Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Buffalo
Softball Blasts Past Buffalo, 9-1
4/8/2006 4:53:07 PM | Softball
Eagles win game in five innings
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Eastern Michigan University softball team used two four-run innings and pounded out 14 hits to defeat the University at Buffalo, 9-1, in five innings here Saturday at Nan Harvey Field. Junior shortstop Lauren Clark (Flat Rock, Mich.-New Boston Huron) blasted her ninth home run of the season putting her just one shot away from tying the EMU single-season record of 10.
The win improves EMU to 17-19 and 5-2 in Mid-American Conference action, while the Bulls fall to 9-27 and 1-4 in the MAC.
Senior pitcher Nikki Denman (Toledo, Ohio-Sylvania Southview) pitched all five innings for the Eagles, allowing just one earned run and recording 10 strikeouts. With the win, she improves to 7-5 on the season.
Two Eagles had three hits, with junior outfielder Lindsay Schmid (Madison, Ohio-Madison) finishing a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with an RBI. Sophomore first baseman Ashley Strauss (Trenton, Mich.-Trenton) was 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Freshman third baseman Heather Han (Lafayette, Ind.-McCutcheon) went 2-for-2 smacking her third homer of the season.
Clark finished 2-for-3 with a double, and a home run, while knocking in two runs. She is just one long ball away from tying the single-season record for home runs, set by Melissa Drouillard in 1996 with 10 and tied in 2004 by Denman. With today’s blast, Clark moves into a tie for third on EMU’s career home run list with Denman. Each have hit 15 homers and sit four behind Drouillard’s record of 19 career long balls.
The Eagles put up four runs in the first inning. Strauss singled to center field and came in on Clark’s two-run home run. Two singles, a walk, and two more singles plated two more runs, giving EMU an early 4-0 advantage.
Buffalo’s Mary Russell led off the bottom of the first with a homer to center field to account for UB’s lone run.
In the fourth inning, EMU would use a two-out rally to score four more runs. A double by Clark followed by back-to-back RBI singles by Schmid and Denman would plate two runs. A two-run homer by Han gave EMU an 8-1 lead.
An RBI double by Strauss in the fifth gave the Eagles their final score.
EMU and Buffalo will square off again Sunday, April 9, to wrap up the two-game series. Game time is set for 1 p.m.
