JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – UNCG's softball team dropped a pair of games Friday at the Wingate by Wyndham Opening Weekend Tournament, falling 10-1 to Virginia Tech in five innings and 10-3 to tournament host Jacksonville.
UNCG (0-2) got off to phenomenal start to the season against Virginia Tech, with junior Eileen Horsmon smacking the first pitch she saw out to left center for a solo home run with two outs in the top of the first to stake the Spartans to the early 1-0 lead.
That would prove to be UNCG's last hit until the fifth inning, however, and the Hokies took control of the contest in the bottom half of the first.
Virginia Tech (2-0) scored its first two runs with the benefit of only one hit. After Lauren Gaskill led off the frame with a single, Kylie McGoldrick reached on a fielder's choice and Dani Anderson drew a walk to load the bases. UNCG starter Cory Mattson then hit Courtney Liddle to force in the Hokies' first run, and a bases-loaded walk to Betty Rose made it 2-0.
Kelsey Mericka followed with a bases-clearing double to left center to make it 5-1 before the Hokies had even made an out.
After Mattson induced a pair of groundouts, Bkaye Smith reached on a Mattson error to bring in Mericka and make it 6-1.
The Hokies added two more in the second inning. Virginia Tech strung together three straight one-out singles to make it 7-1, and Liddle scored on Kristen Froelich's sacrifice fly to center. Spartan center fielder Ashley Reetz kept the damage from being worse by firing to third to get Rose for an inning-ending double play on the sac fly.
Erica Navarette relieved Mattson to start the bottom of the third inning, and the freshman from San Marcos, Calif., retired the side in order in her first career appearance. She struck out her fist batter, Marra Hvozdovic, looking.
Virginia Tech got to Navarette the following inning, however, getting a pair of singles to lead off the inning before Liddle's RBI double put the game into mercy-rule territory. Rose followed with a sac fly to make it 10-1.
Hokies starter Jasmin Harrell (1-0) was cruising, meanwhile, as she retired 12 straight after Horsmon's homer. Her only other blemish came in the top of the fifth inning when UNCG freshman Dominique Madruga singled to right field with two outs. Harrell got a groundout to end the game.
Harrell picked up her first win of the season by allowing just one run on two hits in five innings.
Mattson (0-1) took the loss, allowing eight runs (seven earned) on five hits and two walks in two innings. Navarette was charged with two runs on four hits and no walks, striking out one.
In the nightcap, the defending Atlantic Sun Conference regular-season and tournament champion Dolphins (2-0) jumped on UNCG starter Josie Felix for seven runs in the second inning, rapping out six hits and taking advantage of two Spartan errors. Meagan Balding, Karson Tuck, Amanda Schmidt and A-Sun Preseason Player of the Year Sarah Simon all had RBI hits in the frame.
UNCG got three runs back in the bottom of the third inning thanks to some timely hitting and some shaky defense by the Dolphins. Freshman Tatiana Alcala reached on an error with two outs to get things going, and Horsmon followed with a single up the middle to put runners at first and second. Katelyn Bedwell knocked in Alcala with a single and Horsmon came around on an error in the outfield. Heather Robb followed with an RBI single to bring in Bedwell before another error allowed Toni MacReynolds to reach. Robb was thrown out at home trying to score on the play, ending the inning.
JU got one of the runs back in the top of the fourth on Schmidt's infield RBI single then added single runs in the sixth and seventh innings on RBI singles from Tuck and Brittany Eppley, respectively.
Felix (0-1) was tagged for seven runs (six earned) on seven hits in two innings, walking two. Navarette worked five innings of relief, allowing three runs on seven hits, striking out four.
Eppley (1-0) picked up the win for JU, allowing three unearned runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings. Reigning A-Sun Pitcher of the Year Sarah Sigrest worked the final 2 2/3 innings, allowing just one hit and striking out seven of the nine batters she faced.
Aisha Figueroa had three hits for the Spartans, leading off the game with a single and hitting two-out singles in the fifth and seventh innings.
Kayla Ouellet was 3-for-4 with three runs to lead JU at the plate. Tuck, Schmidt, Eppley, Balding and Codi Kelly had two hits each.
UNCG faces Buffalo at 9:30 a.m. and Saint Louis at 2 p.m. Saturday in day two of the tournament.
AGATE
Virginia Tech 10, UNCG 1 (Feb 10, 2012 at Jacksonville, Fla.)
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UNCG................ 100 00 - 1 2 2 (0-1)
Virginia Tech....... 620 2X - 10 9 0 (2-0)
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Pitchers: UNCG - Cory Mattson; Erica Navarette(3). Virginia Tech - Jasmin Harrell.
Win-Jasmin Harrell(1-0) Loss-Cory Mattson(0-1) T-1:20 A-379
HR UNCG - Eileen Horsmon (1).
Weather: 73 degrees & overcast
Jacksonville 10, UNCG 3 (Feb 10, 2012 at Jacksonville, Fla.)
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Jacksonville........ 070 101 1 - 10 14 3 (2-0)
UNCG................ 003 000 0 - 3 6 4 (0-2)
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Pitchers: Jacksonville - Brittany Eppley; Sarah Sigrest(5) and Sarah Simon. UNCG - Josie Felix;
Erica Navarette(3) and Toni MacReynolds.
Win-Brittany Eppley(1-0) Loss-Josie Felix(0-1) T-2:00 A-395
Weather: 64 degrees
- UNCG -
