STATESBORO,
GA.-Sophomore pitcher Brittany Stanley fanned five and the Camel
offense put up eight runs on 12 hits to fuel Campbell softball to a
game one win, taking a 8-3 victory over Drexel, and sophomore Robin
Leathers sent a two-run homer over the centerfield wall in a game
two to give CU a 4-3 win in dramatic fashion over Radford at the
Georgia Southern Invitational Saturday morning in Statesboro,
Ga.
"I'm very proud of
progress we've made as a unit," said head coach Drew Peterson. "All
of these wins this weekend were results of a team effort, with a
host of individuals contributing to each of our wins. I'm also
proud of Courtney Quinn and Karlie Love for the performances they
had on the field."
The Camels
move to 5-1 on the year with the pair of wins, meanwhile Drexel and
Radford take their first losses of the season, each falling to
2-1.
With their first
at bat of the game, the Camels capitalized on a Courtney Quinn
homerun, her third of the year and second in as many days. The
Dragons answered in the top of the third, scoring sophomore second
baseman Carla Waldron on a Molly Dacey single, tying the game at
one-all.
In the bottom of
the inning, sophomore catcher Amanda Littlejohn, reaching on a
single, scored on an Ashley Jones hit, putting CU up 2-1. Freshman
third baseman Amanda Miller also picked up her fifth and sixth RBI
of the year in the inning, knocking in freshman Amanda Cline and
junior Hilary Wheatley to give the Camels a 4-1 advantage after
three.
After downing the
Dragons in the top of the fourth, Campbell threatened again in the
bottom half of the inning. After Quinn reached on a single, junior
first baseman Karlie Love drove her in, collecting a single of her
own, making the score 6-1 in favor of the Camels.
For the Dragons in
the fifth, Dacey took another ball into the CU outfield, driving in
her second run of the game. After an Ashley Botelho RBI sacrifice
fly, Drexel cut the lead to three runs with two innings to
play.
With a 6-3 lead in
the top of the sixth, Stanley sat the Dragons down in order,
notching a pair of strikeouts. After a quiet fifth inning, freshman
shortstop Katie Hinton and Littlejohn knocked in a run each,
putting the Camels up 8-3.
With the win,
Stanley improves her year mark to 3-0, grabbing her third complete
game, while the Dragons' Katrina Gaudier takes the loss, giving up
five runs on eight hits in the game.
In the Camels'
final game of the tournament, extra innings were needed to decide
the winner, with freshman hurler Lauren Stephan working in the
circle. The Phoenix, Ariz. native struck out six Highlanders
without issuing a walk, allowing three runs with only one earned,
going all nine innings for CU. Senior Ashley Taylor was charged
with the loss for Radford, going 8.1 innings and allowing seven
hits, four runs, one earned, striking out nine batters and walking
two.
Trailing 1-0 in
the bottom of the fifth inning, Campbell's Wheatley tied the game,
advancing on a throw with two-out in the inning. In the Radford
sixth, Jennifer Everhart collected a RBI, knocking in freshman
Kristen Shifflett to give the Highlanders a 2-1 lead.
Campbell would put
another run of the board in the seventh, as Amanda Littlejohn
nabbed her 11th RBI of the year, driving in Quinn,
forcing the game into extra innings.
After Radford
sophomore catcher Sarah Himan drove in a run in the top of the
ninth, CU's Robin Leathers tagged a one-out pitch over the
centerfield wall, scoring freshman second baseman Keeli Michael and
giving the Camels a 4-3 walk-off win.
Quinn and Love led
the way for the Camels offensively the entire weekend, combining
for 15 hits in 27 plate appearances, scoring seven times and
driving in six runs in the four game set.
"I'm dedicating
this weekend to my father-in-law, James Miller of Plymouth Ind.,"
added Peterson, who learned of Miller's passing earlier in the day.
"He's in paradise now."
The Camels will
make their home debut next Tuesday at the Eakes Complex, matching
up for a doubleheader against in-state foe UNC Wilmington for a 4
p.m. contest.
