The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Marshall
UAB Softball Splits Saturday Doubleheader With Marshall
4/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Game One Box (PDF) | Game Two Box (PDF)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After completing a come-from-behind victory to open the series, the UAB softball team fell to Marshall in extra innings to split Saturday’s doubleheader at Mary Bowers Field.
UAB (14-20, 5-3) etched its third consecutive victory in comeback fashion as it opened the three-game series against Marshall with a 3-1 victory. The Thundering Herd (20-14, 6-2) evened the series with a 4-3 extra-innings victory.
“We had an advantage from opening the series with a win,” head coach Marla Townsend said. “We just really couldn’t get our bats going despite hitting the ball hard. We kept hitting it right at them in the second game. I’m proud of the way our dugout responded after we hit that home run in the sixth inning to tie the ball game up. It was the best our dugout has been all year long. We’ll come out tomorrow and try to win a series in what will be a hard-fought game, as it always is every time we play Marshall.”
Senior Caitlin Attfield led UAB at the plate going 4-for-7 over Saturday’s doubleheader. Senior Ashley Johnson drove home five runs off two hits and slugged at an .857 clip.
Junior Cara Goodwin picked up the Blazers’ lone victory Saturday after allowing just one run off four hits in her complete-game outing.
Game One (W, 3-1)
Marshall and the Blazers traded two scoreless innings until the Herd broke through in the top of the third. Samantha Loose knocked a one-out single up the middle for Marshall’s first hit of the game. The Herd followed with back-to-back two-out singles to score Loose and take a 1-0 advantage.
Jordan Dixon kept UAB off the board until the bottom of the fourth when UAB led off the inning with a single from JoJo Fallen and a double from Sara Beth Williamson. Junior Mary Warren drove a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 1-1.
Dixon and Goodwin traded a scoreless fifth inning until UAB struck in the bottom of the sixth. Fallen led off with a single through the left side. Warren followed with a single to right center to put two runners on the bases. Johnson delivered a two-RBI single to put UAB on top, 3-1.
Goodwin earned the complete-game victory after tossing seven innings, allowing just one run off four hits. The Cullman, Alabama, native struck out five in the outing and improved her record to 7-6.
Attfield shined at the plate in game two as she went a perfect 3-for-3 for the Blazers.
Game Two (3-4)
After two scoreless innings, Elicia D’Orazio singled up the middle to lead off the top of the third with a single up the middle. Kaelynn Greene reached on a sacrifice-bunt single to put two runners on. D’Orazio scored on a fielder’s choice on Raquel Escareno’s sacrifice bunt to put the Herd up 1-0.
Two runners scored on a Blazer throwing error during a run down to extend the Herd’s lead to 3-0.
Ali Burdette shut UAB out over five innings, before Johnson came up with a clutch two-out hit in the bottom of the sixth.
Williamson and Warren knocked back-to-back two-out singles ahead of Johnson before the catcher lifted a three-RBI home run to left field to tie the game at 3-3.
Marshall broke through in the ninth inning after D’Orazio knocked an infield single and stole two bases to land at third. D’Orazio came home on an infield single from Greene to secure a 4-3 victory for the Herd.
Sophomore Megan Smith drew the start and allowed three runs off nine hits over three innings of work. Smith struck out two and allowed no walks. Junior Madison Hir pitched six innings of relief, allowing just one run off sixth hits with two strikeouts. Hir was tagged with the loss and moved to 4-6 on the season.
Sunday’s rubber match is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT.
For more information on the UAB softball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UABSoftball). For more on all Blazer sports teams, follow the official social media accounts of UAB Athletics on Twitter (@UABAthletics), on Facebook (Facebook.com/UAB.Blazers), on Instagram (@uabathletics) or on Snapchat (@uabathletics).
