Feb. 24, 2008

Final Stats

For Immediate Release
Contact: Brandon Kolditz
wkolditz@memphis.edu, (901) 871-5475

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-10) 20   0 00 -  2  4 4
Memphis (8-5)              2(13)1 0x - 16 17 1
WP: Bossom (3-2) LP: Muzquiz (0-10)
HR: (UAPB) Herbert (1)
    (MEM) Dolfo 2 (4), Kelso (2)
2B: (MEM) Dolfo (2)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff Box Score

SOUTHAVEN, Miss. - The University of Memphis softball team closed out its Blues City Classic at Greenbrook Park with a 16-2 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Sunday to finish second in the tournament.

The Tigers (8-5) finished 3-1 in the tournament, taking runner-up behind a Morehead State team that went 5-0 in the classic. Junior infielder Leila Dolfo, freshman pitcher Janelle Valle and senior third baseman Melissa Nance all were named to the all-tournament team. Morehead State's Kari Quinn was named the tournament MVP after throwing a no-hitter against SEMO and hitting five home runs in the tournament.

"Yesterday we came out there and played two really solid games," Memphis head coach Windy Thees said. "That was pretty good, but we still had a little bit of a rollercoaster with emotions and focus where we had spurts of runs and then we would go three or four innings without them. That's what we have to stop doing. If we're going to score runs early, we have to keep going and score every inning.

"We try to tell our players to think small and focus on every inning and win every inning. That's the most important thing, not the whole game because if you win every inning you're going to end up winning the whole game."

Memphis, which has won eight of its last 10 games, scored 13 runs in the second inning behind a pair of homers from Dolfo. The Tigers had 10 hits in the inning and had at least one hit in all but two spots in the batting order. Dolfo finished with five RBI in the game and ties sophomore Leigh Rowan for the team lead in home runs with four. All four of her homers have come in the tournament, and she also led off the game with a double.

Besides Dolfo, the U of M had two other players record three hit performances in the game. Junior Leandra Hines went 3-for-3 with three runs scored, and redshirt freshman Heather Mott went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI. Nance finished 2-for-2 with two RBI and a runs scored, and senior Lindsay Kelso had a two-run homer in the game and three runs scored.

"Once our girls were able to time it and see the ball they really unloaded on their swings," Thees said. "We have some great swings on this team. We have more power on this team than we've had throughout the lineup than any team I've had at Memphis. They have some great swings, and it's just a matter of the confidence and seeing it and picking the right pitch and then putting that great swing on the ball."

Freshman Kimber Bossom earned her third victory of the season and improves to 3-2. Bossom allowed a two-run homer in the first inning before retiring the Lady Lions in the remaining four frames. She scattered four hits and struck out four in the game.

After a first inning two-run home run by Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Memphis knotted the game at two in the bottom of the first inning on RBI singles by junior Kimmi Hayden and Mott. The Tigers then broke the game wide open in the second inning with 13 runs to take a 15-2 lead. Freshman Kailey Kassner added an RBI single in the third inning to cap the U of M scoring.

Memphis will next paly in the Residence Inn Invitational hosted by Oklahoma in Normal, Okla., on Friday and Saturday. The Tigers will play No. 6/8 Oklahoma and North Texas twice each in the tournament.