STATESBORO, GA -- Beth Dance's two-out, RBI single to center in the bottom of the eighth inning gave Georgia Southern the win in game two of a Tuesday afternoon doubleheader versus Elon College, leading the Lady Eagles to a sweep of the Fightin' Christians. Southern won the first game 7-0 and the night-cap 2-1. GSU has now won six consecutive games to improve their record to 21-17 on the season. Elon drops to 5-9 overall.
Both Kelly Blazi and Lacey Kammerer collected singles for GSU to lead off the eighth before Sabrina Kight advanced the runners to second and third with a successful sacrifice bunt. Elon hurler Jessica Vanderploeg was one out away from getting out of the jam when she got Stacie Cooper to ground out. But Dance belted her first hit of the game to centerfield to score Blazi and give Southern the win in extra innings.
GSU pitcher Jennifer Miller moved to 9-4 on the year after throwing eight innings and allowing only four hits, no earned runs, two walks while striking out two. Vanderploeg (1-5) was handed her second loss of the day after giving up 10 hits and one earned run in 7.2 innings of work. Her start in the first game only lasted two innings, as she was relieved by Shawn Browne after giving up five runs off three hits with two strikeouts and four base on balls.
Ashley Flemming guided the way for Southern in the second game by going 4-for-4 with one RBI – a run-scoring single in the first inning to give the Lady Eagles a 1-0 lead. Kristen Kendrick had two hits in four plate appearances to lead Elon. The Fightin' Christians had overcome the 1-0 deficit when Emily Hall, pinch-running for Kendrick, scored from third base on a GSU throwing error.
In the first game, Aimee Littlejohn moved to 10-8 on the season after allowing only four hits and striking out three in six innings pitched. Kammerer pitched the seventh inning to help GSU to its seventh shutout of the season.
Southern scored three runs in the second inning and three more in the third to open an early advantage. The first two runs were scored off consecutive bases-loaded walks by Vanderploeg. The Lady Eagles then plated their third run a batter later off the first of five wild pitches on the day by Vanderploeg. In the third inning, Blazi connected on a one-out double to score Suzanne Pansulla. Kight then followed up with a two-run single that gave GSU a 6-0 lead.
The Lady Eagles collected its seventh and final run in the fourth inning when Flemming singled in Jennifer Harris, who had reached base after being hit by a pitch.
Kight and Flemming tallied two hits each, while Kristen McKenney went 2-for-2 with a walk for the visitors.
Elon continues their southern road swing as they travel to Tampa, FL on Wednesday for a 5:00 p.m. doubleheader at 20th-ranked South Florida.
- ELON - Release courtesy of GSU Sports Information
Elon at Georgia Southern Mar 23, 1999 at Statesboro, Ga. GAME ONE BOX SCORE
Elon 0 (5-8) Georgia Southern 7 (20-17) Name (Pos) AB R H RBI BB SO PO A Name (Pos) AB R H RBI BB SO PO A ---------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- Jen Warren cf............. 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Stacie Cooper ss.......... 3 0 1 1 1 1 4 4 Hilary Shannon lf......... 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Beth Dance dh............. 3 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 Kelly Lloyd ss............ 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 3 Jennifer Harris rf/lf..... 3 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 Kristen Kendrick 1b....... 3 0 1 0 0 1 4 1 Allison Gregory lf........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Holly Briel rf............ 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Ashley Flemming 2b........ 4 0 2 1 0 1 3 3 Pam Brock 3b.............. 2 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 Suzanne Pansulla c........ 2 1 0 0 2 0 4 0 Gin Forcinito pr.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jaclyn Kaylor cf.......... 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 Jessica Vanderploeg p..... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tiffany Kepple 1b......... 3 2 0 0 0 0 6 0 Shawn Browne p............ 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 Kelly Blazi 3b............ 3 1 1 1 0 1 1 3 Evie Benson 2b............ 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 Sabrina Kight lf.......... 2 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 Kristin McKenney dh....... 2 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 Kristi Bryant lf/rf....... 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Amy Foster c.............. 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 Aimee Littlejohn p........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Lacey Kammerer p.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals.................... 26 0 4 0 3 4 18 7 Totals.................... 26 7 7 6 4 6 21 10 Score by innings: R H E ------------------------------------------- Elon 000 000 0 - 0 4 1 Georgia Southern 033 100 - 7 7 2 ------------------------------------------- E - Lloyd(6), Blazi(8), Littlejohn(1). LOB - Christians 9, Lady Eagles 7. 2B - Flemming(12), Blazi(1). SB - McKenney(2), Cooper(7), Harris(12), Pansulla(5), Kight(8). SH - Warren(1). Elon IP H R ER BB SO AB BF Georgia Southern IP H R ER BB SO AB BF ----------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- Jessica Vanderploeg. 2.0 3 5 5 4 2 9 14 Aimee Littlejohn.... 6.0 4 0 0 2 3 23 26 Shawn Browne........ 4.0 4 2 2 0 4 17 18 Lacey Kammerer...... 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 3 4 Winner - Littlejohn 10-8. Loser - Vanderploeg 1-4. Save - None. WP - Vanderploeg(1). HBP - by Vanderploeg (Kaylor), by Browne (Harris). Umpires - Start: 4:00 Time: 1:35 Attendance: 118 Vanderploeg faced 2 batters in the 3rd. GAME TWO BOX SCORE
Elon 1 (5-9) Georgia Southern 2 (21-17) Name (Pos) AB R H RBI BB SO PO A Name (Pos) AB R H RBI BB SO PO A ---------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- Jen Warren cf............. 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Stacie Cooper ss.......... 4 0 1 0 1 0 0 3 Hilary Shannon lf......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Beth Dance dh............. 5 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 Gin Forcinito ph.......... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jennifer Harris rf........ 4 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Kelly Lloyd ss............ 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 6 Ashley Flemming 2b........ 4 0 4 1 0 0 3 6 Kristen Kendrick 1b....... 4 0 2 0 0 0 9 1 Suzanne Pansulla c........ 2 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 Emily Hall pr............. 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jaclyn Kaylor cf.......... 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 Holly Briel rf............ 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 Kelly Blazi 3b............ 4 1 1 0 0 1 0 5 Pam Brock 3b.............. 3 0 1 0 0 0 3 1 Lacey Kammerer 1b......... 4 0 1 0 0 0 16 0 Shaundra Legg pr.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Sabrina Kight lf.......... 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 Jessica Vanderploeg p..... 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 6 Jennifer Miller p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 Evie Benson 2b............ 3 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 Kristin McKenney dh....... 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 Teresa Schmitz c.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 Totals.................... 28 1 4 0 2 2 23 16 Totals.................... 31 2 10 2 4 2 24 19 Score by innings: R H E -------------------------------------------- Elon 000 001 00 - 1 4 3 Georgia Southern 100 000 01 - 2 10 3 -------------------------------------------- Note: 2 outs, 2 runner(s) LOB when the game ended. E - Kendrick, Brock, Benson, Cooper 2, Miller. DP - Lady Eagles 1. LOB - Christians 7, Lady Eagles 13. SB - Harris, Flemming, Kight. CS - Cooper, Flemming. SH - Vanderploeg, Pansulla, Kight 2. Elon IP H R ER BB SO AB BF Georgia Southern IP H R ER BB SO AB BF ----------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- Jessica Vanderploeg. 7.2 10 2 1 4 2 31 38 Jennifer Miller..... 8.0 4 1 0 2 2 28 32 Winner - Miller 9-4. Loser - Vanderploeg 1-5. Save - None. WP - Vanderploeg 4, Miller. HBP - by Miller (Lloyd). Umpires - Start: 6:00 Time: 2:06 Attendance: 118
