George Washington University
5-10, 1-3
Saint Louis
11-15, 2-0
Softball Drops Pair of Heartbreakers At Saint Louis
3/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 22, 2008
ST. LOUIS, MO - The George Washington softball team dropped a pair of heartbreaking Atlantic 10 games to Saint Louis at the Billiken Sports Center on Saturday. The Billikens took the opener, 4-3, and the nightcap, 9-7 in an 11 inning marathon.
In the opener, the Colonials jumped on the Billikens early with a run in the top of the first. Junior Carrie Higdon smoked a line drive just over the glove of the shortstop, which bounced all the way to the wall for a double. Freshman Katie Terrazas made an aggressive move bunting with two strikes, sacrificing Higdon over to third. Another bunt by senior Jackie Yaniga scored Higdon as the throw by the first baseman went wild into right field.
Sophomore right-hander Amanda Gabriel started the first game for GW and immediately broke the GW career record for strikeouts, mowing down the first batter she faced. AGabes also recorded another strikeout in the inning, extending the record.
Saint Louis tied the game at one with a run of their own. Nicki Jost led off reaching on an error and immediately stole second. A sacrifice bunt by Katie Johns advanced Jost to third and she scored on a groundout by Allison Hopke.
The score remained tied, 1-1 until the top of the sixth, where the Colonials plated two runners on three hits. Senior Chrysanthi Halkiotis doubled off starting pitcher Lorena Flocarri. Freshman Erin Kelly came into the game in relief immediately after the two-base knock. Higdon sacrificed Halkiotis over to third with a sac bunt to third. Terrazas then drove in Halkiotis with a long fly ball to center field, which was caught, but deep enough to score Halkiotis. Yaniga then singled and scored all the way from first on a two-out double to right-center by junior Tori Sensi.
Saint Louis rallied for the win with a three-run seventh. With two-outs, the Billikens loaded the bases with a pair of singles and an error on the pitcher. A double to left by Rachel Heet scored all three runners.
Gabriel received the loss without allowing an earned run in the opener. The sophomore struck out eight and walked one and allowed seven hits. After the first game she had a Colonials' record 195 career strikeouts.
Kelly got the win for Saint Louis allowing an earned run in two innings.
Gabriel started the second game for the Colonials as well, and gave up a run in the first at the Bills took the early lead. GW was quick to respond as redshirt sophomore Elisa Van Kirk cranked a solo home run to left center to tie the game.
The score remained tied at one until Caitlin Trevillyan homered in the fifth.
Once again, the Colonials quickly responded in the top half of the next frame. Van Kirk drove in her second run of the game with a single to left, scoring Yaniga who doubled to right center earlier in the inning.
The score stayed tied at two until the 10th inning when GW took a three-run lead with a three-run bomb by Van Kirk, her league leading fifth home run of the season.
The lead was short lived as Saint Louis answered right back with three runs of their own on three hits and an error.
Sophomores Amanda Holst and Amanda Gabriel led off the top of the 11th with back-to-back blasts.
However, Saint Louis was able to score four runs in the 11th, including a walk off home run by Trevillyan to take the nightcap.
Yaniga batted .500 on the day, going 4-8 with three runs scored and a double. Three of Yaniga's base knocks came in the nightcap. Van Kirk finished 3-7, with all three hits in game two, with a pair of home runs and 5 RBIs. Gabriel helped her own cause in both games finishing with three hits including the mammoth blast in the second game. Terrazas, Holst, Sensi and Halkiotis also collected two hits apiece on the day, while Higdon recorded one.
Gabriel pitched two complete games on the day and gave up just four earned runs in 17.1 innings of work. She struck out 15 Billikens on the day and walked just two. She now has a GW record 207 career strikeouts.
In the two games, there were a combined 23 runs on 29 hits with seven home runs. Saint Louis stole eight bases on the day as they came into the doubleheader ranked among the nation's best in steals.
GW also committed eight errors, four in each game on the day.
The Colonials are back in action Wednesday, March 26 when they travel to cross-town rival Georgetown for a 4:00 pm doubleheader at the Hoyas' Guy Mason Field.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: FLOCCARI (0-0)
L: Gabriel, Amanda (4-6)
Batting:
2B: Yaniga, Jackie 1
HR: Kirk, Elisa 2 ; Holst, Amanda 1 ; Gabriel, Amanda 1
RBI: Kirk, Elisa 5 ; Holst, Amanda 1 ; Gabriel, Amanda 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Terrazas, Katie 1 ; Yaniga, Jackie 2 ; Kirk, Elisa 2 ; Holst, Amanda 1 ; Gabriel, Amanda 1
CS: Sensi, Tori 1
Batting:
2B: JOST 1
HR: TREVILLYAN 2 ; HEET 1
RBI: TREVILLYAN 4 ; HEET 4
SH: BURGER 1
Base Running:
RUNS: TREVILLYAN 2 ; NICOLETTI 2 ; HEET 1 ; HOPKE 1 ; POLACEK 1 ; O'CONNELL 2
SB: NICOLETTI 1 ; JOST 3
CS: HOPKE 1
