George Washington University
0
vs. Iona (Rebel Spring Games)
3-5
Softball Posts Five Victories at Rebel Spring Games
3/20/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 20, 2006
ORLANDO, FL - The George Washington University softball team spent its spring break last week down in Florida at the 2006 Rebel Spring Games. The Colonials played 10 games in five days and recorded five victories to improve their record to 13-9 on the season. GW has already eclipsed its all-time best win total of 10, which was set last year in head coach JoAnne Ferguson's first season leading the program, and now get ready to open the Atlantic 10 Conference portion of its schedule on Wednesday, March 22.
Rebel Spring Games
Sunday, March 12
GW split its first two games at the tournament, knocking off Rider, 10-4, before falling 10-9 in eight innings to Bucknell. Sophomore Jackie Yaniga (Miami, FL) led the Colonials against Rider going 3-for-4 with a triple, home run, three RBI and a run scored. Junior Nikki Brooks (Chillicothe, OH) and sophomore Chrysanthi Halkiotis (Brookeville, MD) also chipped in with two RBI each, while sophomore Gabby Culp (Desoto, TX) earned the win as she allowed just one earned run in 5.0 innings. Against the Bison, junior Elana Meyers (Douglasville, GA) sent the game into extra innings with an RBI single, but three Bucknell runs in the top of the eighth proved to be the difference. The Colonials scored two runs of their own in the bottom of the eighth, but it wasn't enough to extend the game. Meyers finished 4-for-5 with a triple and three runs scored, while sophomore Lisa Cohen (Langhorne, PA) went 3-for-5 with two RBI and Halkiotis finished 2-for-4 with three RBI. Freshman Carrie Higdon (Newburg, MD) came on in relief of starter Katie Miller (Manteo, NC), but picked up the loss after allowing four runs in 2.1 innings.
Monday, March 13
The Colonials won both their games, defeating Binghamton, 6-1, and Butler, 4-3. Sophomore Jen Hrycyna (North Brunswick, NJ) got the start vs. Binghamton and earned the complete-game victory allowing just three hits while striking out four. Hrycyna was in the circle for the first time since Feb. 24 when she left the game after taking a line drive off her knee. GW opened the game with five runs in the top of the first to essentially seal the victory. Halkiotis and junior Kaity Harbour (Macomb, MI) each had RBI's in the inning and the Colonials were the beneficiaries of three Bearcats' errors. Sophomore Caroline Howe (Los Alamitos, CA) and Brooks each had two hits in the game.
Tuesday, March 14
Tennessee-Martin scored the winning run on a two-out single in the bottom of the eighth to edge GW, 2-1, in its first game of the day. The Colonials scored their only run of the game in the second when sophomore Hilary King (Canal Winchester, OH) was able to score on a fielder's choice to tie the game at 1-1. Miller got the start for GW and went the distance allowing just five hits and one earned run while striking out five. Six different Colonials had one hit to pace GW offensively. In their second game, the Colonials bounced back against Lafayette to post a 3-1 triumph. Yaniga drove home the first run in the opening frame on a sacrifice fly and an error in the fifth allowed Meyers and freshman Tori Sensi (Skillman, NJ) to score to make it 3-0 at the time. GW only had three hits in the game, but Culp pitched 6.0 strong innings with five strikeouts to earn the win and freshman Kristin Gallant (Calabasas, CA) closed the door on the Leopards to record the save.
Wednesday, March 15
GW dropped both its games on the day for the first time at the tournament. Colgate clipped the Colonials, 4-3, in their first game, followed by an 8-0 loss to Fairfield. Trailing 2-0 in the fourth against Colgate, freshman Maryanne Mohan (Portland, OR) led off the inning with a single and later scored on an error. Meyers drove in GW's second run with a single to tie the game, 2-2. The Colonials took a 3-2 lead in the sixth when Meyers scored on an error after a lead-off single. But, Colgate answered with two runs in the bottom of the sixth and held on for the win. Hrycyna suffered the loss allowing four runs in 6.0 innings. GW pounded out 15 hits in the game led by Meyers' 4-for-4 performance and sophomore Katy Harrigan's (Reading, MA) three hits. Cohen and Yaniga each chipped in with two hits. The Colonials ran into a buzzsaw against the Stags in the form of pitcher Tracy Sylvestre. Sylvestre tossed a no-hitter against GW and Fairfield scored four times in the sixth to cap the scoring.
Thursday, March 15
On the Colonials' final day at the tournament, GW opened with a 6-1 loss to Cleveland State, before recovering to top Iona, 9-6, in its last game. Meyers drove home the Colonials' lone run in the fifth with a single, but the Vikings tacked on four runs in the bottom of the sixth to add to their 2-1 lead to seal the victory. Culp got the start and was hit with the loss after giving up six runs in 5.1 innings with five strikeouts. Gallant came on in relief and retired the final two batters. Meyers finished 1-for-3 with an RBI to lead GW, while Miller went 2-for-3 with a run scored. In its final game against the Gaels, GW overcame a 6-2 deficit with seven runs over the final four innings, including four in the third, to notch its fifth and final victory at the Games. The Colonials four-run third inning was highlighted by sophomore Colleen Kegler's (Yardley, PA) two-run single and GW added single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to complete the scoring. Gallant earned the win for the Colonials as she allowed just one earned run and scattered nine hits over 4.0 innings. Miller came on in relief to record the save and struck out eight of the 13 batters she faced to earn her second save of the season. Meyers led GW offensively, going 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored, while Mohan finished 2-for-5 with a run.
The Colonials (13-9) return to action when they host La Salle in their A-10 doubleheader opener on Wednesday, March 22, at 2 p.m. at Mount Vernon Softball Field.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Gallant, Kristin (0-0)
L: Passero (0-2)
S: Miller, Katie (0)
Batting:
2B: Mills 1
HR: Mills 1
RBI: Funn 2 ; Laschen 1 ; Mills 2
SH: Ortiz 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sprague 1 ; Moyer 1 ; Stott 1 ; Funn 1 ; Laschen 1 ; Mills 1
CS: Glaser 1
Batting:
2B: Mohan, Maryanne 1 ; King, Hilary 1
HR: Meyers, Elana 1
RBI: Meyers, Elana 2 ; Miller, Katie 1 ; Yaniga, Jackie 1 ; Howe, Caroline 1 ; King, Hilary 1 ; Kegler, Colleen 2
SH: Howe, Caroline 1
SF: Yaniga, Jackie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Meyers, Elana 2 ; Mohan, Maryanne 1 ; Yaniga, Jackie 1 ; Cohen, Lisa 1 ; Brooks, Nikki 1 ; Howe, Caroline 1 ; Belanger, Catherine 1 ; Higdon, Carrie 1
SB: Meyers, Elana 1 ; Miller, Katie 1
HBP: Yaniga, Jackie 1 ; Cohen, Lisa 2
