April 14, 2007

Box Score |  Notes

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

Memphis (26-16, 4-8)  103 004 0 - 8 11 1
ECU (29-15, 7-6)      000 100 2 - 3  7 2
Win - Kubesch (16-7) Loss - Harrell (15-9) Save - None.
2B - (MEM) Hayden (3), Nance (4)
(ECU) Nolan (3), St. Ledger (10), Bibee (1), Barrella (2)
HR - (MEM) Dolfo (8), Ross (4)
(ECU) Johnson (10)

GREENVILLE, N.C. - The University of Memphis softball team took an early 4-0 lead against East Carolina and never looked back, winning 8-3 in the first game of a doubleheader at the ECU Softball Field on Saturday.

Sophomore shortstop Leila Dolfo gave the Lady Tigers a 1-0 lead to open up the game with a solo shot over the left field fence. The home run is the team-leading eighth of the season for the lead off hitter. Dolfo went 2-for-4 in the game with two runs scored and an RBI.

Memphis then scored three more runs in the top of the third and four in the sixth inning to win its fourth conference game of the year against the league's second place team. Memphis had 11 hits in the game as the team improves to 26-16 and 4-8 in league play. East Carolina falls to 29-15 overall and 7-6 in the conference.

Senior Jenna Kubesch (16-7) earned her 16th victory of the season in a complete game effort. Kubesch allowed two earned runs on seven hits and struck out six.

Senior first baseman Kara Ross also went deep in the game with a two-run shot in the sixth inning for her fourth home run of the year. Sophomore catcher Kimmi Hayden and sophomore right fielder Brittany Gooch both had two hits in the game.

Gooch led off the third inning with a bunt single over the heads of the pressing infield. Dolfo then reached base on a fielding error by the pitcher allowing sophomore left fielder Leandra Hines to line a shot off the third baseman and bring in Gooch from second on the infield hit. After a groundout moved runners to second and third, senior third baseman Bridgette McNulty hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Dolfo and advance Hines. Hines then came around to score the final run of the inning on an error by the third baseman.

The Pirates scored its first run of the game in the fourth inning on a leadoff home run by Jessica Johnson. ECU had three hits in the inning and runners on second and third with one out, but Kubesch pitched out of the jam to hold the Memphis lead to three.

The Lady Tigers increased its lead to 8-1 in the sixth inning with four runs on five hits. Memphis began the inning with four-straight hits and three for extra bases as the team chased C-USA all-time strikeout leader Keli Harrell out of the game. McNulty began the inning with a single up the middle and came around to score on a two-run home run to right by Ross. The U of M then put together two-straight doubles by Hayden and pinch hitter Melissa Nance to score a third run. A wild pitch and single by Gooch brought in senior center fielder Lindsey Pridgen to cap the inning. Pridgen had reentered after Nance's pinch hit.

ECU scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to finish with three runs in the game. After the lead off hitter reached on a two-base error, Sarah Bibee and Angel Barrella hit back-to-back RBI pinch hit doubles. The Pirates finished with four doubles in the game.