Friday, March 12, 2010

Lady Bucs pick up split on day two of Bayer CropScience Classic

 

FRESNO, Calif. (March 12, 2010) - Needing a much-needed win, sophomore right-hander Shelby Morris (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) stepped up and delivered for the Lady Bucs on Friday afternoon.

 

Morris, who was making only her fourth collegiate start, picked up her first win in an ETSU uniform, as she led the Lady Bucs to a 5-4 victory over Georgetown at the Bayer CropScience Classic inside Fresno State's Bulldog Diamond. In game one on Friday, ETSU saw a five-run lead evaporate, and the Lady Bucs eventually fell to Cal State Northridge, 8-7.

 

With the split, the Lady Bucs moved their record to 9-11 on the year, and ETSU picked up its second win in eight chances on the 10-game west-coast swing - which concludes on Saturday. 

 

ETSU vs. Georgetown Recap

Shelby Morris went the distance and ETSU broke a 3-3 tie by scoring two runs in the sixth as the Lady Bucs hung on for the 5-4 victory against the Hoyas on Friday.

 

Morris improved to 1-2 with the victory and allowed four runs on seven hits, while striking out three in seven innings of work.

 

Senior Trisha Massenzo (Russellville, Tenn.), sophomore Marlina Delisa (Tucson, Ariz.) and freshman Sam Lower (Sebring, Fla.) each had two hits apiece; while ETSU finished with eight on the afternoon.

 

ETSU took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when Delisa singled home Massenzo - who led off the inning with a double to left. The Lady Bucs missed out on a big inning after Delisa and Lower were left standing on second and third when Jennifer Connell forced Amy Campbell (Chattanooga, Tenn.) to hit into an inning-ending grounder to second.

 

After trailing for the first time in the game, the Hoyas quickly bounced back to go on top, 3-1, by using clutch two-out hitting to their advantage. With Morris allowing a leadoff double to Shikara Lowe, the sophomore hurler got the next two Georgetown hitters to fly out to center. However, with two outs and Lowe on second, Morris walked Cara Savarese - and the first Hoya runner came around to score - on McKinley Cooper's double to right-center. Savarese and Cooper touched the dish on the next at-bat when Samantha Peters' single to center drove in both runs - making it a 3-1 Georgetown.

 

The Lady Bucs did a great job chipping away at the deficit, and ETSU eventually tied the game at three after scoring a run in each of the next two innings.

 

ETSU made it a one-run game when Massenzo singled in Cheniece Cason (Moreno Valley, Calif.) after she led off the frame with a double to left-center. Then, the Lady Bucs evened things at 3-all, as Lower scored on an error by Peters at short in the fourth.

 

With Morris keeping the Lady Bucs in position to win, ETSU came through for the victory. The Lady Bucs were rewarded by a pitching miscue from Connell in the circle after she loaded bags in the sixth. With no room for error, the Georgetown pitcher was charged with an illegal pitch - sending Delisa home on the play. ETSU plated its second run when Kristi Preuss was charged with an error in right, and Lower crossed the dish to put the Lady Bucs up, 6-4.

 

Georgetown (6-9) scored its final run on a wild pitch by Morris in the bottom half of the inning, but with a runner on third and one out, the Mt. Juliet, Tenn. native retired the next two Hoya hitters she faced to keep the ETSU lead intact.

 

Morris then worked a perfect seventh to record her first collegiate win.

 

Connell suffered her fourth loss of the year (3-4) as she was tagged for five runs (three earned) on eight hits in seven innings.  

 

ETSU vs. Cal State Northridge Recap

Despite holding a five-run lead through the first two innings, ETSU couldn't hold on as Cal State Northridge exploded for four runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth to rally for an 8-7 victory.

 

The Lady Bucs jumped all over Cal State Northridge (10-12) thanks to the hot bats from a pair of senior leaders in Trisha Massenzo and Katy Jett (Talbott, Tenn.).

 

ETSU grabbed an early 2-0 lead as Massenzo went yard for the second straight day, sending one flying over the center field fence in the top of the first. An inning later, Arielle Garner (Buchanan, Ga.) led off the second with a double to left and came around to score on Marlina Delisa's RBI single to center - putting ETSU ahead 3-0. The Lady Bucs pushed two more runs across the plate on Jett's two-out double to left - giving the Blue and Gold a five-run cushion.

 

With junior right-hander Jessica Duncan (Ooltewah, Tenn.) dealing in the circle, the five runs looked to be enough support for the Ooltewah, Tenn. native to pick up her sixth win of the season.

 

However, after retiring nine of the first ten Matador hitters she faced, Cal State Northridge managed to score its first run on Christina Saenz's two-out RBI double in the fourth. Duncan did a great job keeping Saenz stranded at second after getting Tracy Allen to end the inning with a pop out to short.

 

Unfortunately, like last night, the Lady Bucs' offense went stagnant by not scoring over the next three innings and the Matadors roughed up Duncan and senior Darci Gilbert (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) in the fifth and sixth.

 

Duncan was tagged for two more runs to start the fifth - and after Gilbert replaced her counterpart - Northridge tied the game at five as the Murfreesboro, Tenn. native surrendered two runs on three hits in the inning.

 

After being held to two hits over the next 3.2 innings, Sam Lower ended the Lady Buccaneer offensive woes in the sixth by belting her second home run of the year - putting ETSU back up 6-5.

 

ETSU's lead didn't last long though, as Northridge used a three-run sixth to recapture the lead and held on for the victory. With two outs and runners on second and third, Lauren Olivas singled home two runs and Karla Chaparro's double scored the all-important eighth run for the Matadors.

 

The Lady Bucs didn't go down without a fight as Lucy Schneider (Dade City, Fla.) led off the seventh with a home run to make it an 8-7 game. However, after Jett singled on the next at-bat, Massenzo flied out to short and Amy Campbell hit into a game-ending double play.

 

Cal State Northridge's Amanda Pitzenberger earned the win. Pitzenberger improved to 7-3 on the year after allowing three runs on six hits in 4.2 innings in relief. Gilbert suffered her second loss on the year (2-2) as she was charged for five runs on seven hits in two innings of work.

 

The Lady Bucs look to wrap up the west coast trip on a positive note on Saturday when ETSU takes on Colorado  State (Noon) and Mississippi State (5 p.m.).   

 

For more information on Lady Buccaneer softball, visit www.ETSUBucs.com.