Lady Cougars Close out Season with Pair of Shutouts


	Lady Cougar Softball Recap Lady Cougars Close out Season with Pair of Shutouts written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director Game #1 Boxscore \| Game #2 Boxscore MOUNT VERNON, Ohio (5-3-2010) - The Mount Vernon Nazarene University women’s fastpitch softball team closed out the 2010 season on Monday afternoon at Cougar Field by sweeping a non-conference doubleheader from Ohio State University-Newark in shutout fashion as the Lady Cougars blanked the Lady Titans 8-0 and 10-0. In the first game, MVNU (18-19) took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as the Lady Cougars strung together five hits in the inning and took advantage of a passed ball, a wild pitch, and an error in the frame. Senior first baseman Michelle Gastin drove in the first run with a single, while junior outfielder Liz Misich added an RBI double. Ohio State-Newark (14-6) had a golden opportunity to get back in the game in the top of the second inning as the Lady Titans loaded the bases with one out on a pair of singles and a walk. However, MVNU got out of the jam when Bailee Marcum was doubled up off third base on a soft liner to senior shortstop Tasha Konkle to end the inning and the threat. The Lady Cougars tacked on three runs in the bottom of the second inning with four more hits and another Ohio State-Newark error. Freshman designated player Kaylee Hewitt had a two-run single in the inning, and Gastin had an RBI triple as the lead grew to 6-0. After neither team scored in the third inning, MVNU extended the lead to 7-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning on a two-out run-scoring double by senior outfielder Leslie Banichar. Then, the Lady Cougars ended the game early in the bottom of the fifth inning when Konkle lifted a long fly ball to centerfield for a sacrifice fly with one out as the mercy rule was invoked in the 8-0 win. Freshman right-hander Jill Wildermuth (9-7) (left) picked up the win as she allowed just three hits and one walk over five innings with three strikeouts as she notched her fifth shutout of the season - the most by an MVNU pitcher since Heather Clark tossed seven shutouts in 2003. Offensively, Gastin, Konkle, Banichar, and junior second baseman Kristin Kurelic each had two hits as the Lady Cougars pounded out 12 hits in the game in just 22 at bats. In the second game, the Lady Titans threatened in the top of the first inning as they got runners at first and third before Lindsay Phipps struck out looking to end the inning. MVNU took advantage of a pair of errors in the bottom of the first inning to take a 2-0 lead on an RBI single by Hewitt and a run-scoring ground out by Banichar. After Hewitt extended the lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the second inning with an RBI ground out of her own, the Lady Cougars blew the game wide open by sending 11 batters to the plate and scoring seven times in the bottom of the third inning despite having just three hits. Senior catcher Caitlin Murphy drove in a run as she reached on an error and another run scored on a wild pitch. After a walk to sophomore outfielder MacKenzie Shaw loaded the bases, Konkle drove in two runs with a single. Hewitt was hit by a pitch to reload the bases, and Gastin hit a deep fly ball to center for a sacrifice fly that drove in two runs. Senior outfielder Lauretta Wallace’s RBI double closed out the scoring in the inning. After neither team scored in the fourth inning, MVNU needed to get just three outs in the top of the fifth inning to close out the 10-0 victory. The lead-off batter, Alex McFarland, was hit by a pitch and sacrificed to second with one out. She moved to third on a ground out, but she was stranded there when Amanda Richards fouled out to Murphy to close out the game. Junior lefty Stephanie Burlew (7-5) (right) tossed her first shutout of the year and the second of her career as she allowed just two hits and one walk while striking out four batters to pick up the win. Meanwhile, Wallace paced the offense by going 2-for-3 with a double and a single. Gastin, Hewitt, and Konkle each drove in two runs apiece, and Shaw, Konkle, and Murphy scored two runs each. The Lady Cougars finish the season having won five of their final six games.

Site Map