March 2, 2008

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CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - (Sunday, March 02, 2008) The Redhawks softball team recorded two impressive victories against in-state rivals at the seventh annual The All-Missouri Strike Out Against Cancer Classic at the Southeast Softball Complex. In game one the Redhawks won a pitching dual 3-1 against Missouri State before powering themselves to a 7-3 win over Saint Louis.

In game one the Redhawks (7-5) fell behind early when Michelle Armentrout led off the top of the second inning with a homerun to leftfield to give the Bears (8-3) a 1-0 lead. The Bears then followed the homerun with a single by Jessie Smith who moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and then moved to third on Jana Shewmaker's infield single. However the Redhawks played the attempted double-steal perfectly and threw out Smith's attempted steal of home to get out of the second inning with minimal damage.

The Redhawks got the run back in the bottom of the third thanks to a lead-off double to left center by freshman Carmen Fowler (Lawrenceville, GA/Collins Hill). Fowler moved to third on a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt by Allie Borowiak (Nashville, IL/John A. Logan CC). Michelle Summers (Glendale, CA/Hoover) lined a single down the leftfield line to plate Fowler and knot the game up at one run apiece.

Fowler struck again in the fifth inning when she collected her second double of the game with a lead-off two-bagger to the rightfield gap. Her heads up base running placed her on third after the rightfielder had difficulty fielding the ball cleanly. Borowiak singled to center to plate Fowler. Borowiak later scored on a Stacia Dopudja (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA/Santa Margarita Catholic) single to right center to make it 3-1.

That was all ace Elaine Fisher (St. Peters, MO/Francis Howell North) needed as she recorded her sixth complete game in seven starts. Fisher pitched herself out of a bases-loaded jam in the final inning for her fourth victory of the season.

Fowler went 3-3 with two doubles and two runs scored. Summers went 2-4 with an RBI.

In the final game of the Classic the Redhawks showed off their power as they launched four homeruns.

Trailing 1-0 after the first against the Billikens (4-9) the Redhawks got singles from Summers and McDonald which set the stage for Dopudja's first homerun of the season with a three-run blast to left-center.

In the second the Redhawks added two more when Borowiak homered to left center to plate Lauren Bradley (Overland Park, KS/Shawnee Mission South) who singled.

In the sixth the Redhawks recorded back-to-back homeruns to extend their lead. Bradley led-off with a solo shot to left center. Not to be outdone Borowiak followed with her second homerun of the game with a solo shot to straight-away center. It was the first multi-homerun game by a Redhawk since Dopudja recorded the feat against Evansville last season.

Five Redhawks collected multi-hit games led by Borowiak's 2-3, two homerun, three RBI game. Dopudja went 2-4 with three RBIs.

Summers collected her team-leading seventh multi-hit game of the season with a 2-3 day.

Megan McDonald (Cape Girardeau, MO/Cape Central) extended her hitting streak to six games with a 2-4 outing.

Whitney Dupuis (Sulphur, LA/Sulphur) won her second game of the season as she allowed three runs on three hits in 3.2 innings.

Fisher came on in relief and pitched 3.1 innings of shutout ball for her first save of the season.

In the opening game of the Classic the Bears defeated the Billikens 13-7.

The Redhawks return back to the Southeast Softball Complex this week as they host nonconference rival Evansville for an afternoon doubleheader on Wednesday, March 5. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.