Friday, April 23, 2010

Lady Bucs break school record with 19 hits in game two; Cason joins record book with four-hit effort

DURHAM, N.C. (April 23, 2010) - The ETSU softball team pounded out 35 runs on 37 hits en route to sweeping North Carolina Central on Friday afternoon at Thomas Brooks Park in Durham. The Lady Bucs used a 10-run third to break open game one as ETSU cruised to a five-inning win, 17-1. In the nightcap, ETSU recorded a school-record 19 hits and scored a season-high 18 runs in the 13-run victory over the Eagles.

With the sweep, ETSU improved to 18-32 on the season, while N.C. Central dropped to 7-35 on the year.

As a team, the Lady Bucs hit a blistering .529 (37-70) while notching five doubles, three home runs - including career firsts for senior Cheniece Cason (Moreno Valley, Calif.) and freshman Whitley Hensley (Erwin, Tenn.) - and 30 RBI. Along with her first career dinger, Cason finished the day 7-for-10 at the dish and tied a Lady Buccaneer record with her four-hit performance in game two - becoming only the 11th player in school history to accomplish the feat. The Moreno Valley, Calif. native also finished a triple shy of the cycle in the 18-5 win in game two.

GAME ONE RECAP

The Lady Bucs scored 10 runs in the third and posted 18 hits en route to a 17-1 thrashing over N.C. Central on Friday afternoon in game one.

Seven ETSU batters pounded out hits - including five recording three hits apiece - while five Lady Buccaneer hitters also drove multiple runs in the 16-run victory.

Junior newcomer Jessica Duncan (Ooltewah, Tenn.) bounced back to earn the win (8-7) after allowing one run on four hits, while striking out five in five innings of work.

ETSU wasted little time making some noise as the Lady Bucs plated four runs in the first to grab the early 4-0 lead. Senior Katy Jett (Talbott, Tenn.) doubled home fellow senior Cheniece Cason - who led off with a bunt single - while Jett came home to make it 2-0 when Lucy Schneider (Dade City, Fla.) was called out by trying to steal second. Following Trisha Massenzo's (Russellville, Tenn.) single through the left side, junior Katie Henderson (Jackson, Tenn.) extended the margin to 4-0 when she belted her team-tying fourth home run of the season.

After the Eagles scored one run in the bottom half of the inning, ETSU came back with two runs of its own in the second inning, and the Lady Bucs put the game out of reach with a 10-run third.

The Lady Bucs came up to the plate 15 times in the inning and sophomore outfielder Annie Martin (Centerville, Tenn.) led the charge with three RBIs in the frame. Martin drove in her first run with a bunt single, which scored Whitley Hensley, and the Centerville, Tenn. native's single to right in her second at-bat brought in both Hensley and fellow sophomore Amy Campbell (Chattanooga, Tenn.). In total, eight different Lady Buccaneer players recorded hits, while seven players also drove in runs - including sophomore pitcher Shelby Morris (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) - who recorded her first two collegiate RBIs in the big inning.

ETSU scored its final run of the game in the fourth when Schneider scored on a throwing error by N.C. Central's third baseman.

Kristen Schooler suffered the loss (2-12) after allowing 16 runs in 2.2 innings.

GAME TWO RECAP

After tying the school record with 18 hits in the opener, ETSU one-upped itself by belting a program record 19 hits and the Lady Bucs eased their way past the Eagles, 18-5.

Sophomore right-hander Shelby Morris picked up her second win in an ETSU uniform after allowing five runs on five hits in five innings of action. Meanwhile, Kayla McPeek suffered the loss for N.C. Central after issuing 14 runs (nine earned) on 14 hits in 2.2 innings.

Just like they did in game one, ETSU jumped out to blazing start by plating eight runs on seven hits in the opening inning. Katy Jett drove in three runs in two at-bats during the first inning as her double down the line in left scored the first run of the inning, and her two-run scoring single to left plated Cason and Mikayla Treadway (Unicoi, Tenn.) - putting the Lady Bucs ahead, 8-0.

The Lady Bucs struck for two more runs in the second when Hensley smashed her first collegiate homer in the second - and ETSU tacked on four more runs in the third - making it 14-0 before the Eagles did any damage. Cason fueled the charge in the third when her inside-the-park homer scored Treadway from first, and the Lady Bucs saw two more runs come in on a wild pitch and Hensley's RBI single to right.

N.C. Central finally broke through with a three-run third thanks to a two-run scoring triple off the bat of Michelle Ishida and an RBI single from Desanbra Franklin.

After both teams were held scoreless in the fourth, ETSU wrapped up the game with a five-run fifth to extend its lead to, 18-3. The Eagles touched the dish twice in their last at-bat, and the Lady Bucs capped off the sweep, 18-5.

The Lady Bucs complete conference play on Sunday, April 25, when ETSU travels to USC Upstate. First pitch of the doubleheader is slated for 1 p.m. 

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