The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
SOUTHERN MISS*
UAB Softball Team Swept In Doubleheader By Southern Miss
4/30/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 30, 2005
Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB softball team fell in both games of a doubleheader to Conference USA-rival Southern Miss on Saturday at George Ward Park, dropping game one by a score of 7-3 and then falling short in game two, 7-2.
The Blazers (20-35, 6-14 C-USA) entered Saturday's play tied with the Golden Eagles for sixth place in the conference standings, but are now two behind USM (26-28, 8-12) with only four conference games remaining in the regular season for each team. The top six teams qualify for the C-USA Tournament May 12-14 in Tampa, Fla.
UAB took a 1-0 lead after two innings in game one as shortstop Dusti Roberts tripled home Kris Lara with one out. Southern Miss then responded with three runs in the top of the third as Diane Hammes homered to center off of UAB starting pitcher Jennifer Nelson to take a 3-1 lead.
The Blazers got a run back in the bottom half of the third on an RBI double by Sara Christophel to score Lindsay Stanley, who had reached on a single. The Golden Eagles scored a single run in the top of the fourth and three more in the fifth to extend their league to 7-2.
Ashley Davis hit a solo home run in the fourth, the second given up by Nelson and only the third long ball yielded by the left-hander in over 94 innings of work this season before Southern Miss added three in the fifth. The Golden Eagles got two runs via bases-loaded walks, and another on an infield single in the top of the fifth. USM starter Danielle Wymer uncorked a wild pitch which scored Stanley in the bottom of the fifth to make it 7-3.
Wymer (11-14) went the distance and allowed 10 hits and three runs, all earned, in her seven innings of work. She walked none and struck out three. Nelson took the loss to fall to 8-7. She went five innings and was touched for seven earned runs on only three hits. She walked eight and struck out a pair. Brittany Hodge worked the final two innings and allowed just one hit. Hodge walked one and struck out two.
The Blazers collected 10 or more hits in a game for the 10th time this season and sixth time during the month of April. Stanley led the way with three hits while Amanda Antonovich, Lara, and Roberts each had two apiece.
Game two was eerily similar for the Blazers as they jumped out to a 1-0 lead before falling behind soon after. The Golden Eagles scored seven-straight runs to take a 7-1 lead after three innings.
Freshman Krystal Crooks (12-10) limited the Blazers to two runs, one earned, and seven hits in seven innings. She walked a batter and struck out none. Antonovich started for UAB and went the first three innings, allowing seven runs on six hits. She walked one and struck out one. Hodge relieved her and gave up just a hit in four innings of work. She walked two and struck out two.
Roberts hit her first-career home run in game two, connecting off Crooks in the bottom of the sixth to make it 7-2. Roberts and four other seniors will play the final home game of their career on Sunday in the series finale.
The third and final game of the weekend series will begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday. UAB will honor its five seniors in a pre-game ceremony prior to the first pitch.
