Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
21-29, 7-12
Ohio
22-26, 9-8
Russ Breaks Career Doubles Record In 7-6 Win Over Ohio
4/28/2012 5:49:00 PM | Softball
Eagles improve to 21-29 overall, 7-12 in the MAC
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University softball team endured chilly temperatures and rainy weather conditions to defeat visiting Ohio University today, April 28, by a score of 7-6 to improve to 21-29 on the season and 7-12 in Mid-American Conference play. Ohio falls to 22-26 on the year and 9-8 in the MAC.
EMU combined for 10 hits this afternoon with a pair of Eagles posting multi-hit efforts at the plate. Katy Blaharski paced the Green and White's offense with a 4-for-4 performance, while Courtney Nicholson homered twice against the Bobcats in a 2-for-3 day.
Lindsay Rich picked up the win to improve to 5-2 on the year. The freshman threw 4.0 innings and gave up three runs before handing over pitching duties to Lauren Wells. Wells earned her first save of the season after throwing three complete innings while striking out five.
Ohio's bats opened up the contest with three hits to strike first in today's contest. Ohio's Adrienne Gebele drove in the first OU run with a double to center field and was brought home on Raven King's single to second base to build a 2-0, Ohio lead.
The Bobcats added another run in the top of the third, but EMU retaliated with three runs in the bottom half of the inning. Nicholson homered to right field to put the Eagles on the board and cut their deficit to two. Back-to-back hits by Katy Blaharski and Nellie Coquillard helped McKenna Russ tie the ballgame with two-run double to right field. The two-bagger moves Russ atop the all-time list for career doubles in EMU program history with 44, surpassing Melissa Droulliard's 43 doubles she accumulated through her four year career for the Green and White.
The Green and White continued to produce offensively in the fourth as they took its first lead of the ballgame. After an Amanda Herron single that fell into centerfield, Nicholson blasted her second long ball of the game over the right center field fence to give her team a 5-3 lead. Russ hit a bases loaded sacrifice fly to center field to plate Jessica Richards, and a mishandled throw home by Ohio's catcher allowed Blaharski to wheel around from second and score the Eagles' seventh run of the game.
The Bobcats clawed back to within one in the top of the seventh on back-to-back two-out homeruns by Lauren Gellerman and Gebele, but the Eagles managed to escape the day with a 7-6 win at home.
The two teams will meet against to close out the weekend on Senior Day tomorrow, April 29. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rich, Lindsay (5-2)
L: McClary, Lauren (14-15)
S: Wells, Lauren (1)
Batting:
2B: Gebele, Adrienne 1
HR: Gellerman, Lauren 1 ; Gebele, Adrienne 1
RBI: King, Raven 1 ; Gellerman, Lauren 2 ; Gebele, Adrienne 2 ; Bailey, Tessa 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Van Wagnen, Jillian 1 ; King, Raven 3 ; Gellerman, Lauren 1 ; Gebele, Adrienne 1
SB: Van Wagnen, Jillian 1
Batting:
2B: Blaharski, Katy 1 ; Coquillard, Nellie 1 ; Russ, McKenna 1
HR: Nicholson, Courtney 2
RBI: Russ, McKenna 3 ; Nicholson, Courtney 3
SH: Stanton, Amanda 1 ; Herron, Amanda 1 ; Tolliver, Kaylee 1
SF: Russ, McKenna 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Richards, Jessica 1 ; Blaharski, Katy 2 ; Coquillard, Nellie 1 ; Peters, Shaina 1 ; Nicholson, Courtney 2
CS: Blaharski, Katy 2
