SOFTBALL DROPS A PAIR TO CHARLOTTE IN FIRST DAY OF HORNET ROUND ROBIN
3/5/2010
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Charlotte’s Emily Jeffery tossed a three-hit shutout, highlighting a doubleheader sweep of Sacramento State in the first day of the inaugural Hornet Softball Round Robin Friday afternoon at Shea Stadium. The 49ers won the first game, 4-0, before winning the nightcap by a 6-3 margin.
With the losses, Sacramento State, which was playing its home opener, dropped its fourth straight and seven of the last eight. The Hornets, who started eight underclassmen in the first game and seven in the second game, dropped to 3-9. Charlotte improved to 13-1 with the victories.
These same two teams will meet again tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. to kick off the second day of the Hornet Round Robin. Other games tomorrow include San Jose State facing Charlotte at noon, and Sacramento State and San Jose State playing at 2 p.m. The Round Robin concludes on Sunday with games at 10 a.m. and noon.
In the first game of the doubleheader, Jeffery improved to 9-0 and lowered her ERA to 0.80 after blanking the Hornets over seven innings. Jeffery, who tossed her fourth shutout of the season, allowed just three hits while walking one and striking out 10. Sacramento State advanced just one runner past second base, and Jeffery finished with 104 pitches.
Charlotte scored all four runs in a third inning which saw the 49ers bat around. By the time the inning ended, Charlotte took advantage of five hits and a walk, highlighted by a two-run double from Keri Palma which scored Carol Buchanan and Serena Smith.
That was more than enough run support for Jeffery, who has allowed just nine runs in her nine starts this year. Hornet sophomore Shelby Voelz (2-4) took the loss, allowing four runs and 10 hits while walking one and striking out six over seven innings.
All three of the Hornets’ hits were doubles off the bats of Alyssa Nakken, Megan Schaefer and Marissa Navarro. For Charlotte, Whitney Williams, Kendra McCall, Briana Gwaltney and Palma each had a pair of hits.
In the second game, the Hornets opened the scoring in the bottom of the first with a two-out, RBI-single from Desiree Beltran which scored Nakken from second base. However, Charlotte tied the game in the third, and broke things open with four runs in the fifth inning. In fact, the first four batters of the inning reached base and all four scored. Three of those runs came off the bat of Smith, who clubbed a three-run homer over the right field wall. Smith finished the game 3-for-4 with a run and four RBIs.
The Hornets scored twice in the seventh on RBI-doubles from Abelia and Beltran to cut the deficit to three runs, but Hackett got Schaefer to strike out looking to end the game with the tying run on deck.
Charlotte’s Katy Hackett (4-1) got the win, allowing three runs and nine hits over seven innings Schaefer (1-1) took the loss, allowing six runs and 11 hits over seven innings.
For Sacramento State, both Jessica Abelia and Nicole Frayn had three hits, and Beltran finished 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. The trio of Abelia, Frayn and Beltran combined for eight of the Hornets’ nine hits.
Today marked the first two games of a stretch that will see Sacramento State play 12 of 16 games at home over a 15-day span.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Charlotte’s Emily Jeffery tossed a three-hit shutout, highlighting a doubleheader sweep of Sacramento State in the first day of the inaugural Hornet Softball Round Robin Friday afternoon at Shea Stadium. The 49ers won the first game, 4-0, before winning the nightcap by a 6-3 margin.
