GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - A four-run second inning propelled the third-seeded Anderson University softball team past No. 2 seed Catawba, 7-4, in second-round action of the 2012 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Softball Tournament Friday afternoon at Tusculum's Red Edmonds Field.
Anderson (37-11) has won five straight and advances to meet the winner of the top-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne/No. 5 seed Tusculum matchup on Saturday at 2:30 p.m., while Catawba (32-16) drops into the elimination bracket and will face either fourth-seeded Carson-Newman or No. 8 seeded Mars Hill at 6 p.m. this evening.
Anderson plated four runs on four hits in the top of the second inning to gain an early 4-0 advantage, as the Trojans loaded the bases with one out in the top of the frame. Back-to-back doubles, first by freshman Bri Cason, then from Charlotte Sieber provided the firepower. Cason laced a double on an 0-1 pitch to center field, scoring sophomore Laura Jansky and Amber Duncan, while Sieber followed with a shot to center that plated Cason and Rachel Rhodes.
The Indians put together a two-out threat in the third when
junior Amanda Terry doubled to right-center, but Duncan recorded
the third out on a grounder back to the circle.
Catawba trimmed the Trojan lead to 4-1 with a solo run in the
fourth by taking advantage of Alli Justice's lead-off single to
center. Catcher Tara Gibbs followed with a walk to move
pinch-runner Kayla Myers into scoring position and one out later,
Sydney Hyder popped up into shallow right field, where AU second
baseman Jessica Neidigh made the catch, but it was deep enough for
Myers to score from third.
AU sophomore Danielle Swygert answered for the Trojans in the top of the fifth inning by ripping an opposite-field two-out double to left-center that brought home freshman Rebecca Martin, who scored all the way from first base.
Catawba climbed within 5-3 in the fifth on an RBI double by Justice and a wild pitch, but Anderson again answered with a pair of runs in the sixth to boost the lead to 7-3, when freshman Rebecca Martin was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Abby Child lifted a sacrifice fly to right-center.
The Indians brought the tying run to the plate with two runners on base and two out in their final at-bat, but a ground out to second ended the game
Jansky was 2-for-4 on the afternoon, with a pair of singles and scored once, while Cason finished with the RBI-double and also crossed the plate once. Duncan was 1-for-2 at the plate with a walk and Swygert notched the run-scoring double.
Duncan (22-8) earned her second complete-game win in as many days by giving up four earned runs on nine hits, while issuing five walks and striking out six - with five coming in the game's first three innings
Amanda Terry led Catawba at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Sydney Hyder and Alli Justice each went 2-for-3 for the Indians.