The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Marshall
Blazers Earn Split at Bulldog Classic
2/16/2001 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 16, 2001
ATHENS, Ga. - The UAB softball team (2-4, 0-0 in Conference USA) split a pair of games in the first day of competition at the Georgia Bulldog Classic, falling to Marshall 4-3 in eight innings in the first game and defeating Charleston Southern 6-0 in game two.
In the first game, the Blazers struck first in the first inning as Cliffanie Engram singled in Jessica Brown. Kai Paul then drove in Engram to put the Blazers up 2-0. Marshall answered in the bottom of the first as Kelli Hall doubled in Vanessa Clarkson. Karri Britt walked and then both runners advanced on a past ball by Amanda Ellis. Danielle Esenwein singled, driving in both runners. The Blazers knotted the score in the top of the second when Brown singled in Jessica Smith. The score was tied 3-3 through six innings. In the bottom of the eighth, with tiebreaker rules in effect, Carrie Dean advanced the lead off runner, Britt, to third with a sacrifice bunt. Esewein then singled in Britt to take the game.
Sara Gulla pitched a complete game for the Thundering Herd, recording seven strikeouts and allowing three hits. Megan Stephenson (0-2) picked up the loss for the Blazers.
In the second game, Kerri Foster (2-1) led the Blazers, pitching five shutout innings and allowing only four hits. The Blazers got things going in the first inning as Candice Hithe singled. Cliffanie Engram then singled to right field. Both runners stole and then scored on two consecutive wild pitches by Erin Lambert. In the fourth inning, Nicole Stout reached second an an error by third baseman Katie Ballard. Amanda Ellis singled her in and the Blazers went up 3-0. UAB broke it open in the fifth as Brown doubled, Engram then walked, Nicole Stout was hit by a pitch, and Kelli Thompson, pinch hitting for Beth Mullins, doubled allowing three runs to score. Mandie Wyatt came on in relief for the Blazers in the sixth, making her first pitching appearance of the season and going two innings for UAB.
Lambert picked up the loss for Charleston Southern, going five innings. Erin Magaw came on in relief. The Blazers resume play at the Bulldog Classic Saturday against Lipscomb (0-1) at 10 a.m. (ET) and then take on Georgia (6-6) at 4 p.m.
