Bulldogs Season Comes to An End in 3-2 Extra Inning Loss to No. 4 Charleston Southern
May 09, 2009 | Softball
Radford, Va.– The Gardner-Webb softball team had its 2009 season come to an end on Saturday afternoon, as the Bulldogs fell in what was a two-day, 10 inning contest, to the No. 4 seeded Charleston Southern Lady Buccaneers 3-2.
The game which was delayed on Friday night due to lightning and heavy rainfall picked up in the bottom of the eighth inning with the score knotted up at 2-2. Charleston Southern's Gail Matsushima was at the plate with a 2-0 count, a runner on third and two outs.
GWU's Christine Murray opened up the suspended game with six straight balls to walk both Matsushima and Jamie Wellons to load the bases with two outs for Kristen Kelleher.
CSU's Kelleher drew three straight balls from Murray to put the pressure on the junior GWU hurler. However, the Bulldog ace responded with three straight strikes, striking out Kelleher and ending the Lady Buccaneers scoring threat.
In the top of ninth and freshman Jane Savage starting on second, CSU's Sondra Vetter was able to get junior shortstop Melody Harrell to go down on strikes for the first out. Freshman centerfielder then grounded out to third, advancing Savage to third base. The Lady Buccaneers then elected to intentionally walk first-baseman Christa Fullwood, bringing up junior catcher Mandy Ward. Ward came up just a few feet short from making the Lady Buccaneers pay, hitting a deep fly ball to left field where Charleston Southern's left fielder made the catch up against the wall for the third out.
After Charleston Southern went three-up and three-down in the bottom of the ninth, freshman McKenzie Morenus led off the 10th with a sacrifice bunt, moving pitch runner Alison Coffey up to third base with one out. Vetter then got the next two Bulldog hitters out to end the half inning and keep the score locked up at 2-2.
With the top of the order up for the Lady Buccaneers in the bottom of the 10th, lead off hitter Lisa Rice grounded out to the pitcher Murray to move up Brittany Giannini to third. After the next CSU hitter popped out to Fullwood at first on a bunt attempt, junior Megan Hall then lined a two out single into left field to give the Lady Buccaneers the 3-2 extra inning win.
Murray (11-17) was handed the loss, as the right-hander was a force in the circle throwing over 125 pitches for the game. Murray allowed only three runs, two of which were earned, on nine hits while striking out five in 9.2 innings of action.
Vetter (12-11) got the win for the Lady Buccaneers in relief work, as she pitched the final 5.2 innings, allowing only two hits in shutting down the GWU offense.
At the plate, Fullwood, who finished the season with a 14-game hitting streak, was 3-4 with an RBI, while Harrell was 2-5 with a double and Ward was 2-5 with a double and an RBI.
The Bulldogs finished the 2009 season with a 19-27 overall record.
Saturday's contest was also the final game for seniors Adrienne Smith and Angie Walls in a Bulldogs uniform.
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| Box Score: Charleston Southern 3, Gardner-Webb 2 (10 innings) |
| Final Season Statistics |
