Feb. 19, 2010
SIUE Box Score
Auburn Box Score
AUBURN, Ala. - Day one of the Tiger Invitational saw Ohio softball top Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 2-1 in the first game and drop a tough 6-0 decision to perennial postseason qualifier Auburn of the SEC in the second game.
Ohio's win over the Cougars gave the Green and White (1-6) its first victory of the 2010 season after coming up just short in four contests last weekend at the Kajikawa Classic. Shalene Petrich (Chehalis, Wash.) paced the `Cats with four hits on the day, while Deanna Hartsough (Santa Ana, Calif.) collected a pair of hits herself and Alexis Zambrana (Alvin, Texas) recorded an RBI. In all, seven different Bobcats picked up hits for the day.
A breakout fifth frame that saw the `Cats plate their two runs on four big hits provided Ohio just what it would need against a pesky SIUE squad (2-3) in the first game. The Green and White's Emily Wethington (New Palestine, Ind.) and the Cougars' Ali Downing engaged each other in an old-fashioned pitcher's duel through the first four innings, before Sara Clark (Ontario, Calif.) helped jumpstart the action in the fifth. Clark doubled to left with one out to start the action and then advanced to third following a fly out. Jordan Paden (Walla Walla, Wash.) then singled to center to bring Clark home.
Freshman Jenna Giusti (Danville, Calif.) followed Paden's lead with a single of her own to give Ohio two runners on. Zambrana then roped a two-out double to center to plate Paden. SIUE settled in to get the final out to end the stanza. Wethington was cruising meanwhile, holding the Cougars without a hit through the first four innings.
SIUE would not go down without a fight as Lauren Zembruski hit a one-out homer in the sixth to quickly put the Cougars right back in the action. Back-to-back two-out singles had SIU poised to potentially tie the score, but Candace Saucedo (Ontario, Calif.), who came on in relief of Wethington, was able to force a groundout to stop the rally. Ohio put two on with one out in its half of the seventh and looked poised to add to its tally, but SIUE was again able to thwart the `Cats' hopes of more with a pair of groundouts. Saucedo then put the Cougars down in the seventh to seal the win.
Seven different Ohio players picked up hits in the contest, with Petrich leading the way with a 2-for-4 effort. Zambrana, Giusti, Hartsough, Clark, Paden and Paige Kemezis (Hackensack, N.J.) all finished with a hit, with Clark picking up her third double of the season and Zambrana her second. Wethington (1-2) threw 5.2 innings, allowing just three hits to pick up the win, while Saucedo picked up her first save of the season in relief.
The Green and White put forth a valiant effort against the Tigers (4-3), postseason qualifiers five of the last six seasons, before Auburn scored runs in the final three innings to take the win. Ohio's Melissa Bonner battled one of the SEC's top hurlers, Auburn's Anna Thompson nearly pitch for pitch through the first four innings as neither side was able to get a leg up on the other.
Unlike the SIUE contest though, the fifth inning was not as friendly to the `Cats. The Tigers took advantage of a costly Ohio miscue with two outs to plate an unearned run when Katie Colton came across. Clark reached on a fielding error with one down in the bottom of the inning, but Thompson thwarted the `Cats' hopes by putting down the next two hitters.
Auburn added its second run of the contest in the top of the sixth as Elizabeth Eisterhold touched home on a sac fly from Lauren Guzman. A two-out grand slam from Kyndall White scored the remaining Tiger runs.
Petrich picked up her second hit of the game with a lead-off single in the seventh. Hartsough then followed with one of her own two batters to give Ohio some hopes for a rally of some kind, but Petrich was thrown out at third on the play and Thompson got the final out to seal the Auburn win. Bonner (0-3) was saddled with the loss in the circle after tossing 6.1 innings, while Petrich singled twice in a 2-for-3 showing and Hartsough finished 1-for-3 to lead the Green and White.
The `Cats will return to the field for the second day of the invitational as they take on SIUE once again in their only action of the day. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m.
