Softball Splits at Ohio

Wednesday, March 25

Athens, OH

2:00 PM

Wright State University

13-12

Ohio (Game 1)

7-11

Wright State

Ohio

3/25/2009 12:00:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: WSU Athletic Media Relations

It was raining offense Wednesday afternoon as Wright State and Ohio split a softball doubleheader Wednesday in Athens. The Raiders won the opener 6-3, but fell behind 12-1 after four innings in the second game before coming up a run short against the Bobcats at 12-11.

Justine Shilt gave WSU a quick 1-0 lead with a sacrifice fly in the first inning of game one, but Ohio went up 3-1 heading to the fifth after a two-run home run from Sara Clark in the second and a solo shot by Deanna Hartsough in the fourth.

The Raiders, though, used some home run power of their own in scoring three times in the fifth as Jamie Perkins crushed a two-run shot down the left field line and Kristen Bradshaw followed with a solo blast to right center to make it 4-3.

Wright State added two insurance runs in the seventh as Perkins singled, Bradshaw doubled and Allison Cox later had a two-run double along the left field line.

Sharon Palma (5-4) picked up the win with four shutout innings of relief, allowing just two hits while striking out five. Offensively, Perkins finished with three hits while Briauna Birl, Louie Haney and Bradshaw each had two.

It was all Ohio in the early going of game two as the Bobcats scored three times in the second and seven more in the third thanks in part to back-to-back-to-back home runs from Emily Wethington, Candace Saucedo and Erika Girard.

Ashleigh Jackson drove in a run for WSU with a single in the fourth, but the Bobcats appeared on the verge of a run-rule win as they added two more in their half of the fourth and led 12-1 with two outs in the fifth.

The Raiders, however, ended up scoring five runs in the frame on a Shilt RBI double, an illegal pitch that allowed Perkins to score and a towering three-run homer to left off the bat of Jackson. Perkins then made it 12-9 in the sixth with another three-run home run, this time to right center.

Wright State drew to within a run in the seventh as a Birl triple plated China Frost and Haney followed with an infield hit to knock in Birl, but could not complete the comeback as the potential tying run was stranded at second when the game ended.

Birl, Haney and Bradshaw all had three hits in the nightcap while Perkins, Shilt and Jackson each had two.

Wright State (13-13) returns to Horizon League play this weekend as the Raiders host Youngstown State in a three-game series starting with a 1:00 doubleheader on Saturday.