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Business News
SAINT LEO, Fla. —
The Pitt State softball team’s first win of the 2012 season was a huge one. Not only did the team earn its first win under first-year head coach Elizabeth Economon, but the Gorillas did it against No. 6 Valdosta State, 4-3.
Freshman Devon McCreath led the Pitt State offense as she had three of the five Gorilla hits on the day. Junior Katelyn Birchfield and freshman Riley Campbell had the other two Pitt State hits, both for extra bases.
The Pitt State pitching staff worked well together to come out with the win. Senior Hilary Erbert allowed only one runner on base in the first three innings and only two of the three runs she gave up were earned. She threw 5.2 innings to earn the win. Freshman Jessica Barnes earned the save after throwing 1.1 innings and giving up only two hits. She struck out one batter.
The Pitt State defense was also sharp. They turned two double plays, one a fly out to left, then left fielder junior Kaitlin Frerking connected with fellow junior Kreslee Ketcham behind the plate to gun down a runner coming in from third. The second was an unassisted out at second by senior shortstop Mannie DeCastro to freshman Alex Perez at first. Then another freshman made a big diving catch in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the win.
Pitt State scored first in the in the top of the third, as the Gorilla offense took advantage of Valdosta State pitching miscues. Brenna George started the inning with a one-out walk. McCreath followed with a base hit through the left side. Kreslee Ketcham earned a two-out walk to load the bases. Tiffany Brown earned an RBI with a walk that brought George in from third. After a pitching change, a wild pitch brought home McCreath for a 2-0 Gorilla lead.
PSU added two more runs in the top of the fourth frame. With one out, Katelyn Birchfield got her first hit of the season, a double to left center. Riley Campbell followed with her first career hit as a Gorilla, a triple down the left field line, scoring Birchfield for a 3-0 lead. George drew a walk, prompting another Valdosta State pitching change. McCreath grounded out to the shortstop, but it was enough to bring Campbell in for a 4-0 PSU lead.
The Lady Blazers added one run in each the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to close the gap to 4-3.
The bottom of the seventh was intense. Barnes retired the first two batters of the inning, but the next two each got base hits. The tying run moved to third and the winning run to second on a wild pitch. Samantha Posey, the Lady Blazers’ three-hole hitter, knocked a ball up the middle that looked like it would just fall out of reach of the Pitt State defense, but Gorilla second baseman Campbell dove and stretched out for the ball to catch it and end the game.
The Pitt State softball team’s first win of the 2012 season was a huge one. Not only did the team earn its first win under first-year head coach Elizabeth Economon, but the Gorillas did it against No. 6 Valdosta State, 4-3.
Freshman Devon McCreath led the Pitt State offense as she had three of the five Gorilla hits on the day. Junior Katelyn Birchfield and freshman Riley Campbell had the other two Pitt State hits, both for extra bases.
The Pitt State pitching staff worked well together to come out with the win. Senior Hilary Erbert allowed only one runner on base in the first three innings and only two of the three runs she gave up were earned. She threw 5.2 innings to earn the win. Freshman Jessica Barnes earned the save after throwing 1.1 innings and giving up only two hits. She struck out one batter.
The Pitt State defense was also sharp. They turned two double plays, one a fly out to left, then left fielder junior Kaitlin Frerking connected with fellow junior Kreslee Ketcham behind the plate to gun down a runner coming in from third. The second was an unassisted out at second by senior shortstop Mannie DeCastro to freshman Alex Perez at first. Then another freshman made a big diving catch in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the win.
Pitt State scored first in the in the top of the third, as the Gorilla offense took advantage of Valdosta State pitching miscues. Brenna George started the inning with a one-out walk. McCreath followed with a base hit through the left side. Kreslee Ketcham earned a two-out walk to load the bases. Tiffany Brown earned an RBI with a walk that brought George in from third. After a pitching change, a wild pitch brought home McCreath for a 2-0 Gorilla lead.
PSU added two more runs in the top of the fourth frame. With one out, Katelyn Birchfield got her first hit of the season, a double to left center. Riley Campbell followed with her first career hit as a Gorilla, a triple down the left field line, scoring Birchfield for a 3-0 lead. George drew a walk, prompting another Valdosta State pitching change. McCreath grounded out to the shortstop, but it was enough to bring Campbell in for a 4-0 PSU lead.
The Lady Blazers added one run in each the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to close the gap to 4-3.
The bottom of the seventh was intense. Barnes retired the first two batters of the inning, but the next two each got base hits. The tying run moved to third and the winning run to second on a wild pitch. Samantha Posey, the Lady Blazers’ three-hole hitter, knocked a ball up the middle that looked like it would just fall out of reach of the Pitt State defense, but Gorilla second baseman Campbell dove and stretched out for the ball to catch it and end the game.
