Softball Fall Season Recap
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG softball team ended the fall season with a 4-3 record after posting victories against West Virginia Wesleyan, UNC Pembroke and a home doubleheader sweep against Radford. The Spartans will begin preparations for the spring campaign with the first game against George Mason Saturday, Feb. 9 at the Charleston Southern Tournament.
"We had a really good test this fall and I was really pleased with how we performed," said head coach Janelle Breneman. "There were games where we played hard and then there were other games that really identified things for our staff to develop in the spring."
UNCG opened the fall season with a 7-1 victory against West Virginia Wesleyan and a tough 11-1 loss at Virginia Tech. The Hokies are coming off a 42-win season and were selected to the NCAA Knoxville regional last season.
The Spartans responded with a doubleheader sweep against Radford, winning 7-2 and 11-0. In the 11-0 game, the Blue and Gold combined to throw a no-hitter against the Highlanders.
After numerous rain-outs, UNCG was able to host ACC power North Carolina October 10 and fell short in a 9-5 contest at the UNCG Softball Stadium.
To finish the fall season the Spartans played at the Ray Chandler Memorial Softball Tournament in Raleigh. The Blue and Gold lost to N.C. State 10-0 before bouncing back with a 12-5 victory over UNC Pembroke.
During the fall campaign, UNCG kept track of quality at bats which consisted of at bats where a hitter gets a hit, walk, sacrifice bunt, sacrifice fly, squeeze, bunt hit or works a deep count. Six Spartans had 10-plus quality at bats with sophomore Tatiana Alcala (Oxnard, Calif./Pacifica) leading the team with 13. Alcala had 22 at bats in the fall and finished with a .591 quality at bat average.
Senior first baseman Eileen Horsmon (Dunkirk, Md./Northern) was second with 12 quality at bats in just 21 plate appearances. Junior Katelyn Bedwell (Surrey, British Columbia/Elgin Park Secondary) and freshman Lindsay Thomas (Irvine, Ca./Northwood) each finished with 11 quality at bats during the fall campaign.
"Eileen had a great fall for us being our senior first baseman and leading power hitter," said Breneman. "KB also had a great fall behind the plate and as a RBI producer."
The pitching staff consists of redshirt junior Raeanne Hanks (Rainier, Ore./Rainier Senior), sophomore Erica Navarette (San Marcos, Calif./Mission Hills), freshman Kelly Lupton (Galloway, N.J./Absegami) and freshman Nicole Thomas (Irvine, Ca./Northwood).
"I thought our pitchers did really well as a staff. We have four pitchers that add a lot of different elements on the mound which is exciting for the spring season," said Breneman.
Be sure to follow all updates about the 2013 UNCG softball team on www.uncgspartans.com or on twitter @UNCGSoftball.
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