Feb. 28, 2008

Final Stats

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Bellarmine softball team dropped a pair of games to visiting Carson-Newman today in the Knights' home-opening doubleheader. Bellarmine (4-6), which shifted the games to Ulmer Stadium at the University of Louisville, held leads in both contests, but fell in the opener 6-1, then dropped the second 6-2, after a dramatic seventh inning rally by the Eagles (15-3).

In the first game, Bellarmine jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning when Katie Wolsiefer (Louisville/Manual) led off with a single. Two batters later, third baseman Katie O'Bryan (Newburgh, Ind.) sent a deep fly ball off the fence in right, driving in Wolsiefer. O'Bryan tried stretching her double into a triple on the play, but was thrown out at third.

Bellarmine would manage just one base runner the rest of the game, a second inning walk issued to Casey Rinella (Sunbury, Ohio). Carson-Newman starter Zoe Heim finished the game with 12 strikeouts.

Bellarmine starter Sharon Brill (Louisville/Ballard) took the loss, falling to 2-3 on the season. She worked into the fourth frame, giving up four earned runs while striking out three.

In the second game, Bellarmine looked as though they would pull of the split as they took a 2-0 lead into the top of the seventh. Bellarmine starter Casey Willard (Louisville/Assumption), who was looking for her first collegiate shutout, got into trouble when she gave up three straight singles to Carson-Newman to lead off the seventh. She finally managed to get an out when Amber Hewitt lined out to first.

With her team needing just two more outs for the win, Willard induced a chopper back to the mound by Eagle second baseman Whitney Hickam. Willard fielded it cleanly, then checked third base, where an Eagle runner had taken a big lead. She fired the ball to O'Bryan, but the throw sailed high, allowing the game-tying and go-ahead runs to cross the plate for the Eagles.

Rattled, the Knights allowed three more runs to cross the plate before getting out of the inning.

Earlier in the game, Bellarmine scored their only runs in the fourth inning when Kim Locke (Avon, Ind.) and Willard hit back-to-back doubles. Catcher Linnsey Cabbage (Shelbyville, Ky.) added an RBI single that inning, putting her team up 2-0.

Willard finished the game with three strikeouts and allowed just one earned run.