2006 USA South Softball
Tournament
Thursday-Saturday, April 13th-15th
Burlington Springwood Park
Burlington, NC
Friday, April 14, 2006
Lady Bishops move on with 5-1 win over Averett
BURLINGTON, N.C.
- The 4th-seeded Lady Bishops of North
Carolina Wesleyan kept their season alive with a 5-1 win over 7th-seeded
Averett University on Friday afternoon in Burlington.
Ashlee Bass (pictured) was 2-for-4 with two RBIs to lead the Lady
Bishops to the victory.
NCWC (19-17) advances to play #3 Ferrum at 5:00 p.m. on Friday.
Wesleyan jumped on top of AU (11-29) with a run in the opening frame. Leadoff batter Shelley Hinson walked, stole second, and scored on an Bass RBI-double to left field.
A crucial three-run error in the second increased the Lady Bishop lead to 4-0. After two singles and a walk loaded the bases with two outs, Bass hit a fly ball to right that was misplayed, allowing all three runners to score.
Averett managed its only run in the sixth. Meredith Schwane reached on an NCWC error by and was plated by a Stacey McLenaghan RBI-triple to right-center field. Bishop hurler Libby Fulford was then brought on in relief of starter Karen Hathcock and promptly shut down the Cougar rally. Fulford forced a groundout to first that Courtney Tucker fired home to cut down McLenaghan.
Wesleyan added an insurance run in the seventh on another Bass RBI for the 5-1 final.
Hathcock (7-8) earned the win on the mound after tossing five innings and allowing one unearned run. She scattered just three hits while walking one and striking out one. Fulford picked up the save in two scoreless innings of work.
Brittany Estep took the loss for the Cougars, going four innings and giving up four runs (one earned) on three hits while walking three and striking out two. Stephanie Greene gave up one run in relief over the final three innings.
Bass was 2-for-4 with
two RBIs to pace the Bishops, while Hinson was also 2-for-4 with two
runs scored.