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St. Cloud State University
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Softball team keeps on rolling
SCSU splits with NDSU, but is still maintaining a high level of play
By Ben Dunsmoor
Published:
Thursday, April 24, 2003
Media Credit: Blair Schlichte
SCSU sophomore Megan Fuches takes a slice at some cheese from NDSU�s Courtney Lacock during the second game of a doubleheader at Selke Field Tuesday.
Megan Fuches makes a throw to first for an out.
What a week it has been for the Husky softball team.
This past weekend they went a perfect 5-0 at the MSU, Mankato Tournament, and extended their winning streak to eight games. Tuesday, the Huskies split a home doubleheader with the third-ranked North Dakota State University Bison. Throughout this stretch, the NCC named senior SCSU catcher Abby Bourman as its Player of the Week.
This successful softball odyssey began last Friday in Mankato when the Huskies shutout Winona State, 4-0. The bats of Bourman, right fielder Abby Velta, junior first baseman Brooke Gentzler and junior pitcher Nicole Webb led SCSU. Gentzler and Bourman both had homers in the game. Velta went an impressive three-for-four from the plate. Webb pitched the entire game, went one-for-three batting, had one RBI and also notched the win.
The second game was just as impressive with a 7-5 win over the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks. Bourman and Webb were again impressive in this contest. Webb pitched all seven innings striking out two batters and received the win. Bourman had a game-winning two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning and went one-for-three at the plate. Velta and left fielder Amy Anderson both had two RBI's in the game.
Saturday proved to be just as successful for the Huskies as they defeated Northern State 11-2, Concordia St. Paul 5-4 and shutout Southwest State 10-0. Needless to say, head coach Paula U'Ren was pleased with the Mankato trip.
"We definitely played well," U'Ren said. "We used the weekend to work on other aspects of our game and we put it together and got the clutch hits we wanted and made some good defensive plays."
It was back to Selke Field for more NCC action Tuesday as SCSU played nationally-ranked NDSU.
The Bison got on the board in the second inning with a 1-0 lead until the bottom of the seventh when Gentzler came to the plate for some more Selke heroics. After Cally Stewart and Bourman were thrown out on a double-play, Gentzler jacked a solo homer to tie the game.
"That was kind of a high pitch," Gentzler said. "They'd been kind of throwing it around, but I just saw it and it went."
The 10th inning saw both teams score, tying the game at two apiece. Bourman scored for the Huskies in the 10th off a Webb single.
It wasn't until the 11th inning that the game was decided when Velta hit a double that brought first-year player Jessica Preiner home from third for the 3-2 win over The Herd.
"That was awesome," Gentzler said, "Velta came up with a clutch hit and we played tough the whole game."
The second game was not such a marathon, but the Huskies took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. Cally Stewart came home after Bison pitcher Courtney Lacock, with the bases loaded, walked Angie Berg.
Despite giving Megan Grimes, Vanessa Miller and Abby Augdahl all shots at pitching to the Bison, the Huskies (30-13, 3-5) still allowed NDSU to score five unanswered runs in the remaining six innings.
"The second game we just had a letdown and they took advantage of it," a perturbed U'Ren said. "We just have to maintain some more consistency in our performance."
"I think we just relaxed and coasted," Gentzler said of the game two loss. "I think we beat ourselves more than they beat us."
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