GREENSBORO, N.C. – Amber Harrell struck out her 500th career batter in game one and Jordan Jewett hit her first career home run in game two to rally UNC Greensboro to the win as the Spartans split a doubleheader with Georgia Southern to open Southern Conference play on Saturday. The Eagles won the first game 4-1 in 8 innings, while UNCG picked up a 3-2 win in game two.
Despite Harrell's milestone, Georgia Southern (12-9, 1-1 SoCon) scored three unearned runs in the top of the eighth to take the win in game one. The Eagles took advantage of three hits, a pair of errors and a wild pitch with a runner on third in the frame to win their SoCon opener.
UNCG (8-12, 1-1 SoCon) had led 1-0 in the game, with Kaitlin Merkt knocking in pinch-runner Laura Olenderski from third in the fourth. Merkt hit a grounder to short and Nina Iduate tried to get Olenderski at the plate, but Olenderski slid around the tag to give the Spartans the lead.
GSU tied it in the top of the sixth inning, when Kelly Burnett hit a leadoff home run to left center, her first of the season.
UNCG couldn't push across a run over the next two innings, sending the game to extras.
Megen Smith, whose double got the eighth-inning rally started, was 2-for-4 with a run scored to pace Georgia Southern at the plate. Four different players accounted for UNCG's four hits.
Harrell entered play Saturday needing eight strikeouts to reach the 500-strikeout plateau and got exactly that, striking out Georgia Southern's last two batters in the top of the eighth inning, including the final one looking.
Already second in school history in career strikeouts, she became just the second player to reach 500. She trails only career leader Vanessa Williams, now UNCG's pitching coach, who had 565 from 2004-07.
Harrell dropped to 2-7 on the season despite a solid outing that saw her allow just one earned run (four runs total) on seven hits and two walks in 8 innings of work.
Brianna Streetmon, the reigning Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year and this season's Preseason Pitcher of the Year, improved to 7-3 on the season, allowing one unearned run on four hits and a walk in 8 innings. She struck out six.
In game two, UNCG trailed 2-1 heading to the bottom of the sixth, but after Emily Akiyama's leadoff double, Jewett smacked a long drive off the scoreboard in right center for her first career bomb.
Cory Mattson, who entered the game in the top of the sixth, picked up the win, moving to 5-4 on the season with 2 innings of one-hit relief.
Just like in game one, UNCG drew first blood, getting an RBI single up the middle from Alex Emeterio for a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth.
Georgia Southern answered with two runs in the next inning to take the lead, finally getting to UNCG starter Raeanne Hanks. Hanks, who had worked around seven hits to that point, gave up back-to-back home runs to Sam Russo and Jenny Side to lead off the inning, knocking her from the game.
UNCG's sixth-inning rally took Hanks off the hook for the loss. The freshman went 5 innings, allowing two runs on nine hits. She struck out three and did not walk a batter.
Akiyama and Brittany Ausley had multi-hit games for the Spartans, with each going 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Ausley reached base three times in the game, also drawing a walk.
Side was 3-for-3, falling a triple short of the cycle for the Eagles. Iduate was 2-for-4.
Smith (4-6) took the loss for GSU, allowing three runs on six hits and five walks. She struck out eight in 5 innings of work before giving way to Streetmon in the sixth. Streetmon retired the only three batters she faced in game two.
The rubber game of the series will be Sunday at 1 p.m.
AGATE
Georgia Southern 4, UNC Greensboro 1 (Mar 13, 2010 at Greensboro, N.C.) (Game 1)
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Georgia Southern.... 000 001 03 - 4 7 1 (12-8, 1-0 SoCon)
UNC Greensboro...... 000 100 00 - 1 4 3 (7-12, 0-1 SoCon)
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Pitchers: Georgia Southern - Brianna Streetmon and Mackenzie Williams. UNC Greensboro - Amber Harrell and Whitney Sirois.
Win-Brianna Streetmon(7-3) Loss-Amber Harrell(2-7) T-2:11 A-0
HR GSU - Kelly Burnett (1).
Weather: 59 degrees, mostly cloudy
UNC Greensboro 3, Georgia Southern 2 (Mar 13, 2010 at Greensboro, N.C.) (Game 2)
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Georgia Southern.... 000 002 0 - 2 10 0 (12-9, 1-1 SoCon)
UNC Greensboro...... 000 012 X - 3 6 0 (8-12, 1-1 SoCon)
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Pitchers: Georgia Southern - Brianna Streetmon; Megen Smith(2) and Mackenzie Williams. UNC Greensboro - Raeanne Hanks; Cory Mattson(6) and Whitney Sirois.
Win-Cory Mattson(5-4) Loss-Megen Smith(4-6) T-1:35 A-84
HR GSU - Sam Russo (2); Jenny Side (2).
HR UNCG - Jordan Jewett (1).
Weather: 54 degrees, mostly cloudy
Hanks faced 2 batters in the 6th.
Smith faced 2 batters in the 6th.
- UNCG -
