March 28, 2007

Box Score

Game One Box Score in PDF Format
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For Immediate Release
Contact: Brandon Kolditz
wkolditz@memphis.edu, (901) 871-5475

UT-Martin (14-19)  000 004 0 - 4 7  0
Memphis (19-11)    500 110 0 - 7 13 0
Win - Kubesch (12-5) Loss - Myatt (5-6) Save - None.
HR - (MEM) McNulty (4) (UTM) Williams (3)
2B - (MEM) Dolfo (12), Pridgen (4)

MEMPHIS - The University of Memphis softball team staved off a sixth inning grand slam by UT-Martin and held on for a 7-4 victory in the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday night at the U of M Softball Complex.

Senior pitcher Jenna Kubesch (12-5) handcuffed the Skyhawks early in game one, recording six strikeouts in the first three innings en route to a career and school high 12 strikeouts for the game. UT-Martin's only runs came off a bases loaded homer by right fielder Megan Williams in the top of the sixth.

"That was a great pitch from Jenna," said Memphis head coach Windy Thees. "(Williams) just stepped in the bucket to get that high pitch and took it out. It was a good pitch from Jenna; exactly where we wanted it. We may not call that pitch again to that young lady.

"We didn't want anybody to walk in that situation. We've got bases loaded, and Jenna's throwing a great game. We could have gone for outs, but were going for the shutout. If we would have gone for outs, we would have been out of that inning, so I'm going to take those four runs on my ERA."

Memphis (19-11, 2-4 C-USA) moved out an early lead as the first five Lady Tigers to the plate hit and scored in the bottom first inning. Two of the five runs came courtesy of a home run by Memphis senior third baseman Bridgette McNulty. It was the most runs that Memphis has scored in the opening inning all season.

After two scoreless innings for both sides, sophomore shortstop Leila Dolfo scored on a Kara Ross single in the bottom of the fourth to put Memphis up 6-0. The Lady Tigers scored their final run in the sixth inning when freshman pinch hitter Leigh Rowan singled to drive in Lindsey Pridgen.

UT-Martin cut the lead to three runs with two outs in the top of the sixth on Williams' grand slam, but Kubesch recovered, striking out three of the remaining four outs to secure the win.

"We got the first five people on hits; it was wonderful," Thees said. "Then we went a little bit cold. I always tell them, when you put the knife to the neck go ahead and slit the throat. But we got the knife to their necks and then kind of walked away. They came back and just knocked us over the head, and we had to turn around and comeback to win it."

Notes
• The Memphis win is the first for the Lady Tigers who are now 1-2 all-time against UT-Martin.
• Jenna Kubesch struck out a Memphis record 12 batters in the game. Kubesch's previous best was 10, a feat matched three times. The previous team record for strikeouts in a game was 11.
• Bridgette McNulty lined her fourth home run of the season in the first inning off the light pole in left field. The four home runs tie her for the team lead with three of her teammates.
• The five first inning runs for Memphis is the most by the team to lead off a game. The Lady Tigers got the runs on five-straight hits to start the game, knocking out UT-Martin starting pitcher Ashley Myatt before an out was recorded.
• Leila Dolfo hit her team leading 12th double of the season to lead off the second inning. Through 30 games, Dolfo has already matched her 2006 doubles total.
• Four Memphis players had two-hits in the game; Leila Dolfo, Leandra Hines, Kara Ross and Kimmi Hayden. Ross leads the team with nine multi-hit games and Dolfo is second with seven. Hines now has six multi-hit games and it was Hayden's fifth.
• Kara Ross led the team with three RBI. She leads the team with five multi-RBI games.
• Bridgette McNulty scored the winning run in the game with her two-run home run in the first inning. It is her second game-winning RBI and first game-winning run of the season.