The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Southern Miss
Softball Drops Pair Of One-Run Games Against Southern Miss
4/3/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 3, 2004
HATTIESBURG, Miss. --- The UAB softball team fell short in a pair of one-run Conference USA contests on Saturday as the Blazers were defeated by the Southern Miss Lady Eagles, 5-4 and 4-3, here at the USM Softball Complex.
With Saturday's losses, UAB (16-22, 3-8 C-USA) dropped its third and fourth-consecutive games of the season and fell to a 4-9 record in road contests. Southern Miss (20-18, 8-3), the fourth-place team in the conference, extended its home winning streak to five games and won its fifth-consecutive C-USA contest.
"I thought that we played with a lot of intensity today," said UAB head coach Marla Townsend. "There were some times when we got down, but it didn't take us long to come back and make things happen. We were right there in both games and we had chances to come away with the victories. I'm proud of how hard we played out there."
In the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, the teams played four innings of scoreless softball before UAB took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning.
In the frame, the Blazers struck for a pair of runs on two singles and a key two-RBI hit from senior Beth Mullins.
UAB's Nicole Whitlock started the scoring rally with a single to right center field before shortstop Dusti Roberts moved her to second base. Roberts, the Blazers' junior from Las Vegas, Nev., reached on a picture-perfect bunt single down the third base line.
With two outs and runners on second and third, Mullins ripped a single to right center field and drove in both runs to give UAB its 2-0 advantage. Mullins, the Blazers' second baseman from Fairhope, went 2-for-4 in the game and drove in all four of UAB's runs.
Southern Miss bounced right back in the bottom of the fifth inning as the Lady Eagles scored four runs on four hits to take a 4-2 advantage.
The Lady Eagles' Auriel Jenkins led off the inning with her fifth home run of the season, while sophomores Charity Butler and Jessica Huerta added key RBI singles to give Southern Miss the lead. Jenkins, USM's senior from Pearl, Miss., went 2-for-3 in the contest to jumpstart the Lady Eagles.
In the top of the seventh inning, UAB rallied for a pair of two-out runs and knotted the score at 4-4.
Once again, it was the Blazers' Mullins that provided the heroics in the inning as the right-hander singled to left center field to score both Sara Christophel and Chelsea McCall.
Christophel, UAB's starting right fielder, initiated the two-out rally as she singled up the middle to keep the Blazers' inning alive. She then advanced to third base when McCall singled down the right field line. On the play, McCall moved to second as the Lady Eagles attempted to throw out Christophel at third base.
Southern Miss scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning.
In the frame, the Lady Eagles' Sarah Boyd was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in Ashley Brenan from third base. USM's Butler led off the inning with a single and registered the Lady Eagles' lone hit of the frame.
"Despite today's losses, I think that we played hard and we did a good job of putting together some solid defense," Townsend said. "We just had a couple of costly mistakes and gave up a few hits that changed the game."
UAB's Amanda Ellis turned in a brilliant defensive performance on Saturday.
In the first game of the doubleheader, the Blazers' senior catcher from Axis, Ala., threw out all three baserunners that attempted to steal on her and she improved her season total to 15. So far this season, Ellis has thrown out 15 of the 21 attempted base stealers and owns a dazzling .714 average.
Southern Miss jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in Saturday's second game.
In the bottom of the first inning, the Lady Eagles' Brennan drove Tara Higashino's opening pitch over the left field wall for a home run. The round-tripper proved to be Brennan's second of the season.
The Lady Eagles extended their lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the third inning. In the frame, Southern Miss used a leadoff home run from Jessica Huerta and a key single from Sue Logan to score three runs. Huerta, a native of Pearland, Texas, slammed her fourth homer of the 2004 season.
UAB trimmed the Lady Eagles' lead to 4-3 in the top of the fifth inning as the Blazers' Holly Krzan blasted a deep three-run home run over the left field wall. With runners on second and third, Krzan sent a Danielle Wymer fastball well beyond the 200-foot wall here at the USM Softball Complex.
Krzan, UAB's highly-touted freshman from West Richland, Wash., went 1-for-2 in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader and the home run was her second of the 2004 season. McCall started the fifth-inning rally as she reached on an infield single and then moved to second when Mullins drew a walk.
"We really did a good job of hitting today," said Townsend. "I think that it shows the true side of this team and even though we didn't come away with a win, we came back from a lot of difficult situations and we battled hard. I was really proud of them for the way that they played through the adversity."
The UAB softball team will conclude its three-game C-USA series against the Southern Miss Lady Eagles on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the USM Softball Complex in Hattiesburg, Miss.
Southern Miss (19-18, 7-3) def. UAB (16-21, 3-7), 5-4
UAB 000 020 2 - 4 11 1
USM 000 040 1 - 5 8 1
Top Hitters: UAB, Beth Mullins 2-4 4 RBI, Nicole Whitlock 2-3 R, Sara Christophel 2-3 R, Holly Krzan 1-3, Carrie Christophel 1-1; USM, Auriel Jenkins 2-3 HR(5), R, RBI, Ashley Davis 2-3, Charity Butler 2-3 RBI, Jessica Huerta 1-2 RBI, Sue Logan 1-2.
WP: Jessica Holaway (9-5), LP: Tara Higashino (8-12).
Southern Miss (20-18, 8-3) def. UAB (16-22, 3-8), 4-3
UAB 000 030 0 - 3 7 2
USM 103 000 x - 4 6 3
Top Hitters: UAB, Chelsea McCall 2-4 R, Holly Krzan 1-2 HR(2), 3 RBI, R, Beth Mullins 1-2 R; USM, Jessica Huerta 2-4 R, RBI, Auriel Jenkins 1-2 R.
WP: Danielle Wymer (5-5), LP: Tara Higashino (8-13).
Save: Jessica Holaway (2).
