JACKSONVILLE, FL The UNC Greensboro softball team split a pair of games at the Best Western/Jacksonville University Tournament to open the 2008 softball season. The Spartans fell 5-0 to Southern Illinois but handed host Jacksonville a 2-0 loss in the nightcap. This is the second consecutive season UNCG opened the season with a 1-1 record.
UNCG struggled from the plate in both game combining for a total of six hits on the day. Whitney Miller was 1-for-1 from the plate in the win over Jacksonville to lead UNCG's offensive efforts while Mary Greenway was 1-for-2 from the plate with one run scored in the late game.
In the second game the Spartans and Dolphins were scoreless through the first four innings before UNCG got on the board in the fifth inning. Leadoff batter, Leslie Furness ripped a home run down the middle of the park to give UNCG a 1-0 lead.
UNCG added an insurance run in the sixth inning. Dolphin pitcher Ashley Iverson walked pinch hitter Laura Olenderski and in the next at bat Greenway singled to put two runners on base. The Spartan loaded the bases after Lyndsay Mouse and Brittany Ausley reached on back-to-back fielders choices'. Greenway rounded the bases when Mary Catherine Vercoe grounded out to the second base.
Amber Harrell picked up her first win of the year after allowing no runs on one hit in her first complete game of the year. She walked four and tallied five strikeouts. Greenway was also 2-for-2 in stolen base attempts, brining her career total to 43 stolen bases, placing her fifth on UNCG's all-time list.
In the first game of the day the Spartans and Salukis were scoreless through three innings before Southern Illinois used two runs to take a 2-0 lead.
UNCG pitcher Hannah Angel (0-1) walked Wilson to open the inning and Chelsea Petty used a sacrifice hit to advance Katie Wilson to second base and put the Salukis in scoring position. Angel walked Jayme Wamsley to put two runners on base and SIU's Becky Wegmann doubled to score both runners.
Brittany Ausley tallied UNCG's first hit of the afternoon in the fourth inning but UNCG couldn't find another hit after Vercoe lined out to shortstop to end the inning, leaving the Wake Forest, NC native stranded. The Spartans couldn't muster any offense in the next several innings and Southern Illinois added three more runs to put the game out of reach.
Ausley, Lyndsay Mouse and Whitney Sirois tallied hits for the Spartans while Angel and Amber Harrell split time in the circle. Angel twirled five innings of work and allowed three runs on four hits while walking four. She also threw seven strikes on the afternoon. In two innings of relief, Harrell allowed two runs on four hits while walking two and striking out four.
The Spartans continue action at the Best Western/Jacksonville Invitational when they take on Minnesota at JU Softball Stadium at 12:15 pm before closing the day against Coastal Carolina at 2:45 pm.
AGATE:
Game One
Southern Illinois... 000 210 2 - 5 8 0
UNC Greensboro...... 000 000 0 - 0 3 1
Pitchers: Southern Illinois - Waters. UNC Greensboro - Hannah Angel; Amber Harrell(6).
E-Sirois. LOB-SIU 9, UNCG 3. 2B-Wilson,Wamsley, Wegmann. SH-Petty, Merkt. SB-Dismore, Schmidt
Win-Waters(1-0) Loss-Hannah Angel(0-1) T-2:01 A-102
Game Two
UNC Greensboro...... 000 011 0 - 2 3 0
Jacksonville........ 000 000 0 - 0 1 0
Pitchers: UNC Greensboro - Amber Harrell. Jacksonville - IVESON, A.
LOB-UNCG 4, JU 3. HR-Furness(1). SB-Greenway (2)
Win-Amber Harrell T-1:40 A-163
HR UNCG - Leslie Furness (1).
