The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Charlotte
Softball Splits Pair Against Charlotte In C-USA Opener
3/9/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 9, 2004
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The UAB softball team earned a split in its Conference USA-opening doubleheader against the Charlotte 49ers on Tuesday as the Blazers lost, 4-1, in the opener and then registered a 5-0 shutout victory in the nightcap.
"We feel good about coming out of here with a win, but in the first game we just didn't show up," said UAB head coach Marla Townsend. "We played with a lack of intensity and I think that we were expecting them to hand us the game. It seemed as if they wanted it a little more than we did. I'm just proud of our team for turning it around in the second game."
UAB (9-10) snapped its six-game winning streak with the loss in the first contest, but then used a complete-game, one-hit outing from starting pitcher Tara Higashino to blank Charlotte (5-5) in the second game. Despite splitting Tuesday's doubleheader, the Blazers still own a significant 13-2 advantage in the all-time series.
Higashino, the Blazers' senior from Elk Grove, Calif., pitched a masterful game in UAB's second contest against Charlotte and took a no-hitter into the top of the seventh inning.
In the seventh frame, the 49ers' Jessica Moore singled to left field to break up the no-hitter. Higashino, who improved to 3-3 on the season with the win, only allowed two baserunners in the contest and finished the game with five strikeouts. She also lowered here earned run average to 4.03 on the 2004 season.
"Tara Higashino looked great out there on the pitching rubber and that's what we need to see from her this season," Townsend said. "Not only did she pitch very well, but she also did an outstanding job of fielding her position."
Charlotte used key home runs from Autumn Lawson and Denise Atmar to defeat the Blazers in the first game. In the sixth inning, Atmar homered to left field to increase the 49ers' lead to 2-0, while Lawson hit a two-run shot in the seventh frame to give Charlotte its decisive 4-1 lead. The home runs were the first of the season for both Lawson and Atmar.
UAB jumped out to an early 2-0 lead against the 49ers in the second game as freshman Nicole Whitlock hit a key single to right field to score both Holly Krzan and Amanda Ellis. Whitlock, the Blazers' native of Morris, Ala., went 3-for-3 in the contest with two RBI and a run scored.
"We did a great job of putting the ball in play in the second game," said Townsend. "Nicole Whitlock had a couple of key hits for us and Holly Krzan really tore it up for us out there."
Krzan, UAB's starting centerfielder from Richland, Wash., also went 3-for-3 in the second game.
She singled and scored in both the second and fifth innings, and drilled a triple to the right-field wall in the third frame. Krzan, who was one of only 17 players selected to play on the 2003 USA Junior National Team, is currently batting .250 for the season and leads the Blazers with 11 runs scored.
"Right now, we just have to get ready for tomorrow and look to win the series," Townsend said. "We also need to play our style of game. In the first game today, we didn't come out and take control of the game, but I think that in the second game we did do that, so we just hope to pick up tomorrow where we left off today."
UAB will next be in action on Wednesday as the Blazers complete their three-game series against the Charlotte 49ers at 2 p.m. at George Ward Field No. 6.
Game 1: Charlotte (5-4) def. UAB (8-10), 4-1
CHA 000 101 2 - 4 8 0
UAB 000 001 0 - 1 5 2
Top Hitters: UAB, Beth Mullins 3-4, Holly Krzan 1-2 R; CHA, Kaycie Jones 3-3 R, Denise Atmar 2-4, HR, R, RBI.
WP: CHA, Kristen Bowen (3-2), LP: UAB, Erica Mascarenas (6-6).
Game 2: UAB (9-10) def. Charlotte (5-5), 5-0
CHA 000 000 0 - 0 1 4
UAB 021 110 x - 5 10 1
Top Hitters: UAB, Holly Krzan 3-3, 2 R, RBI, Nicole Whitlock 3-3, 2 RBI, R, Amanda Ellis 2-3, R, RBI; CHA, Jessica Moore 1-3.
WP: UAB, Tara Higashino (3-3), LP: Christy Murray (2-3)
