Hornets’ run ends at Regional
Nathan Wright
Monday, May 11, 2009
SAN ANGELO, TEXAS — The Emporia State softball team lost a pair of games and was eliminated from the South Central Regional tournament Saturday at the Angelo State University Softball Complex.
The Hornets opened the day with a 13-12 loss to Angelo State in nine innings to set up an elimination game against Nebraska-Omaha, which they lost 5-3.
It was the fourth meeting in seven days between the Hornets and Mavericks. ESU won the first three. It couldn’t win the fourth.
The Hornets won’t be returning to the World Series for the third time in four years.
“It’s tough to play a conference team four times in one week and beat them all four times and unfortunately the one time we lost to them is the elimination game,” ESU coach Kristi Bredbenner said.
UNO jumped out in front with a run in the top of the first. But ESU answered in the bottom of the inning with a solo home run by Miranda Campbell, her 11th of the season to tie the game at 1-1.
The Mavericks put four on the board in the second and that was all they needed.
The Hornets got a pair of runs in the bottom of the second on a two-run home run by Jill Peters, her second of the tournament and ninth of the season to make it 5-3.
From there, the pitchers took over.
UNO’s Lindsey Slocum and ESU’s Jennifer Heerey didn’t allow a run the rest of the game.
Slocum got the win to improve to 15-3 on the season. She went the distance, allowed three runs on six hits and struck out five. She allowed just three hits after the second inning.
Megan Dennis (23-8) took the loss for ESU. She lasted only 1 1/3 innings. Heerey pitched the other 5 2/3 innings. She gave up one run on three hits and struck out three.
“We had a lot of opportunities in there,” Bredbenner said. “We took advantage of them and played some good D. We just came up short.”
The extra-inning affair with Angelo State went back and forth for the first six innings.
The teams were tied 1-1 after the first inning and ASU led 4-1 going into the bottom of the third when ESU got going offensively.
The Hornets scored five runs, two of which came in on a double by Peters, to take a 6-4 lead. ASU took the lead back with three runs in the top of the fourth, but ESU answered with three in the bottom of the frame.
The Rambelles went ahead 12-9 with five runs in the top of the fifth, but the Hornets got two in the bottom of the fifth and one in the sixth to tie the game and eventually send it to extra innings where ASU won in the ninth to send ESU to the elimination game.
“Every loss is a tough loss, but I thought that one was particularly tough,” Bredbenner said. “We were in it the whole game. It was going to be an offensive battle throughout and I think there were only one or two half-innings where no one scored a run and we had our chances at the end.”
Heerey took the loss for the Hornets in relief to fall to 20-8 on the season. Dennis started for ESU and gave up eight runs on 14 hits in 4 1/3 innings. Heerey gave up four runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings.
ASU’s Chelsea Nelson earned the win for ASU to improve to 27-4. She allowed eight runs on 11 hits and struck out five in six innings. She pitched the first three innings and the final three innings for the Rambelles.
Saturday at ASU Softball Complex
Angelo State 13, Emporia State 12 (9 innings)
Angelo State 121 350 001 — 13 20 5
Emporia State 105 321 000 — 12 13 2
WP — Nelson. LP — Heerey.
E — ASU: James 3, Baker, Dean; ESU: Mahan 2. DP — ASU 1. LOB — ASU 11, ESU 7. 2B — ASU: James; ESU: Mahan, Dace, Brattin, Peters. 3B — ASU: Frye; ESU: Peters. HR — ASU: James, Baker, Dean; ESU: Hughes. HBP — ESU: Campbell 2, Brattin. SH — ASU: Lopez; ESU: Smith. SF — ESU: Dace. SB — ASU: DeMoss 2, Smith. CS — ASU: Frye.
Nebraska—Omaha 5, Emporia State 3
Nebraska—Omaha 140 000 0 — 5 7 0
Emporia State 120 000 0 — 3 6 2
WP — Slocum. LP — Dennis.
E — ESU: Mahan, Campbell. LOB — UNO 6, ESU 5. HR — UNO: Krejci, Hinton; ESU: Campbell, Peters. HBP — ESU: Mahan, Potter. SF — UNO: Slocum. CS — ESU: Hughes.