Softball 2/19/2011 6:01:00 AM SUU Strategic Communication

SUU Softball Splits Games on Day One at New Mexico State

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Feb. 18 - Southern Utah University softball split its opening games of the Troy Cox Classic on the campus of New Mexico State University on Friday afternoon. The Thunderbirds posted a 2-0 victory over Sam Houston in the first game of the day, but came up short in an 8-3 loss to No. 6 Oklahoma in the afternoon.

SUU found its opening win behind a one-hit shutout by starting pitcher Heather Black. Fellow Snow College transfer Heather Richardson was joined by University of Utah transfer Heather Hoch in providing RBI as Jenavieve Purcell and Aly Daniels scored the runs.

The Thunderbird scoring began in the fourth inning as Daniels led off the frame with a walk and then moved to second on a stolen base. Hoch would drive her home with an RBI double to give the T-Birds the 1-0 lead. Southern Utah didn't have to wait long as its next run came in the very next frame as Purcell made the most of a Bearkat error to score on an RBI double by Richardson.

Black finished the game with a pair of one-two-three innings, including a game-clinching strikeout in the final play of the game. Her performance squared up her record at 2-2 and marked her second complete game of the 2011 campaign.

In the second contest of the day, Oklahoma scored runs in the first and second innings, but Southern Utah came back to take the lead 3-2 after a three-run fifth.

Ariel Morbeck led off the inning by beating out a bunt that dribbled to the OU catcher. The bases were full of 'Birds two batters later as Katie Olinger and Stephanie DeJesus each drew singles. Morbeck then crossed the plate on a fielder's choice by Purcell, notching an RBI.

The first out of the inning was recorded on a Richardson strikeout with the second out coming on a sacrifice fly by Daniels, scoring Olinger from third. The final T-Bird run came as Darleen Fernandez' hit to the shortstop was too hot to handle, resulting in an Oklahoma error and run for SUU as Cordova, who came on as a pinch runner, scored from third.

The lead was short lived, however, as the Sooners recorded two runs on two hits in the bottom of the frame to retake the lead, 4-3. Four more runs crossed the plate for OU in the bottom of the sixth inning, resulting in the final score of 8-3.

The split leaves the Thunderbirds with an overall record of 2-5 on the year and games slated against New Mexico State and Louisiana-Monroe tomorrow afternoon. Game times for each contest are scheduled for 2:30 and 6:30 p.m., respectively.

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