Softball 2/20/2011 6:37:00 AM SUU Strategic Communication

Thunderbirds Score 15 Runs, Split Games on Day Two in New Mexico

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Feb. 19 - Southern Utah hitters found their stroke on Saturday, tallying 26 hits and manufacturing 15 runs as the T-Birds split games against New Mexico State and Louisiana-Monroe. SUU fell to NMSU in the first game, 10-5, but came back to post a 10-7 victory over ULM in extra innings in the final contest of the day.

SUU began the scoring against New Mexico State, chasing off Aggie starting pitcher Celisha Walker after picking up three consecutive singles. Senior Darleen Fernandez then came to the plate and earned an RBI the hard way after being hit by a pitch. However, a double play and ground ball ended the Thunderbird threat in the opening frame.

NMSU came back to tie the game in the top of the third inning, scoring on a sacrifice fly and then added four runs in the top of the fifth, a run in the top of the sixth and another four runs in the top of the seventh to take a 10-1 lead into the final half inning.

Southern Utah began the inning with a lead-off single by freshman Cora Cordova. She was joined on the bases by Sami Perry and Katie Olinger on subsequent at bats as the duo drew a walk and then recorded a single, respectively, as pinch hitters. Two runners crossed the plate on an RBI single up by middle off the bat of Aly Daniels with the senior advancing to second as the center fielder had trouble with the ball. During the play, Olinger was tagged out in a run down trying to score.

Fernandez then came to the plate and hit her first home run of the season, tallying her second and third RBI of the game, driving in Daniels from second. However, the scoring ended despite runners on first and second late in the inning as a strikeout and liner to the shortstop punctuated the 10-5 Thunderbird defeat.

In the second game of the day, SUU captured the first lead of the contest again with an RBI single off the bat of Fernandez, scoring Purcell who had led off the top of the first inning with a single. Two runs for Louisiana-Monroe in the bottom half of the frame gave the Warhawks a 2-1 lead before an RBI single by Purcell in the top of the second tied the game at 2-2.

The deadlock was broken when ULM scored two runs in the home half of the second to take a 4-2 lead. A pair of runs for the T-Birds in both the top of the fourth and fifth innings marked the second tie and fourth lead change of the game. Heather Richardson played a role in both frames with a two-run home run in the fourth and an RBI single in the fifth with the other T-Bird run crossing the plate on a Warhawk error in the fifth.

The game was all squared up again, 6-6 in the bottom of the seventh inning as ULM scored an on RBI double in the fifth and RBi singe in the seventh to send the game into extra innings.

With tournament rules in place in the top of the eighth inning, Richardson started on second base for the Thunderbirds and a lead-off single by Daniels put runners on the corners for Southern Utah. SUU began its four-run tear in the extra frame with a two-run double off the bat of Madison Resley, followed by an RBI single by Stephanie DeJesus and capped it off with a sacrifice fly recorded by Ariel Morbeck.

Louisiana-Monroe mustered only one run in the bottom of the frame, paving the way for Southern Utah to take the 10-7 victory. Heather Black tallied the victory in the circle after 3.0 innings of relief, allowing two runs (both unearned) on two hits with four strikeouts.

The T-Birds will wrap up play in Las Cruces tomorrow afternoon when the team faces the New Mexico State Aggies for a second time with the first pitch scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

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