March 19, 2008

Box Score

DURHAM, N.C. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Lady Hawks Softball team took one of two games from North Carolina Central University (NCCU) on Wednesday at Thomas Brooks Park.

The Lady Hawks offense came alive as they combined for 14 runs and 18 hits in both games, however; the NCCU bats did as well to the tune of 11 hits in the first contest which allowed them to come away with their first division one victory ever, 10-6.

UMES (4-10) was led by Kendra Saunders (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada/Streetsville Secondary School) who finished 1-3 with a pair of RBIs and runs. Dawnita Leigh (Hughesville, Md./College of Southern Maryland) also went 1-2 with two RBIs, while Ashley Stewart (Princess Anne, Md./Holly Grove C.S.) had two hits.

Bonnie Heineken (North Pole, Alaska/North Pole H.S.) was credited with the loss.

NCCU's middle part of the order (3-6) was the story of game one as they collected nine RBIs, eight hits, and six runs. Ashanti Stroud led the charge by going 2-4 with three RBIs.

Stacey Greene picked up the complete game win while striking out five and giving up five earned runs on seven hits.

The Lady Hawks wasted no time getting on the board in the first inning with Leigh bringing in a run after getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Kaminine Jeeuth (Brooklyn, N.Y./Monroe College) followed with a score of her own as she drew a walk. Saunders would conclude the inning with a run via a wild pitch that made it 3-0.

Nonetheless, the Lady Eagles would respond in the bottom half of the first by way of a Francheska Pittman single that scored two. Stroud capped off the inning with an RBI single to make it three all.

In the second inning, NCCU widened the margin with a Michelle Ishida bases loaded single to right field that brought in two. The Lady Eagles would then knock in a pair of runs courtesy of Ashley Henderson and Stroud to extend the lead to 7-3.

NCCU added three more insurance runs in the fourth, including a couple from the Henderson and Stroud duo. A Saunders two-run homerun, her third of the season, in the fifth inning closed the gap to 10-5. UMES would score one more in the final inning on a Leigh two out RBI single to left field.

UMES carried their momentum over from their late inning rally as they lit up the field with 11 hits in an 8-3 victory in game two.

Saunders once again sparked the Lady Hawks offense as she finished 2-3 with three RBIs and two runs. She had help from a supporting cast that included Chelsea Logan (Trenton,) N.J./Trenton Catholic Academy with three hits and Heineken who went 2-3 while adding an RBI and a pair of runs.

Mishayla Truttman (Gresham, Ore./Gresham H.S.) took the complete game win (3-3) after striking out eight and giving up just two earned runs on eight hits.

The Lady Hawk defense did a solid job of keeping NCCU off the scoreboard as they managed to reach base eight times but came up with only three runs while leaving nine stranded. Sophia Blue finished 3-4 at the plate, while teammates Jennifer Langston and Henderson combined to go 4-7 with a couple of RBIs.

Kristen Schooler took the loss as she gave up seven earned runs and struck out just one in seven innings of work.

NCCU jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first with a Henderson RBI single to right field. However, Truttman would get through the rest of the inning unscathed as the Lady Eagles left two runners on base.

Cassandra Carlos (Diamond Bar, Calif./Diamond Ranch H.S.) came right back with an RBI double to right center to tie the game at one apiece.

After a one-two-three second inning, UMES wasted no chance to jump ahead as a Truttman single to center would lead to a Saunders score on a passed ball. Heineken brought in a run with an RBI single that was followed by an Ashlee Baker (Sierra Vista, Ariz./Tombstone H.S.) triple down the right field line to score her and make it 4-1.

Another three up and three down inning led to four more runs for the Lady Hawks, including a Saunders three-run blast, her fourth of the season, to extend the UMES advantage to 8-1.

The Lady Eagles added a run in the fifth and had already put one on the board in the bottom of the seventh before loading the bases with one out, however; Truttman would finish the game with a couple of put outs of her own.

UMES now heads to Virginia for the Hampton Lady Pirates Softball Tournament on March 21 and 22. They are slated to face Morgan State at 9:00 a.m., Hampton at 11:00 p.m., and Elizabeth City State at 2:00 p.m. Day two is to be announced.