Friday Results

Kyllie Magill

UMass beat Penn State  10-0 in 6 innings and fell to Tulsa 3-1 in 9 innings. Sara Plourde has bounced back from last year's injury and she looks to be better than ever. She was in command all game allowing just four balls to be put in play. Of the 18 outs in the game Plourde recorded 15 of them via strikeout. Penn State only managed one hit against Plourde, but they had more than just offensive problems. UMass was feeling at the plate in game 1 recording 10 runs and 9 hits. Katie Bettencourt led the way for the Minutewomen going 2-3 with 3 runs scored and a grand slam HR, Megan Carta and Kyllie Magill combined to go 5-7 with 3 RBI and Audrey Boutin added a solo HR. Game 2 against Tulsa did not go quite as well for UMass. Lindsey Webster got the start in the circle and was working out of jams all day long. Webster was very gritty and did not look like a freshman out there and only allowed 1 run through 8 innings before the Golden Hurricanes finally broke through in the 9th. UMass had issues all day long at the plate driving in runners and besides a Sac Fly by Kyllie Magill they could not get anyone home. The bottom of the order was one of the bright spots for UMass in this game, as Jordan Storro, Cyndil Matthew, and Christine Della Vecchia went 4-8 against Tulsa. UMass seemed to have the  momentum, but Tulsa brought in Aimee Creger and she dominated the Minutewomen. Tomorrow is going to be a tough day for the Minutewomen, but who isn't excited about a potential Jordan Taylor-Sara Plourde matchup.

Fordham beat USF 1-0 in 8 innings and fell to Ole Miss 5-3. Fordham got off to a rough start dropping its fourth straight game on the year against Ole Miss. The Rebels figured Chelsea Plimpton out and the offense couldn't make up the difference. Jen Mineau came in for some relief and threw some solid innings of relief. It is still unclear what is going on with her. Gabby Luety and Beckah Wiggins combined to drive in all three runs, but the Rams still do not have a HR. Ole Miss is a solid team, but one that Fordham should beat. Thankfully, the Rams finished the day on a high note. Fordham knocked off host USF 1-0 in 8 innings. Chelsea Plimpton and Jen Mineau combined to throw a 3 hitter against the Bulls . They split the innings in the USF game, making us ponder Jen Mineau's current stamina in the circle. She was effective, but can she pitch the whole game? The offense struggled again in game 2 picking up just 5 hits. Jocelyn Dearborn led the way going 2-4 with the game-winning RBI. Coach Orchard is obviously frustrated with her squad right now, as she continues to shake up the lineup. It may take a little more time to figure out the lineup, but it will happen eventually. Fordham has too much talent to stay down this long.

St. Joseph's lost to James Madison 6-5 and Coastal Carolina 5-1. The Hawks had a rough start in 2011 falling twice in Conway, SC. The St. Joe's offense was actually pretty solid on the day hitting .293, but surprisingly the Hawks' struggles were in the circle. Lauren Pembleton got off to a strong start in 2011 out of the bullpen, as she did not allow a single run in her relief appearances. Erin Gallagher got off to a rocky start, but she got back to her normal self in relief against Coastal. Now that the first two games are out of the way I think St. Joe's will bounce back much stronger on Saturday. I was impressed with the way the offense hit the ball, but I want to see more HR. Laura Cardone, Dana Parks, and Bernadette Moran were a formidable trio at the top of the order, but the bottom of the order was not able to do the same. There were 3 starters that only combined for a single hit. If Erin Gallagher and Taryn Ashway can bounce back from tough starts tomorrow the Hawks will be in good shape.

St. Louis beat Villanova 5-4 and lost to Michigan State 9-0 in 5 innings. The Billikens did exactly what I wanted to see them do in one game, which was show off some power. Tori Holland got it going against Villanova hitting a grand slam to erase a 4-0 deficit. Then with a tie game on the line Kristin Burger stepped up and hit a solo HR to take the lead. Hannah Huebbe struggled against the Wildcats early on, but she was able to bear down and shut down the Wildcats. The second game of the day was just plain ugly as St. Louis lost to Michigan State 9-0 in 5 innings. The offense, defense, and special teams (just kidding pitching) struggled. Julian Austin and Kelcie Matesa walked batters and gave up hits and runs, I guess the only positive was that they kept the ball in the ballpark. The defense committed two errors just adding to the rough the Billikens had. Burger and Kristin Nicoletti were the only St. Louis players to record a hit against Michigan State. St. Louis needs to forget the Michigan State game and take the positives from the win against Villanova.

Charlotte  beat St. Francis 10-2 in 5 innings and UNC Greensboro 3-0. Charlotte finally stepped it up and played two complete games and most importantly the pitching was there. Katy Hackett took down another UNC school firing a 4-hit shutout with 15 SO. Hackett had the Spartan hitters fooled all day and her teammates were able to put some runs on the scoreboard for her. In the other game, Katie Watkins and Kalie Lang didn't get through 7 innings, but thankfully they were on the other side of it this time. The 49ers were helped by a career day from Briana Gwaltney who hit 2 HR with 5 RBI. Jalisa Rock and Tenaya Tucker also had multiple hits in the game. It was a bit tougher against UNCG and Cory Mattson, but the 49ers showed their patience at the plate drawing 8 BB. Tenaya Tucker continued her hot streak at the plate going 3-4 with another HR. Rock added another hit in the game as well, continuing a solid day for the Freshman. Charlotte needs to continue to execute on Saturday and pick up two more wins.