Feb. 19, 2006
Box Score
GREENVILLE, N.C. - The Ohio softball team finished off a solid opening weekend with wins over Army and East Carolina at the Pirate Classic. The Bobcats took out Army 7-2 and followed up with an 8-7 win in eight innings over host East Carolina.
The Bobcats opened the day with the 7-2 defeat of Army. Ohio got the offense going early with three runs in the opening frame. Debbie Szalejko (Beavercreek, Ohio) set the table with a walk and Marian Davis (Brighton, Mich.) followed with a walk of her own. Emily Futscher (Cincinnati, Ohio) cleared the bases with her first home run of the year to give Ohio starter Michelle Sauter (Chehalis, Wash.) an early three-run cushion.
After the Black Knights cut the Ohio lead to 3-2 with single runs in the first and second innings, the Bobcats tallied two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Robin Miller (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) led off with a single and Amanda Sacks (Chugiak, Alaska) and Szalejko walked to load the bases. Davis walked to plate Miller and Futscher followed with an RBI single for her fourth run batted in of the contest.
Ohio pushed its lead to the deciding 7-2 margin with two runs in the fifth. Alicia Catlette (Mogadore, Ohio) led off with a single and Miller sacrificed her over with Catlette advancing to third. Kelly Rodriguez (Miami, Fla.) walked and stole second to give the Bobcats runners on second and third. Szalejko followed with a two-run triple to score Catlette and Rodriguez.
Sauter earned the win after going 3 1/3 innings and striking out six. Candace Warden (Hagerstown, Md.) pitched the final 3 2/3 innings to earn the save.
The Bobcats wrapped up the weekend with the 8-7, extra-inning win over East Carolina. The game marked the second time Ohio went to extra innings over the weekend.
The Ohio offense once again got started early with a single run in the bottom of the first. Szalejko continued her strong play with a leadoff single. Davis sacrificed Szalejko to second and Rodriguez walked to put runners on first and second. Maghan Lunsford (Centerville, Ohio) moved Szalejko to third with a sacrifice fly and Maureen McKelvey (Stow, Ohio) plated Szalejko with an RBI single. The Bobcats added another run in their half of the second when Davis singled in Catlette.
The Bobcats put three on the board in the fourth inning. Catlette led off with a walk and Danielle Kelley (Franklin, Tenn.) followed with a single. Szalejko plated Catlette with a double and Davis drove in Kelley with an RBI groundout. Rodriguez scored Szalejko with a double to conclude the inning's scoring. Ohio tallied two more runs in the fifth inning on a Warden two-run double, scoring Futscher and Catlette.
The game went into extra innings with the game tied at seven. After the Bobcats held East Carolina scoreless in the top half of the eight, Szalejko started on second as part of the tiebreaker rule and advanced to third after a Davis sacrifice. Rodriguez ended the game with a walk-off single, driving in Szalejko, to give Ohio a 4-2 start to the season.
Zoe Heim (Ann Arbor, Mich.) earned the win for the Bobcats. Heim started the game and went 4 1/3 innings before giving way to Natalie Armstrong (Murrysville, Pa.), who went 2/3 of an inning. Sauter came in to pitch the sixth and seventh and recorded the first out in the eight before giving way to Heim. Heim recorded the final two outs to give Ohio the win.
The Bobcats will be back in action next weekend when they compete in the Elon Invitational. Ohio plays Big East opponent Villanova Friday at 11 a.m. and follow up with host school Elon at 1:15 p.m. The Bobcats are slated to play Oakland Saturday at 1:15 p.m.
