Horizon League Softball Championship - Day One
May 11, 2006
Tournament Statistics - Day One
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#7 Wright State 6, #2 Cleveland State 3
Canfield, Ohio - The Wright State softball team scored three runs in the first and made that lead stand up the rest of the way as the seventh-seed Raiders upset second-seed Cleveland State 6-3 in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament in Canfield, Ohio.
The game was delayed four hours at the start because of rain, but the delay didn't affect the WSU offense as the Raiders scored three runs in the first. Michelle Logan led off by reaching on an error and after stealing second, went to third on a Dana Boehmer bunt and scored as Viking starter Grace Luginbuhl was called for an illegal pitch.
Amanda Cody followed with a walk and, one out later, Jacqueline Macy singled to the shortstop to put runners at first and second. Kristen Farley then doubled to left center to plate Cody and Macy and give Wright State a 3-0 lead.
The Raider lead grew to 4-0 in the third as, with two outs, Macy drilled her first-ever collegiate home run to center.
Cleveland State (35-14) cut the margin to 4-2 with runs in the third and fifth, but Wright State countered with a run in the sixth on a Bridget Henry double to left and another in the seventh as Melanie McInally hit into a fielder's choice as Macy scored.
The Vikings tallied a run with two outs in the seventh, but Cody got Michele Penney to ground out to end the game.
Cody (2-13) earned the complete-game victory as she scattered 10 hits and a walk while striking out six. It was her first complete-game win since defeating Cleveland State on the road on April 17, 2005.
Macy paced the Raider offense as she was three-for-four with three runs scored while Logan had two hits and two runs scored.
Box Score
#6 Youngstown State 12, #3 Detroit 3 (5 inn.)
Canfield, Ohio - McKenzie Bedra hit two of Youngstown State's school-record four home runs and the Penguins banged out 15 hits in a 12-3 victory over Detroit in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament on Thursday afternoon.
With the win the Penguins (19-25)advance to take on No. 7 Wright State (7-39) tomorrow in the second round.
The Penguins jumped on the Titans early with three runs in the first inning capped by Bedra's two-run home run. Tiffany Patteson, who went 3-for-3, led off the game with a double to left field, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Jamie Fornal's single to left field. Fornal, who went 3-for-4 with four runs batted in, scored on Bedra's home run.
Detroit answered with a Kristen Martin home run in the bottom half of the first to cut the lead to 3-1, the Penguins sent 10 players to the plate and scored five runs in the top of the second to extend their lead to 8-1.
Senior Lacey Hess doubled to right-center field to lead off the frame and scored on a Detroit fielding error. After Kristen McDonnell singled Bedra blasted a three-run home run over the left-center field fence making the score 7-1. Freshman Allyse Ledford followed with her second home run of the year to push the YSU lead to seven, 8-1.
Fornal's fourth home run of the season, a three-run shot, in the top of the third inning gave the Penguins an 11-1 advantage.
The Penguins added another run in the top of the fifth on Ledford's sacrifice fly to center field. Detroit added to runs in the bottom of the fifth and left two runners on base when the game ended with a score of 12-3.
Box Score
#4 UW-Green Bay 6, #5 Loyola 3
Canfield, Ohio - Anna Nieznanski's third-inning grand slam gave the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay softball team a lead it wouldn't relinquish as the Phoenix opened Horizon League tournament play Thursday evening with a 6-3 victory over Loyola.
Lisa Meissner struck out 12 in earning the complete-game win to improve to 11-13 on the season.
With the victory, the Phoenix (14-19) advances to take on top-seeded UIC, a 7-0 winner over eighth-seeded Butler, in a game tentatively scheduled for noon Central time Friday.
After seeing Meissner post a pair of one-hit shutouts against them during the regular season, the Ramblers quickly improved on their previous performances as Tara Miller led off the game with a home run to give Loyola an early lead.
The advantage was short-lived, though, as the Phoenix loaded the bases with no one out for Kate Sullivan in the bottom of the first. The senior came through, ripping a two-run single up the middle off Loyola starter Laura DeLeon to put UW-Green Bay up 2-1. The two RBI moved Sullivan's season total to 29, setting a new school single-season record in the process.
Loyola got back to even in the third as Miller doubled with two outs, moved up to third on a wild pitch and scored on a bunt single by Lindsay O'Gean. One inning later, a solo home run down the left-field line by Kat Krause put the Ramblers up 3-2.
But the Phoenix turned thing around in a hurry, as Nieznanski came to the plate with the bases full in the bottom of the fourth and ripped a grand slam over the fence in left-center to put UWGB ahead 6-3 and take the wind out of the Ramblers' sails.
After allowing five hits through the first four innings, Meissner settled in and held Loyola hitless over the final three innings of play, allowing just one walk in each frame. Meissner struck out at least one batter in every inning and in 21 innings pitched against the Ramblers this season has posted 33 strikeouts.
UW-Green Bay had plenty of opportunities to build on its lead as it finished with 11 runners left on base in the contest. However, the six-run output proved to be more than enough. Nieznanski and Rebekah Oestreich led the Phoenix with two hits apiece.
Box Score
#1 UIC 7, #8 Butler 0
Canfield, Ohio - The No. 1 UIC softball team blanked No. 8 Butler in the first round of the 2006 Horizon League Softball Tournament, 7-0 on Thursday night. Junior Liz Jacoby powered UIC on offense (.750) with one run scored and four RBI in the victory. With the win, UIC is set to play No. 4 UW-Green Bay on Friday at 1 p.m. in the second round.
Recording a one-hitter shutout, Sarah Clynes improves her overall record to 14-6 on seven strikeouts in 21 at bats. Nikki Naffzinger slips to 4-6 on the year, allowing five hits and four runs in three innings.
Clynes, Brittany Dixon and Nicole Robinson all picked up two hits apiece with Robinson driving in two runs on the night.
Scoreless after two and a half, Jacoby belted a two-run double off the left field wall for a 2-0 lead. With two on base and two outs, Nicole Robinson then ripped one up the middle, sending Joyce Cathey and Jacoby across the plate for the four-run cushion.
Jacoby continues her hot streak at the plate with her second two-run double against Butler in the bottom of the third, giving UIC a 6-0 advantage.
Tacking on a run in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI double from Joyce Cathey sealed the 7-0 win over the Bulldogs to move into the second round of the 2006 Horizon League Softball Tournament.
Box Score
#2 Cleveland State 6, #3 Detroit 0
Canfield, Ohio - Cleveland State jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first inning with a home run off the bat of Michele Penney as the Vikings posted a 6-0 victory over Detroit in the 2006 Horizon League Softball Championship.
Kortney Spidell did the work in the circle for CSU, scattering seven hits in a complete-game shutout.
With the victory the Vikings move on to face the loser of UIC and UW-Green Bay. The Titans' season comes to an end with the team finishing with a 17-28 standard.
The Titans mounted their best scoring threat, putting runners on second and third in the fifth, but could not get a run across the plate.
The Vikings added another run in the sixth for the 6-0 final.
Lindsay Roy took the loss for Detroit, falling to 8-7 on the season. Horizon League Player of the Year Kaleigh Rafter was 2-for-3.
Box Score
