VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The Salisbury University
softball team got its 2008 season underway this weekend at the
Beach Blast tournament hosted by Virginia Wesleyan College in
Virginia Beach, Va., with a 3-1 record. The Sea Gulls toppled No. 4
Louisiana College on Saturday afternoon to highlight their two-day
tournament.
Salisbury (3-1) broke open a 0-0 game with the Louisiana College
Wildcats in the top of the seventh inning with two runs. Junior
Stacey Malarkey used an eight-pitch at-bat to her
advantage before she doubled down the right field line. Freshman
Alex Winstead stepped up and sacrificed Malarkey
to third. Sophomore Lauren Brenneman took one for
the team as she got hit by the pitch. With runners at the corners,
SU pulled off a double steal that scored Malarkey and moved
Brenneman to second. She later scored the insurance run, later in
the inning, on a Wildcat wild pitch to seal the deal for the Gulls.
Junior Stacy Davis (2-0) pitched a complete
game in the upset as she allowed four hits, four walks and struck
out one Wildcat. Davis was backed up by stellar defense as the
Wildcats left seven base runners on base. LC two singles and two
doubles on the day.
The Gulls concluded the tournament with a 9-0 victory over
Virginia State University in five innings on Saturday afternoon.
Senior Kortni Pedlow (1-0) recorded the victory
for SU as she went 2 2-3 innings where she gave up no hits and
struck out four. Hastings threw 1 1-3 innings in relief with two
hits and two strikeouts. Freshman Kim Ruppert
closed out the game with one strikeout on one hit.
Salisbury got on the board in the bottom of the first inning as
Malarkey (two runs) and Brenneman slammed back-to-back home runs to
put the Sea Gulls up 3-0. Brenneman's home run is her first of her
collegiate career as she was an All-Capital Athletic Conference
catcher last season for York (Pa.) College. SU went onto to score
two runs in the second inning and four in the third to build their
cushion against the Trojans.
In Friday's action, Salisbury went 1-1 as they started the
tournament off with a convincing 11-0 win over University of
Rochester (N.Y.). Davis pitched another complete game, this time a
two-hit shutout with four strikeouts. She also went 2-for-3 at the
plate with one run, two RBIs and one home run. Junior
Rachel Hastings went 3-for-3 with one triple and
three runs scored in her debut for the Sea Gulls. Sophomore
Brittany Lounge stamped home plate three times in
the SU rout of the Yellowjackets.
In the nightcap, the maroon and gold dropped a 5-4 game to No.
19 Bridgewater (Va.) College as the teams played through a rain and
wintry mix. Hastings, a transfer from George Mason University,
remained on fire at the plate as she went 3-for-4, three singles,
one run and one RBI. Hastings (0-1) recorded the loss on the mound
for SU as she gave up five runs in three and one third innings.
Pedlow came in on relief to close out the game as she allowed no
runs on one hit and wrung up three Eagle batters. Sophomore
All-American Kelly Waskewicz went 2-for-3 with one
RBI from the plate for SU. The Sea Gulls had their opportunities as
they left 10 runners on base.
The maroon and gold will remain in Virginia Beach to take on No.
11 Lynchburg College in a doubleheader tomorrow (Sunday, March 2)
at Noon.
