Jackrabbits Post 14-6 Win Over Lady Flames
2/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The Liberty softball team fell to South Dakota State, 14-6, in five innings on Saturday at the National Training Center, as the Jackrabbits used a seven-run second inning to take control.
With the win, SDSU improves to 4-4, while Liberty falls to 3-4 after its first meeting against the Jackrabbits. The Lady Flames have gone 2-1 during their first three games at the Dot Richardson Invitational.
Bryana Clark (2-2) earned the victory with 4 2/3 innings of relief in which she allowed three runs, one earned, on five hits with four strikeouts. Starting pitcher Ashlyn Bender yielded three runs, one earned, on two hits in 1/3 of an inning.
Liberty's Kenzie Friesen fell to 0-2 with the loss, allowing six unearned runs on four hits in 1 1/3 innings of work. Chandler Ball followed with 2 2/3 innings, giving up four runs on five hits, while striking out three and walking two. Abby Tincher pitched 2/3 of an inning, yielding four runs on four hits.
SDSU's Elyse Eitel went 4-for-4 with two doubles, three RBI and two runs scored. Lauren Chirnside, Devan Larsen and KayCee Miller had two hits and two runs each.
Liberty freshman Tori Zavodny hit 3-for-3 with a double, triple, two stolen bases and two runs scored. Juniors Kassidy McCoy and Mickey Loveridge both homered, with Loveridge hitting the Lady Flames' first inside-the-park home run since Katie Zavodny did so against Norfolk State on Feb. 15, 2014.
The Lady Flames struck quickly in the first inning. Zavodny hit a leadoff single and got to third on a steal and a wild pitch. Kelby Allen reached on an error, with Zavodny scoring on the play. Loveridge made it 3-0 with an inside-the-park home run down the right-field line. Clark then came on to relieve Bender, getting the final two outs.
SDSU registered two hits in the bottom of the first, but an alert play erased Vanessa Kellems at second. Devan Larsen tripled with one out, before Alyssa D'Agostino lined out to short.
Zavodny hit a two-out triple, and Clark got Megan Robinson to ground to first for the final out.
The Jackrabbits went ahead with a seven-run second frame. After loading the bases with nobody out, SDSU scored its first run on a throwing error by Allen. Following a run-scoring fielder's choice and a bases-loaded walk, the Jackrabbits went ahead, 4-3, on a wild pitch. Ball then entered the circle, and yielded a sacrifice fly to D'Agostino and a two-run double to Eitel. Ball fanned Jordyn Sturgeon to get out of the inning.
McCoy laced a solo shot over the fence in left center to lead off the top of the fourth, drawing the Lady flames to within 7-4. Crisp reached on a two-base error, and Zavodny plated her with a one-out double. Zavodny stole third, before Allen hit an infield single with two outs to make it 7-6. Loveridge then grounded out to second.
SDSU answered with three runs of its own during the fourth inning, getting a solo homer from Larsen, an RBI double from Miller and a run-scoring single by Dana Chavez. Zavodny made a leaping catch in center to keep the score 10-6.
Following a scoreless Liberty fifth, the Jackrabbits tacked on four runs in the bottom half of the inning to end the game via run rule, 14-6.
The Lady Flames are currently facing Middle Tennessee in their next-to-last game of the weekend.
