Softball Splits Doubleheader With UAB
March 15, 2005 | Softball
The Blazers (12-18, 1-1) rallied to win the first game, 3-1, and then dropped the second contest by a score of 8-3. East Carolina (31-6, 3-2) held a 1-0 lead in game one before UAB's Kris Lara belted a three-run home run on the first pitch she saw in the bottom of the sixth inning to lead the Blazers to the comeback win.
Lara's third home run of the season helped Blazer starting pitcher Jennifer Nelson earn her fourth victory of the season as the freshman left-hander evened her record at 4-4 by going all seven innings and allowing just a run on three hits while striking out a career-high nine. Sophomore Keli Harrell, a 15-game winner for the Pirates this season, took the loss as she worked six innings and yielded three runs, all earned, one five hits. She walked three and struck out seven.
The Blazers fell behind 1-0 in game one after Leigh Savoy led off the game with a solo home run to right-center field off of Nelson, but UAB then managed to hold the Pirates scoreless for the remainder of the game before Lara's heroics in the sixth carried the Blazers to the thrilling win.
UAB fell behind the Pirates 4-0 in game two, then but cut the lead to 4-3 in the fifth inning but could not suppress the ECU offense as the Pirates cruised to the 8-3 win. Blazer starter Brittany Hodge (1-7) gave up four runs, three earned, and five hits in her three innings of work. She walked one and struck out one. Nelson relieved and struggled as she allowed four runs, two earned, and seven hits in four innings. She walked one batter and struck out four.
Savoy, who homered to lead off the first game, doubled in Krista Jessup in the top of the first to put the Pirates up early, 1-0. East Carolina added three runs in the third, highlighted by a two-run double from Laurel Carlson.
The Blazers made it a 4-3 game in the fifth as Chelsea McCall had an RBI single and catcher Nicole Whitlock ripped a two-out single to score a pair. East Carolina put three on the board in the top of the seventh to make it 8-3.
The teams will wrap up their series on Wednesday with a single game set for 2 p.m.
