Wright State University
16-14, 4-3
Valparaiso (Game 1)
17-9, 3-1
Softball Wins Series Opener at Valparaiso
4/1/2009 12:00:00 PM | Softball
It took 10 innings and nearly three hours to complete before the Wright State softball team recorded a 9-7 Horizon League win over the Valparaiso Crusaders Wednesday afternoon at the VU Softball Field. The second game of the doubleheader was suspended due to darkness after four innings with the Raiders ahead 5-0.
Jamie Perkins doubled off the fence in center to drive in Louie Haney for a run in the first and WSU took advantage of a pair of Valparaiso errors to make it 2-0 in the third.
The Crusaders tied it with two in their half of the third, but the Raiders went back in front in the fourth on a Briauna Birl RBI triple followed by a run-scoring double from Haney and led 5-2 heading to the bottom of the seventh after Justine Shilt smacked a solo home run over the scoreboard in left center, her fourth of the season.
Valpo, though, rallied with three runs in the seventh to force extra innings, capped off by a two-out, two-run homer to right by Sara Strickland, and the Crusaders looked to be in prime position to win it in the eighth as they loaded the bases with no outs on three straight singles.
Sharon Palma (7-6), however, pitched out of the jam with a double play and a line out and it stayed tied until Wright State regained the lead for good in the 10th. After Shilt started the frame with a hit and Katie Kine walked, Allison Cox drove in Shilt with a single to left. Hits by Lindsay Barrett and Mollie Berry loaded the bases for Haney, whose infield hit plated a run, and Perkins followed with a two-run hit through the left side of the infield.
Valparaiso scored a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the 10th, but would get no closer.
Cox paced the Raiders offensively with four hits while Haney had three and Perkins and Shilt two each.
Wright State (16-14, 4-3 Horizon) looks to complete the suspended game Thursday at 1:00 Eastern with the regular scheduled matchup with the Crusaders to follow.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Palma, Sharon (7-6)
L: KELLY, Stephanie (5-4)
Batting:
2B: Birl, Briauna 1 ; Perkins, Jamie 1 ; Cox, Allison 2
3B: Haney, Louie 1
HR: Shilt, Justine 1
RBI: Birl, Briauna 1 ; Haney, Louie 2 ; Perkins, Jamie 3 ; Shilt, Justine 1 ; Cox, Allison 1
SH: Barrett, Lindsay 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Birl, Briauna 1 ; Haney, Louie 1 ; Bradshaw, Kristen 1 ; Shilt, Justine 2 ; Cox, Allison 1 ; Baker, Michelle 1 ; Barrett, Lindsay 1 ; Berry, Mollie 1
SB: Shilt, Justine 1
Batting:
2B: STRICKLAND, Sara 1 ; CONNER, Sadie 1
HR: STRICKLAND, Sara 1
RBI: LAGESSE, Alex 1 ; STRICKLAND, Sara 3 ; RUTKOWSKI, Jordan 1 ; CONNER, Sadie 1 ; JACOBSON, Jill 1
SH: KORB, Karen 1
Base Running:
RUNS: KORB, Karen 1 ; STRICKLAND, Sara 2 ; PHALEN, Kelsey 1 ; CONNER, Sadie 2 ; WEINBURGER, Jamie 1
SB: RUTKOWSKI, Jordan 1 ; WOLTER, Ashley 1
CS: STRICKLAND, Sara 1 ; RUTKOWSKI, Jordan 1 ; SUNDLING, Aubrey 1
