Wright State University
29-24, 13-7
UIC
22-31, 12-9
Softball Completes Series Sweep at UIC
5/4/2008 12:00:00 PM | Softball
The Wright State softball team closed out the regular season Sunday in a big way, clinching the third seed in next week's Horizon League Tournament with a 9-5 win at UIC, completing the series sweep over the Flames.
WSU opened the scoring with a pair in the second. Kristen Bradshaw led off with a hit through the left side of the infield and scored from first as Justine Shilt doubled to the gap in right center. After a Bridget Henry sacrifice bunt, Allison Cox drove in Shilt with a sacrifice fly to center.
UIC answered with a run of its own in the second and the Flames looked to tie the game or take the lead by loading the bases in the fourth, but Cox, who came in relief for starter Sharon Palma after Palma was struck in the left arm with a line drive off the bat of Ashley Ackerman, pitched out of the jam by getting Alicia Abbott to pop out to Bradshaw at shortstop.
The Raiders responded in their next at bat with a four-run fifth. Cox started the frame with an infield single and after pinch-runner Malerie Klingler advanced to second on a Mollie Berry infield hit, both runners moved into scoring position on Briauna Birl sacrifice. Jamie Perkins then reached on an error as Klingler scored and Louie Haney followed with a three-run home run to right center, her second of the year, to make it 6-1.
UIC would cut the deficit to one with a run in the fifth and three more in the sixth on a three-double by Brooke Frydendall, but Wright State put the game out of reach with three in the seventh. Birl led off with a triple over the head of Ackerman in center and Perkins plated her with a sacrifice fly to center. After Haney reached on a single up the middle, Jherica Williams capped off a three home run weekend with a blast to left, her 17th of the season and 20th of her two-year Raider career.
Cox (4-3) picked up the win as she worked 1.1 innings of relief while Perkins closed things out by going the final two innings.
After not sweeping a three-game series since the Horizon League went to the current scheduling format in 2003, the Raiders recorded their third sweep of the year.
Wright State, now 29-24 overall and 13-7 in the Horizon League, will be the #3 seed for next week's League Tournament, which begins on Thursday at the Loyola Softball Park in Chicago. The Raiders will play the final game of the day at 9:00 Eastern against the winner of #4 seed Loyola and #9 seed Detroit. The tournament continues through Sunday with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Cox, Allison (4-3)
L: CLYNES, Sarah (13-17)
Batting:
2B: Shilt, Justine 1
3B: Birl, Briauna 1
HR: Haney, Louie 1 ; Williams, Jherica 1
RBI: Perkins, Jamie 1 ; Haney, Louie 3 ; Williams, Jherica 2 ; Shilt, Justine 1 ; Cox, Allison 1
SH: Henry, Bridget 1 ; Birl, Briauna 1
SF: Perkins, Jamie 1 ; Cox, Allison 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Perkins, Jamie 1 ; Haney, Louie 2 ; Williams, Jherica 1 ; Bradshaw, Kristen 1 ; Shilt, Justine 1 ; Klingler, Malerie 1 ; Berry, Mollie 1 ; Birl, Briauna 1
SB: Bradshaw, Kristen 1
CS: Birl, Briauna 1
Batting:
2B: FRYDENDALL, Brooke 2 ; MARINACCI, Melissa 1
RBI: FRYDENDALL, Brooke 3 ; BRENNAN, Lauren 1
Base Running:
RUNS: CLYNES, Sarah 1 ; SEDDON, Christie 1 ; MARINACCI, Melissa 1 ; ROBINSON, Nicole 1 ; STUDZINSKI, Mallory 1
CS: BRENNAN, Lauren 1
HBP: ACKERMAN, Ashlee 1
