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 Sarah Ytsma pitched all eight innings in WSU's 7-3 win. |
April 25, 2006
ROCHESTER, Mich. - The WSU softball team (27-20 overall) scored five runs in the top of the eighth inning to come away with a 7-3 victory and a split of its doubleheader at Oakland University (20-23 overall) on Tuesday.
In similar fashion to game one, Alex Perrino gave Oakland a 1-0 lead in the first inning with an RBI single up the middle. Julie Owen, who walked to start the game, scored on the play.
Wayne State got three hits and put a run across in the fourth inning to tie the game. After back-to-back singles by Robyn Haig (Waterloo, Ont.) and Lindsey Perry (Taylor, Mich.), Sarah Kish (St. Catharines, Ont.) got aboard on a fielder's choice. Lisa Seymour (Davison, Mich.) then smacked a sharp single to first and reached safely, allowing Perry to score from second.
WSU starter Sarah Ytsma (Chatham, Ont.) had retired nine straight batters until Lindsey Schaller tripled to center with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. Owen followed with an RBI single up the middle to put Oakland ahead, 2-1.
The Warriors would not stay down long, however, as Jordan Sinclair (Chatham, Ont.) led off the sixth with a double over the centerfielder's head. Haig's sacrifice bunt moved pinch-runner Amanda Dowe (Truro, Nova Scotia) to third, and a two-out RBI single by Kish tied the game at two.
Oakland got a runner to second in the bottom of the seventh on a walk and a sacrifice, but Ytsma got the last two outs to send the game to extra innings.
The Warriors' bats heated up in the top of the eighth, as they sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five runs.
With the international tiebreaker rule in place, Laura Guzman (Royal Oak, Mich.) was placed on second to start the eighth. Sue Verbeem (LaSalle, Ont.) singled to right to move Guzman to third, and Sinclair's long single to left-center brought in the go-ahead run.
Perry followed with an RBI single to left, scoring Verbeem, and a base hit up the middle by Kish plated Sinclair and put Wayne State ahead by three. After a pinch-hit single by Anna Schneider (Detroit, Mich.), Sarah Teller (Chesterfield Twp., Mich.) drove in two runs with a base hit to center.
Oakland added one run to its tally in the bottom of the inning, but Ytsma was able to put the game away for her 10th win of the season.
The Warriors travel to Ferris State on Friday and Grand Valley State on Saturday to complete their GLIAC schedule. WSU concludes its regular season next Tuesday at Detroit Mercy.
