball at the plate in a win against Central Florida, NC State's bats fell asleep in a 7-3 loss to Illinois State at the UCF Softball Tournament in Orlando, Fla., on Saturday, Feb. 9. The loss moves the Pack to 1-2, while ILS climbs to 2-1. State managed just two hits through seven innings, while leaving five runners stranded.

Amy Mitchell (2-0) picked up her second decision, while Lindsay Campana slipped to 0-2.

State manufactured a run in the bottom of the first when Shanna Smith walked and moved along to second on a Lauren Peters sac-bunt. Smith then took third on a Claudia Cooper grounder, before Allison Presnell drove her in with a line drive back up the middle.

Illinois State used four runs and four hits to take the lead for good in the top of the third. Andrea Shifflet walked and Kara Nelson dropped a bunt single. Campana countered by striking out Tiffany Prager, but Amber Smith loaded the bases with a single to right. Jessie Buker then sent a two-run single down the right field line.

#17/18 Georgia Tech Drops Two Games In Season Opener

ATLANTA - The No. 17/18 Georgia Tech Softball Team (0-2) began the 2008 season with a pair of losses at the Georgia State First Pitch Classic. In game one, Lipscomb took advantage of four Georgia Tech errors for an 11-9 win. Junior Blair Shimandle had a career-high four hits in the game, while freshman Jessica Weaver hit a home run in her first official collegiate at bat. In game two, Georgia State jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back en route to the 11-3 win in six innings. Weaver hit another home run in the loss for Tech.

In game one against Lipscomb, the Jackets broke a scoreless tie with five runs on six hits in the bottom of the second inning as they batted around. Tiffany Johnson led off the frame with a single and then stole second base. After Jessica Weaver walked, Blair Shimandle gave Tech the first lead of the game with a RBI single up the middle. Two batters later, Morales made it 3-0 with a two-run single into left field and after a Christy Jones infield single, Whitney Haller made it 5-0 with a two-run single up the middle.