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For Immediate ReleaseSoftball -- March 13, 2012
Lycoming, Arcadia Deal Softball Losses on Spring Break
NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Eureka College softball team reached the halfway point of its eight-game Spring Break trip to the east coast on Tuesday, falling 8-4 to Lycoming (Pa.) before losing a 1-0 decision to Arcadia (Pa.) at the National Collegiate Sports Invitational in North Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The Red Devils got on the board early in their morning matchup with Lycoming. Junior shortstop Jaylynn Stewart (Taylorville, Ill./Taylorville H.S.) led off the game with a single to left field and later moved all the way to third base on a sacrifice bunt from senior third baseman Carissa Alig (Metamora, Ill./Metamora H.S.). Senior center fielder Sara Hamilton (Washington, Ill./Washington H.S./Illinois Central) ripped a single through the hole on the left side in the next at-bat to score Stewart and the Red Devils led, 1-0.
Eureka protected the one-run lead until the Warriors broke through for three runs in the bottom half of the fourth inning. Lycoming loaded the bases in front of Allyson Marianelli, who ripped a one-out RBI single up the middle to tie the score at 1-1. Holly Lansberry gave Lycoming their first lead of the contest when she was hit by a pitch to force a run home.
The Warriors’ lead eventually ballooned to 8-1 after LC tacked on two more runs in the fifth and an additional three in the sixth. The Eureka offense finally had an answer in the seventh. Hamilton unloaded a 1-1 pitch from Lansberry over the fence in left-center field for her sixth career home run and an 8-2 deficit. A pair of walks and a fielding error promptly loaded the bases for junior pitcher Sarah Jesse (Mackinaw, Ill./Bloomington H.S.), who dumped a two-run single into left-center field to trim the deficit to 8-4.
A Lycoming pitching change resulted in two EC groundouts to the end game, as Lycoming reliever Brie Braga ended the threat to earn the save with the tying run standing in the on-deck circle.
Hamilton went 3-for-4 for the Red Devils. Freshman right fielder Karson Gragert (Georgetown, Ill./Georgetown-Ridge Farm H.S.) also collected a hit in the loss.
Game two against Arcadia featured a pitchers’ dual between Gragert and AU starter Jessica Wood. The Knights scored the only run of the afternoon in the top of the first inning. Lindsay Henchinski, who opened the game with a single to left field, moved to third base on a groundout and an infield single before scoring on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Wood.
The Red Devils were able to put runners in scoring position in three of the first four innings. Eureka also threatened with a pair of baserunners in the seventh inning, but Wood was able to overcome four errors by the AU defense and strand eight Eureka baserunners to earn the complete game shutout. She allowed only two hits through 7.0 innings and struck out three.
Gragert was also solid for EC, firing her second complete game in as many days. She allowed only three hits and Henchinski’s first-inning run while punching out two. The EC defense did not commit an error.
Eureka will try to snap its four-game skid on Wednesday. The Red Devils will have rematches with Suffolk (Mass.) at 12:30 p.m. and Lycoming at 2:30 p.m. at Central Park in North Myrtle Beach, S.C.
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For More Information Contact:
Bryan Moore
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