Southern Illinois University
1-1
Jacksonville
0-2
Softball goes 1-1 in first day of Jacksonville Tournament
02/10/2007 | 12:00:00 | Softball
Feb. 10, 2007
By Matt Crouch
www.SIUSalukis.com
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - After suffering its worst loss in almost a year, the Southern Illinois University softball team rebounded in its nightcap to finish the opening day of the 2007 season with a 1-1 record.
The Salukis, opening the 2007 season at the Jacksonville University Tournament, fell to North Carolina Greensboro 9-0 in five innings in the season opener. SIU bounced back, though, in the team's evening game with a 7-2 win over host Jacksonville.
"I think that our first game, we were totally out of character, were not aggressive at all, very timid. We weren't in our own element at all but did much better in the nightcap," said SIU head coach Kerri Blaylock.
Southern Illinois will get another shot against UNC-Greensboro on Saturday, as well as another look at Jacksonville. SIU continues play Saturday, Feb. 10 with a 2 p.m. ET game against the JU and follows it up with a 4 p.m. ET game against the Spartans.
"I told the kids that it is no different than a conference weekend where you have to play the same teams back to back. If we get back to playing softball the way we play, we'll see some good things," said Blaylock.
Both games can be followed live on GameTracker, which can be accessed from the SIU Softball schedule page.
UNC-Greensboro 9, Southern Illinois 0
Despite holding the University of North Carolina at Greensboro scoreless in the first three innings of the game, it was an eight-run explosion in the fifth inning that spelled trouble for the Salukis in the 2007 season opener.
Starting pitcher Cassidy Scoggins came out strong in the first two innings, striking out five batters while giving up two hits. She picked up two more strikeouts in the fourth inning, but gave up the lead as UNC-Greensboro's Leslie Furness scored after leading off the inning with a walk.
The Spartans sealed up the win in the fifth inning, blowing up for eight runs that were sparked by five straight hits to lead off the inning.
Senior pitcher Ashley Hamby relieved Scoggins and picked up the innings three outs in the eight batters she faced.
Freshman Katie Wilson and sophomore Katie Wagner picked up two of SIU's total four hits in the fifth inning, but could not mount a comeback as the Salukis fell 9-0.
Also picking up hits for SIU in the game were Tiffanie Dismore and Alicia Garza.
The loss is only the second on opening day in Blaylock's tenure as head coach. The other was a 5-0 loss to Marshall that opened up the 2004 season.
Southern Illinois 7, Jacksonville 2
After a sluggish start in the first game, Southern wasted no time in putting some runs on the board against Jacksonville.
Dismore led off with a strikeout, but Garza immediately followed up with a walk and subsequently scored on a double to center field by Lauren Haas to give SIU its first run of the game and the 2007 season.
Two more walks and base hits by Jayme Wamsley and Becky Wegmann in the inning game the Salukis an early 4-0 lead.
Southern Illinois put another pair of runs on the board in the third inning. Freshman Allie Hanson led off the inning by drawing a walk and scored on a two-run home run by Dismore that sailed down the right field line.
The homer is the first one of the season for the Salukis and the fifth of Dismore's career.
The Salukis held the Dolphins scoreless through five innings, but threw two runs on the board in the sixth inning on back-to-back base hits by Patricia Melo and Ashley Mora.
SIU put a final run on the board in the sixth inning as Katie Wilson scored on a Wegmann singled to give the Salukis the 7-2 win.
Offensively, SIU scored seven runs off of five hits in the game, drawing 11 walks in the process. Wegmann led the team by going 2-for-4 from the plate with two RBI.
Hamby earns the complete-game win for SIU. In seven innings of action, she struck out eight batters and walked only one. She gave up three hits and two runs in the game, neither of which were earned.
"I was extremely pleased with the way that Ashley Hamby set the tone in the second game. She had a big-time performance and we needed her to do that," said Blaylock.
Katie Buell and Ashley Iveson split time in the game for Jacksonville with Buell taking the loss. The duo combined for six strikeouts in the game.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hamby, Ashley (1-0)
L: BUELL, K. (0-1)
Batting:
2B: MORA, A. 1 ; LaCROIX, R. 1
RBI: MELO, P. 1 ; MORA, A. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: MELO, P. 1 ; ALTER, V. 1
SB: GORDON, S. 1 ; ALTER, V. 1
HBP: McKEON, K. 1
Batting:
2B: Haas, Lauren 1
HR: Dismore, Tiffanie 1
RBI: Dismore, Tiffanie 2 ; Haas, Lauren 1 ; Wamsley, Jayme 2 ; Wegmann, Becky 2
SH: Wamsley, Jayme 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dismore, Tiffanie 1 ; Garza, Alicia 1 ; Haas, Lauren 1 ; Ford, Clare 1 ; Wilson, Katie 2 ; Hanson, Allie 1
SB: Wilson, Katie 1
HBP: Clifton, Amanda 1 ; Stein, Krystal 1
