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LIVINGSTON, Ala. —The
University of West Alabama softball team dropped a
twinbill on the final day of the 2008 UWA Invitational
on Saturday, falling 9-1 to No. 16 North Georgia College
and State in the first game and concluding the day with
a 7-5 decision to Ouachita Baptist.
NGCSU’s Sarah Phillips quieted UWA’s
bats for four innings before the Tigers scratched the
scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth inning. The
Saints used the long ball to jumpstart their offense.
After singles by Laura Voyles and Kasey Knight in the
third, freshman Tiffany Blackburn belted a three-run
homerun to gain the early 3-0 advantage. In its next
at-bat, NGCSU extended the lead out to 7-0 on
back-to-back homeruns by Krista Bess and Voyles. Bess’
round-tripper scored Natasha Willemse, who opened the
frame with a single.
Junior Courtney Gordon knocked in the
lone Red and White run on a double to center, scoring
catcher Ashley Edgar. Junior Emily White suffered the
loss, pitching 3.1 innings pitched and surrendering
eight hits in the outing.
In the final game of the two-day
invitational, the Tigers of OBU plated three runs thru
the first two innings before UWA scored a run in the
bottom of the second. The Purple and Gold extended its
lead to 7-1 before UWA mounted an offensive surge in its
final two plate appearances. Junior Laura Bagwell
belted her fist round-tripper of the season in the
fifth, knocking in Jennifer Lauth, who started the frame
with a single. In the sixth, the Tigers had a golden
opportunity to even the score after a leadoff single by
Gordon and walks by Monica Rethwell and Jennifer Lillard
to load the bases up. Senior Krista Merrifield slapped
a single into center, scoring Gordon. Rethwill was
plated on Angela Smith’s base hit. With the tying runs
in scoring position, OBU’s Crystal Robinson stuck out
Bagwell and forced Ashley Edgar into a ground out to end
the UWA threat.
Gordon, from Columbus, Miss. by-way
of Meridian Community College led all UWA batters at the
plate against OBU, posting two hits and scoring two runs
in the affair. Gordon and Smith were the two Tigers
that registered multiple hits in the contest.
UWA returns to the diamond on
Tuesday, Feb. 12, with a doubleheader with in-state for
Miles College. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at the UWA
Softball Complex. |
