March 16, 2008

Box Score

RICHMOND, Ky. - (Sunday, March 16, 2008) The Redhawks softball team dropped both games of a doubleheader against Eastern Kentucky on Sunday by identical scores of 10-2. The loss completed a sweep by the Colonels who won the two team's Ohio Valley Conference opener on Saturday. The Redhawks scored three of their runs courtesy of solo homeruns at Gertrude Hood Field but failed to manufacture runs when it counted.

Game One saw the Redhawks (10-14, 0-3 OVC) jump out to a quick 1-0 lead as Megan McDonald (Cape Girardeau, MO/Cape Central) launched a solo shot to left field with two outs in the top of the first. It was McDonald's fifth homerun of the season.

The Colonels (13-7, 3-0 OVC) answered with three runs in their half of the second inning off of Redhawks starter Whitney Dupuis (Sulphur, LA/Sulphur). Erin Luther highlighted the inning with a two-run homerun for the Colonels.

The Redhawks got a run back in the third inning. Michelle Summers (Glendale, CA/Hoover) walked with one out and moved to second on a Jennifer Vasquez (Placentia, CA/El Dorado) single down the right field line. Summers then tagged up and moved to third on McDonald's flyout to right. Stacia Dopudja (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA/Santa Margarita Catholic) followed that with a single through the left side to plate Summers and make the score 3-2 in favor of the Colonels.

Dupuis got hit hard again in the bottom of the third as Luther connected on her second homerun in as many innings. This time a two-run shot to right center.

Elaine Fisher (St. Peters, MO/Francis Howell North) replaced Dupuis in the circle in the fourth but fared no better as she was touched for four runs in the fourth frame and one in the fifth to run-rule the Redhawks, 10-2.

Dupuis lasted three innings allowing seven runs on nine hits. She fell to 4-4 on the season.

Kayln Fox got the win in relief as she pitched 3.1 innings allowing one run on four hits.

Alex Ramirez (Corona, CA/El Modena), Katie Otterness (Schaumburg, IL/Hoffman Estates) and Lindsey Woodworth (Sparta, IL/Sparta) joined Vasquez, McDonald and Dopudja with hits. For Woodworth it was her first career hit. Summers went 0-1 but was walked two times.

Cassi Gibson (3-4) and Jena Handley (3-3, two RBIs) joined Luther as multi-hit players.

The second game of the day started off well for the Redhawks as Summers led off the game with her 12th career lead-off homerun driving a 2-2 pitch over the center field fence. Vasquez followed her with her first homerun of the season with a shot to left field for a quick 2-0 lead.

That would be all for the Redhawks offensively as the Colonels used a six-run sixth inning to put the Redhawks away via run-rule, 10-2.

Fisher (5-9) struggled in the circle as gave up 10 runs on 14 hits in 5.2 innings. Her start did move her all alone in second place for career starts with 89. She also moved into second all-time in career innings pitched with 605 innings pitched.

Fox (4-2) again got the win in relief as she pitched 5.1 innings of shutout ball allowing only two hits. Fox was the winner for all three games against the Redhawks.

Vasquez went 2-3 for her fifth multi-hit game of the season. Lauren Bradley (Overland Park, KS/Shawnee Mission South) and Ramirez went 1-3.

Adriel Foxley went 3-4 with five RBIs for the Colonels who had four batters collect multi-hit games.

The Redhawks continue their road trip this Tuesday as they head across the Mississippi to face regional rival Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Start time for the single game is 4:00 p.m.