University of Louisville
Sam Houston State<BR>(Oklahoma/Nike Classic)
Softball Sweeps Sam Houston State
February 21, 2004 | Softball
Feb. 21, 2004
NORMAN, Okla. - - The University of Louisville softball team defeated Sam Houston State 10-7 in the first game and edged the Bearkats 3-2 in eight innings in the second game of the doubleheader Saturday in the Oklahoma/Nike Classic.
In the first game, the Cardinals jumped to a 5-0 lead in the top of the first when Shannon Nord reached on an error, stole second and scored on Courtney Moore's single. Lacy Wood's base hit put runners on the corners for Sara Bausher's RBI single. Aja Sherman blasted a three-run homer to make it a 5-0 game.
Sam Houston State got a run back in the bottom half of the inning when Lauren Boone and Amber McAvoy drew back-to-back walks and Erin Lindsey reached on an error to load the bases. Sara Gatlin's two-out single brought Boone home for a 5-1 score.
U of L added another run in the second when Nord led off with an infield single, moved to second on a sacrifice hit by Candi Hicks and scored on a single by Wood to give the Cards a 6-1 lead.
The Bearkats responded in the bottom half of the inning when Lindsay Kaltwasser singled to lead off the inning, moved to second on a hit by Sarah Sweaney and came home on Boone's double. Shelly Sleep reached on a two-out error, which allowed Sweaney and Boone to score, making it a 6-4 game.
Sam Houston State pulled within one run in the third when Stephanie Mosley singled, moved to second on a balk, took third on Sweaney's groundout and came home on Boone's infield hit to make the score 6-5.
The Cardinals put up a four-spot in the fifth inning to take a 10-5 lead. Michelle Vasquez and Lisa Estes delivered consecutive singles and crossed the plate when Audrey Rendon reached on a three-base error. Shannon Nord's triple brought Rendon home. Nord scored on a passed ball to cap off the scoring.
The Bearkats added two runs in the sixth when Boone led off with a double and Sleep's two-out home run made it a 10-7 contest.
Louisville's Catherine Bishop (1-2) picked up the win in relief, allowing two earned runs on four hits and striking out three in 4.2 innings. Sam Houston State's Aydrien Guajardo took the loss, giving up 10 runs, seven of them earned on 13 hits and striking out two in 4.2 innings.
Offensively, the Cards had 14 hits in the game and were led by Estes, who went 3-for-4 with a run. Nord was 2-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored. Wood and Bausher each had two hits, a run and an RBI.
In the second game, the Bearkats took an early 1-0 lead in the first when Boone led off the game with a single, moved to second on a wild pitched, advanced to third on McAvoy's sacrifice bunt and crossed the plate on Sleep's sacrifice fly.
The Cardinals responded in the bottom of the third when Estes doubled, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Rendon's double to tie the game at 1-1.
Boone gave Sam Houston State a 2-1 lead with a solo home run in the fifth.
With the Cards down 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh, Louisville pinch hitter Amy Summers delivered a one-out single. Michelle Vasquez re-entered the game to run for Summers and scored on Rendon's triple to tie the game at 2-2 and send the teams into extra innings.
International tie-breaker rules called for a runner to be placed a second base to start each extra inning. The Bearkats' Guajardo entered as the runner and was thrown out at third when Dileo reached on a fielder's choice. Sara Gatlin's base hit place runners on first and second, but Louisville starter Kady Garrick got Mosley to ground out back to her and Kaltwasser to pop up to second to end the inning.
In Louisville's half of the eighth, Nord was placed at second, moved to third on a single by Candi Hicks. Hicks stole second and Lacy Wood drove a one-out double to the left centerfield wall to score Nord and give the Cards the 3-2 win.
Garrick (5-1) picked up her fifth consecutive win, allowing two earned runs on nine hits and struck out four in eight innings. Sam Houston State's Melissa Collins took the loss, allowing three runs, two of them earned, on eight hits and striking out six in 7.1 innings.
Offensively, the Cards had eight hits in the game and were led by Rendon, who finished batting 3-for-3 with two RBI.
"We played better defensively the second game," said U of L head coach Sandy Pearsall. "We made very tough defensive plays and had some clutch hitting in the in the late innings and that's not always easy for a young team."
U of L (7-4) will play North Carolina on Sunday, the final day of the OU/Nike Classic.
