April 23, 2008

Game 1 Stats | Game 2 Stats

MEMPHIS--The Christian Brothers University Lady Bucs split their final home doubleheader of the season, winning 6-1 over Ouachita Baptist in the first game before dropping the second 4-2.

In the opener, the Lady Bucs (17-27, 4-22 Gulf South Conference) exploded for four runs in the bottom of the third and never looked back. Pitcher Nikki Dunn (Southaven, Miss./Southaven HS) helped her own cause with a leadoff double to left-center. After a Kathleen Nelson (Bartlett, Tenn./Bolton HS) walk, a sacrifice bunt moved Dunn and Nelson up to second and third with one out.

Paige Wright (Southaven, Miss./Southaven HS) laid down a perfect squeeze bunt to score Dunn, and a two-run double off the bat of Casey King (Flower Mound, Texas/Flower Mound HS) gave CBU a 3-0 lead. Another RBI double, this time from Sammy Maness (Gallatin, Tenn./Gallatin HS) brought King in from second to give CBU a 4-0 lead.

The Lady Bucs tacked on another run an inning later as Dunn singled and scored on a Victoria Mathews (Arlington, Texas/Mansfield Timberview HS) single.

OBU (23-31, 10-17) broke through in the top of the fifth as Korinne Cook reached on an error and scored on a Whitley Hoppe single. In the bottom of the sixth, the Lady Bucs answered as Wright singled and came home on a Kallie McFatter (Mansfield, Texas/Summit HS) single to set the final margin at 6-1.

Dunn (12-10) earned the win, allowing one unearned run on four hits and a walk. She struck out six in the victory. Wright, Maness, Dunn, and Michelle Paul (Arlington, Texas/Mansfield Summit HS) collected two hits each for the Lady Bucs, and Wright and Dunn each scored twice.

In game two, mistakes came back to haunt the Lady Bucs as they allowed three unearned runs in a 4-2 loss.

In the first inning, OBU's Kristen Rigsbee was hit by a pitch, and Haley Chambers followed with a single. A two-base error on the single allowed Rigsbee to score from first and sent Chambers to third, and she scored a batter later on an Emily Matthews squeeze bunt.

The Lady Bucs cut the lead in half in the second inning as McFatter doubled and scored on a Jessica Ambers (Collierville, Tenn./Collierville HS) single. The Lady Bucs knotted the game in the bottom of the fifth as Mathews scored from first on a King double.

The Lady Tigers capitalized on another error in the sixth. Chambers reached on an error, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and came home on a Cook squeeze bunt. OBU added a key insurance run in the seventh as Hoppe singled, stole second, and scored when Randi Wilson reached on a fielder's choice. The Lady Bucs tried to tag Hoppe at the plate, but the umpire ruled she got in under the tag, setting the final margin at 4-2.

The Lady Bucs threatened to score in the seventh, putting runners on first and second, but they were stranded there as Ouachita pitcher Sara Hanson (5-8) finished off the victory. She allowed two runs on five hits and five walks over seven innings.

Nelson went 2-for-3 for the Lady Bucs in the second game.

The Lady Bucs will face Ouachita again Saturday for a doubleheader in the final games of the season for both schools. First pitch is set for noon.