Softball loses weekend series
Matt Daniels/Sports Editor
Issue date: 4/16/07 Section: Sports
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Game One
The throw beat her.
The tag by Eastern catcher Sandyn Short appeared to beat her also.
If Tennessee-Martin's Brittany Nash was called out at home plate in the third inning, UTM head coach Donley Canary said he wouldn't have argued the call.
But Canary didn't have to exercise his vocal chords because Nash was called safe on the close play at home plate.
Savannah Roberts' double, which scored Ashley Benbow and Nash, put the Skyhawks ahead 3-0.
UTM starting pitcher Ashton Strode did the rest en route to UTM's 5-0 win against Eastern in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader.
"Ashton is a power pitcher and she had a good, hard curve today," Canary said. "We told her to keep her rise ball out of the zone, which is what she's been getting hurt on. She was in control the whole day."
Strode scattered three hits in a complete game shutout performance. Strode's bid for a no-hitter ended in the fourth inning, when Short doubled down the left field line.
Short's double was the only extra base hit in the game for the Panthers, who also had a bunt single by shortstop Ashley Robison in the fifth, and an opposite-field single to right field by third baseman Denee Menzione in the seventh.
The Skyhawks didn't struggle offensively. UTM collected 13 hits and chased Eastern starting pitcher Karyn Mackie from the game in the third inning.
Mackie gave up four hits and two runs in two innings of work.
Mackie's replacement, junior Maegan Golloway, didn't fare much better. Golloway allowed nine hits and three runs during five innings of relief.
It was the third batter Golloway faced that UTM's Savannah Roberts lined a double over Panther centerfielder Chelsea Adams' head.
Adams retrieved it, fired to Eastern shortstop Ashley Robison and Robison fired home. Nash slid to the outside of home plate, but appeared to be tagged on the helmet by catcher Sandyn Short.
"My opinion was she out on the tag on the helmet," said Eastern head coach Kim Schuette. "It was a really close play, a really tough call. But we didn't get the call. Oh well. But we sure as heck didn't use our bats to back it up."
Adams said from her angle in center field she thought Nash was out, but she couldn't really tell.
Nash used her bat, not her legs, in the fourth inning to tack on two more runs for the Skyhawks with a single to left field.
The Panthers never threatened after the Skyhawks went up 5-0.
"I think you need to play to win and you can't play to not lose," Schuette said. "Our pitching's having some trouble, we're giving up quite a few runs, and today our offense didn't back it up."
Game Two
Error leads to big inning and loss
Ashley Robison was almost out of the third inning.
Eastern's junior pitcher induced a groundball from Tennessee-Martin second baseman Fallon Lowery with two outs.
The ball rolled slowly to the area between Eastern third baseman Denee' Menzione and shortstop Chelsea Adams.
Menzione went to her right and stuck out her glove. However, the freshman couldn't corral the ground ball, allowing Lowery to reach on an error.
The Skyhawks capitalized on Eastern's miscue, with four of the next six batters in the inning producing a hit.
By the end of the inning, Maegan Golloway had replaced Robison in the pitcher's circle, and the Panthers' 1-0 deficit had ballooned to 4-0.
"We're having trouble with two outs," said Eastern head coach Kim Schuette. "We're not shutting down innings."
The Panthers would add a run of their own in their half of the third, and two more in the sixth, but it was not enough.
UTM (23-23, 9-7 Ohio Valley Conference) won the second game of Sunday's doubleheader 4-3 after winning the first game 5-0.
"These were big wins for us," said UTM head coach Donley Canary. "We were very fortunate. We have not had a lot of success with EIU over the years. We were 7-7 (in the conference) coming in and we're trying to get one of those last two berths in the conference tournament. Our kids played extremely well today."
Another problem Schuette's team faced in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader was driving in runners.
The Panthers (17-22, 5-10) had runners on second and third with one out in the second inning. But freshman rightfielder Kelly Coleman struck out and freshman centerfielder Megan Nelson popped out to the shortstop to end the inning.
The Panthers also left two runners on in the fourth down 4-1, and a runner on second base in the sixth inning, down 4-3.
In the fourth, Nelson hit a hard groundball up the middle that appeared to be headed towards center field. But the ball ricocheted off UTM pitcher Paij Lintz's shin and into UTM's shortstop Greer Long's glove.
Long's throw to first beat the speedy Nelson to the bag.
Senior designated player Katy Steele said she hasn't noticed whether Eastern is getting a fortunate break or bounce of the ball this year.
"Some days it's for you and some days it's not for you," said Steele, whose two-run home run over the left center field fence in the sixth cut UTM's lead to 4-3. "But, I don't know - in the long run, I think we'll get the breaks."
The two losses put Eastern into an even bigger hole in the conference standings. With 11 OVC games left to play, the Panthers are in eighth place. The top six teams make the conference tournament, scheduled to start in less than a month. Eastern has lost five of its last seven conference games.
"I just think we need to find that way to win," said senior shortstop Chelsea Adams.
"Everyone says that and it's one of those things that you can't really define, but there's just that thing and you need to find it. You find that way to win. Once we find that, we've come close throughout the year, we just need to keep it together and keep it on a roll and have it every game."
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