March 11, 2008

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BOCA RATON, Fla. - (Tuesday, March 11, 2008) The Redhawks softball team earned a split in their neutral site doubleheader against Longwood University at Florida Atlantic University on Tuesday afternoon. The split was highlighted by a pitching masterpiece by Redhawks ace Elaine Fisher (St. Peters, MO/Francis Howell North) in the opening game of the twinbill.

Fisher (5-6) retired 23 of the 25 batters she faced as she recorded her second career one-hitter in a 2-0 victory over the Lancers (11-6). Ryan Washington beat out a high-chopper to Megan McDonald (Cape Girardeau, MO/Cape Central) with one out in the opening inning for the Lancers lone hit against Fisher.

She dominated the potent Lancers bats throughout her seven innings of pitching. She struckout six and issued an uncharacteristic walk in the top of the sixth. She struckout the final two batters to end the game and snap the Redhawks (9-10) three-game losing streak.

Fisher got all the runs she needed in the Redhawks half of the first as Jennifer Vasquez (Placentia, CA/El Dorado) drove a one-out single to the opposite field. Stacia Dopudja (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA/Santa Margarita Catholic) then singled up the middle to plate Vasquez for the quick 1-0 lead.

The Redhawks got an insurance run in the fourth thanks to Alex Ramirez (Corona, CA/El Modena). Ramirez had been in a 0-21 slump before collecting her second hit of the game and scoring on Michelle Summers (Glendale, CA/Hoover) two-out single to right center.

Ramirez and Summers each collected multi-hit games for the Redhawks in game one. Ramirez went 2-3 with a run scored. Summers collected her team-leading 10th multi-hit game with a 2-4 game with her 13th RBI of the season.

Dopudja went reached base in all three of her plate appearances going 1-1 with an RBI and drawing two walks.

Game two of the doubleheader was a different story for the Redhawks as the Lancers took advantage of mental and fielding mistakes by the Redhawks enroute to a 12-1 victory.

The Redhawks committed four errors that led to seven unearned runs. five of those unearned runs came in the bottom of the fourth as the Lancers broke the game open with seven total runs to secure the mercy-rule victory.

The Redhawk actually led after the top of the first, 1-0. Vasquez smacked a one-out double to center and scored on McDonald's RBI single to leftfield.

The Redhawks offense couldn't get anything going as they left seven runners on base as the Lancers capitalized on every mistake the Redhawks made.

Freshman Whitney Dupuis (Sulphur, LA/Sulphur) suffered her third loss of the season as she lasted only three innings giving up five runs (three earned) on five hits and one walk. Fellow freshman Leigh Leonard (Benton, KY/Marshall County) fared no better in relief as she allowed seven runs (two earned) on four hits and one walk in the disasterous fourth.

Offensively Vasquez and McDonald were the lone bright spots for the Redhawks. Vasquez was perfect in all her plate appearances going 2-2 at the plate and drawing a walk.

McDonald went 2-3 with her fourth double of the season and her 13th RBI of the season. It was her seventh multi-hit game of the season. She would have had three hits if not for Caitlin Hooe. In the seventh Hooe reached over the fence in straight-away center to rob McDonald of her fifth homerun of the season and secure the Lancers victory.

The Lancers finished with nine hits on the day four of which went for doubles.

The Redhawks return to the Midwest tomorrow and then travel to Nashville, Tennessee to take on Belmont University in a doubleheader on Thursday, March 13. First pitch is slated for 2:00 pm.