March 17, 2007
Sacramento, CA – The University of Iowa softball team split its final day of competition at the Capital Classic Saturday. Iowa defeated Santa Clara, 3-1, but lost to Cal Poly, 8-3.
Iowa took advantage of two Santa Clara errors to score two of its three runs. Sophomore Rachel West singled and advanced to second base on a ground ball in the second inning. She then stole third and scored on the first Santa Clara error.
Junior Stephanie Ackerson doubled to start the third inning and senior Jenna Spratt took her place at second. After senior Mindy Heidgerken sacrificed Spratt to third, junior Emily Nichols ripped an RBI single to score Spratt for a 2-0 lead.
Iowa scored its final run of the game in the sixth. Sophomore Colleen McGlaughlin, who reached on a fielder’s choice, scored on Santa Clara’s second error of the game.
Ackerson threw just under six innings and allowed one run on six hits while striking out five and walking zero. Sophomore Brittany Weil threw just over one inning in relief and struck out four.
Iowa jumped out to a 1-0 lead in game two against Cal Poly in the top of the third. Freshman Taylor Leichsenring scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of West for the first run of the game.
Cal Poly answered with a home run, a two-RBI double and an RBI single to take a 4-1 lead in after three innings.
Cal Poly hit its second home run of the game, this time a three-run shot, in the four to take a commanding 7-1 lead.
Iowa chipped away in the top of the sixth with a run to make the score 7-2. Sophomore Quinn Morelock tallied a pinch-hit single and advanced to third on a Cal Poly error. She scored on an RBI single by Ackerson.
Cal Poly responded with another home run in its half of the sixth for an 8-2 score. The Hawkeyes scored their third run of the contest in the top of the seventh when Leichsenring scored on an RBI double by Downs.
Downs and Ackerson each tallied two hits in the loss.
Weil threw four innings in her first loss of the season. She allowed seven runs on seven hits and struck out two. Ackerson threw two innings of relief and allowed one run on one hit and struck out two.
The Hawkeyes return to action Friday when they host the 2007 Hawkeye Classic.