Softball Drops Pair in Final Day of Rafter Memorial

Saturday, February 14

Kennesaw, GA

10:30 AM

Wright State University

3-4

SIU Edwardsville

7-1

Wright State

SIU Edwardsville

2/14/2009 12:00:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: WSU Athletic Media Relations

The Wright State softball team dropped a pair of games to SIU Edwardsville in the final day of the Rafter Memorial in Kennesaw, Georgia, Saturday, falling to the Cougars 5-0 to complete round-robin play and then 9-3 in the championship game.

After SIU Edwardsville, the 2007 NCAA Division II national champions who are in their first season in Division I in 2009, scored a run in the second inning of the first game, it stayed that way until the Cougars tacked on two runs in both the fifth and the sixth. Louie Haney led the Raider offense with a pair of hits.

SIU Edwardsville again took the early lead in the championship game with a run in the third, only to see WSU tied it with a run of its own in the fourth. Kristen Bradshaw led off with a single up the middle, stole second and moved up on a ground out. China Frost later reached on an error that allowed Bradshaw to score.

The Cougars went back in front with two runs in the fifth, but again Wright State responded in the next inning to tie the game and, again, Bradshaw started things with a hit, this time to left center. A fielder's choice off the bat of Ashleigh Jackson retired the lead runner, but Katie Kine followed with a single to left and after Lindsay Barrett walked to load the bases, an error on a grounder by Frost allowed two runs to score and even the score at 3-3.

Edwardsville, however, exploded for six runs in the bottom of the sixth, the key blow being a two-run single by Nicole Beecher.

Bradshaw and Briauna Birl each had two hits for the Raiders.

Wright State (3-5) returns to action with the Eller Media Stadium Tournament in Las Vegas February 27-March 1 as the Raiders take on UNLV, Loyola Marymount, Florida Atlantic and Drake.