Coffey Throws No-Hitter in Game Two, as the Lady Bulldogs Blank WSSU, 8-0 and 1-0, on Wednesday Afternoon
April 28, 2010 | Softball
Boiling Springs, N.C. - Gardner-Webb senior hurler Alison Coffey threw her first career no-hitter in game two on Wednesday afternoon, as the Lady Bulldogs blanked the Winston-Salem State Lady Rams, 8-0 and 1-0, for the double header sweep in Gardner-Webb's final home contest of the 2010 season.
With the two shutout victories, Gardner-Webb improves to 20-29
overall on the season, marking the first time that a Lady Bulldogs
team has won 20 games since 2008.
Game 1: Gardner-Webb 8, Winston-Salem State 0
(5)
In game one, the senior duo of Christine Murray and Mandy Ward led
the Lady Bulldogs to an 8-0 win in five innings, as Murray struck
out 10 Lady Rams' hitters and Ward hit two home runs and drove in
four RBIs for the game.
Gardner-Webb got on the board first in the bottom of the second
inning, as the Lady Bulldogs scored three runs on two hits and two
Winston-Salem State throwing errors to pull out to an early 3-0
lead.
In the bottom of the third, Ward and junior Kelsey Witter hit
back-to-back home runs over the left field fence, pushing
Gardner-Webb out to a 5-0 lead after three innings of play.
GWU and Ward struck again in the bottom of the fourth, as the
senior catcher hit a towering shot over the left field fence for
her second home run of the day, this time a three-run home run
giving the home team a huge 8-0 lead.
That was more than enough for Murray (10-14), as the righty allowed
only three hits and struck out 10 in the complete game shutout
win. In fact, the third and final out of each inning for the Lady
Rams offense was a Murray strikeout.
WSSU's Brittany Lane (4-14) suffered the loss, as she was tacked
for eight runs, four of which were earned, on nine hits, while
striking out three in four innings of action.
GWU's Ward was 2-3 with two home runs, four RBIs and two runs
scored, while fellow senior Christa Fullwood was 2-2 with a triple,
an RBI and a run scored. Senior shortstop Melody Harrell was 1-2
with a double and a run scored, while Witter was 1-3 with a home
run, an RBI and a run scored.
For WSSU, Lane was 2-3, while Terry Bonika was 1-2 for the
game.
Game 2: Gardner-Webb 1, Winston-Salem State 0
In game two it was all Coffey, as the left-hander threw her first
career no-hitter during her four year career at Gardner-Webb, as
the Lady Bulldogs defeated WSSU 1-0 to complete the sweep.
The Lady Bulldogs offense put runners on base in the first, second,
fourth and fifth innings, yet failed to get the clutch hit to drive
in a run, as the score remained tied at 0-0 heading into the sixth
inning.
In the sixth, WSSU picked up its first and only base runner of the
game, as Erikka Hardy reached first on a Gardner-Webb error.
However, Hardy was quickly erased only two pitches later, as the
left fielder was caught stealing second, ending WSSU's threat.
Gardner-Webb finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth, as
Ward lead off the inning with a single up the middle. With pinch
runner Jessica Milligan on first, Witter attempted a sacrifice bunt
which saw the throw sail into right field, allowing her to move up
to second and Milligan to go all the way to third on the WSSU
error.
With two on and no outs, sophomore outfielder Lindsea Hutchinson
hit a flare to center field that dropped in between two Lady Rams,
which plated Milligan from third and gave GWU a 1-0 lead.
The single run was all Coffey (1-2) needed, as the senior from
British Columbia, Canada, with the help of some great defense
behind her for all seven innings, shut down the WSSU offense,
striking out six in the no-hit effort.
WSSU's Lane (4-15), who also got the loss in game one, pitched well
in the second game, as she gave up only one run, which was
unearned, on seven hits while also striking out seven GWU batters
over six innings.
At the plate, Gardner-Webb was once again led by Ward, who was 2-2
with a double, while Hutchinson was 2-3 with a double and an
RBI.
Gardner-Webb will wrap up its regular season slate on Saturday, May
1, as the Lady Bulldogs will travel to Johnson City, Tenn. to face
off with former Atlantic Sun foe East Tennessee State. The
non-conference double header is slated for a 3 p.m. start time at
the ETSU Softball Stadium.
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| Game 2 Box Score: Gardner-Webb 1, Winston-Salem State 0 |
| Game 1 Box Score: Gardner-Webb 8, Winston-Salem State 0 (five innings) |
