MEEKS’ ONE-HIT SHUTOUT HIGHLIGHTS SOFTBALL’S DOUBLEHEADER SPLIT WITH IOWA STATE

3/14/2007

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Sophomore pitcher Kayla Meeks tossed a one-hit shutout and faced just one batter over the minimum to highlight Sacramento State’s softball doubleheader split with Iowa State Wednesday afternoon at Shea Stadium.

Meeks’ performance led the Hornets to a 1-0, eight-inning victory in the first game of the doubleheader. However, Iowa State bounced back with a 4-2 victory in the second game, which included RBI-singles in the ninth inning from Fallon Johnson and Kristen Karanzias.

The doubleheader marked the home opener for Sacramento State as the team played its first 17 games of the season away from home. The Hornets moved to 5-14 overall with the split, as the team gets set to host the 15th-annual Capital Classic Softball Tournament this Friday-Sunday, March 16-18, at the Sacramento Softball Complex.

In the first game of the doubleheader, Meeks was dominant over eight innings, walking just one and striking out six. In fact, the right-hander took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Johnson’s infield single broke up the bid with two outs. Meeks’ only other blemish in the game was a first inning walk to Johnson, who eventually was caught stealing. Meeks set down 15 straight Cyclone batters between the first and sixth innings.

Iowa State starter Alyssa Ransom matched Meeks, allowing just one hit and no runs through seven innings. However, the Hornets were able to break through in the eighth. Freshman Keri Elias was placed on second base to begin the bottom of the eighth by virtue of the international tie-breaker rule. She was then sacrificed to third by Meeks, and senior Amy Jo McKenzie followed with a single to left field which scored Elias with the game-winning run.

Meeks got the victory, allowing just one hit over eight innings. Ransom (1-5) got the loss for Iowa State, allowing two hits and one unearned run over 7.1 innings. Besides the single to McKenzie, the only other hit Ransom allowed was a single to Amy Tompkins leading off the first inning. She had retired 20 batters in a row prior to the McKenzie game-winning single.

In the second game, Iowa State got the best of Meeks, scoring four runs over the final four innings of the game. Senior Michele Bochenski went the first five innings of game for the Hornets, allowing just two hits and one walk. She left the game with a 1-0 lead as Rachel Miles’ RBI-double in the first inning bave the Hornets the early lead.

However, Meeks was inserted into the game in the sixth inning, and the Cyclones played small ball to tie the game with a run. Iowa State used three bunts in the inning, including a successful squeeze from Katie Reichling which scored Kristy Olsen.

Sacramento State had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the seventh inning, but Iowa State reliever Charissa Carlin got Elias to ground out with the bases loaded to end the threat.

With the international tiebreaker rule again taking effect because the game was tied after seven innings, both teams scored a run in the eighth. McKenzie’s RBI single in the inning tied the game, and forced the ninth.

Iowa State’s Amie Ford was placed on second to begin the ninth, and was immediately sacrificed to third. Johnson followed with an RBI-single, and Karanzias later drove home Johnson with an insurance run.

Carlin retired the side in order in the ninth to improve her record to 7-4 this season. She allowed one unearned run and four hits over 3.2 innings. Meeks (2-6) got the loss, allowing four runs (just one earned) and seven hits over four innings.

Tompkins and senior co-captain Katie Rhoe both finished with two hits for the Hornets.

The Hornets open Capital Classic play on Friday with games against BYU (12:30 p.m.) and Iowa State (5:30 p.m.) A total of 36 games will be played over two and a half days at the tournament which includes 15 teams from 11 different states. The first game of the tournament kicks off Friday at 10 a.m., with the tournament concluding Sunday with games at 11 a.m.