Feb. 10, 2007
IOWA CITY – The University of Iowa softball team split a pair of games in day two of the Stetson Tournament. Iowa defeated Marist, 5-2, but lost to Stetson, 5-3.
Marist took advantage of two Hawkeye errors in the first inning to gain an early 2-0 lead. Iowa responded in the bottom of the third with two runs to tie the contest.
Sophomore Quinn Morelock started the inning with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Sophomore Erin Riemersma then hit a sharp ground ball to the pitcher who attempted to throw Morelock out at third, but the ball sailed over her head, allowing Morelock to score. After a Mindy Heidgerken sacrifice bunt moved Riemersma to third, junior Emily Nichols roped an RBI single to left field, and the game was tied, 2-2.
Iowa added two more runs in the bottom half of the fourth for a 4-2 lead. Morelock crushed an RBI double down the left field line to score sophomore Rachel West, who reached on a bunt single and stole second. Senior Sami Baugh followed with an RBI single to score a hustling Morelock.
The Hawkeyes tacked an insurance run in the sixth. Sophomore Colleen McGlaughlin led off the inning with a double to center and senior Jenna Spratt took her place at second. Spratt then stole third and scored on a Marist error.
Morelock led the Hawkeyes at the plate, going 2-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Freshman Katie Brown started her first career game in the circle. She threw two and one-thirds innings and walked three in the no decision. Both runs scored were unearned.
Freshman Amanda Zust picked up her second win on the season, throwing four and two-thirds innings in relief and stuck out two.
Iowa took an early 2-0 lead against host-school Stetson in game two. Riemersma started the game with a walk and advanced to second on a ground ball. Nichols then singled to put runners on first and third with one out. Nichols and Riemersma executed a double-steal, scoring Riemersma and moving Nichols to second. Nichols scored later in the inning off a ground ball error by the Stetson second baseman.
West increased the Iowa lead to 3-0 in the third inning. She reached first to start the inning off the second Stetson error in the game and hustled to third off a sacrifice bunt by Riemersma. West scored on a sacrifice fly by Nichols for the 3-0 lead.
Stetson battled back to make the score 3-2 after three innings. The Hatters used three singles and a two-RBI double by Lindsey Wightman to bring Stetson within one run.
Andrea Migliori gave Stetson its first lead with a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth for a 4-3 advantage.
Stetson tacked on another run in the bottom of the sixth off a sacrifice fly by Leonor Carreno to make the score 5-3. Iowa threatened in the top of the seventh with base hits from Morelock and Ackerson, but couldn’t push a run across the plate.
Nichols collected two of Iowa’s four hits and had an RBI against Stetson. She now has nine RBI on the weekend.
Zust took the loss, throwing five and one-thirds innings while striking out seven. Ackerson threw two-thirds innings relief and struck out one.
Even with the loss, Iowa advances to the championship game of the Stetson Tournament Sunday at 11 a.m. The Hawkeyes will have a rematch against Stetson in the championship game.