The Lady Bucs finished as runners-up in the 2008 Lady Buc
College Softball Invitational, which wrapped up Saturday afternoon
at Buccaneer Field.
CSU
vs. Oakland Box Score
In their first action on the day, the Bucs concluded a game with
the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, which had begun late Friday. Oakland
held a 1-0 lead over the Bucs after one inning played heading into
the day, but CSU quickly overcame this deficit in the bottom of the
second. In fact, CSU would go from trailing to leading the game in
just one swing, as Jen Pardue's two-run home run to right center
provided CSU with a 2-1 lead.
The deep ball was Pardue's first on the season, the sixth home
run of her career, and CSU's first long shot at Buccaneer Field
this season.
After Haley Emerson evened the score at two with a third inning
homer, the game became a pitcher's duel as Oakland ace Jessica
Granger and CSU's Jamie Wellons began to settle into the game.
Wellons was particularly effective in the middle innings, holding
Oakland hitless for three consecutive innings following Emerson's
lead-off third inning solo shot.
CSU's pitching workhorse would understandably tire as the game
wore on, however, as the Charlotte transfer would surrender an
earned run to the Golden Grizzlies in the sixth as well as an
unearned run in the seventh. The runs would prove too much for CSU
to overcome, as Granger continued to mow down a Lady Buc offense
that had entered the day clicking on all cylinders. The junior
finished the day with just three hits, two runs and one walk
surrendered in a complete game performance that helped earn the
Grizz a 4-2 win.
In spite of the loss, CSU earned a spot in the championship game
against the unbeaten Toledo Rockets by virtue of a run differential
tiebreaker, as Brown (-8 runs in three round-robin games), Oakland
(-2 runs in three round-robin games) and CSU (+5 runs in three
round-robin games) all finished round-robin play at 1-2.
CSU
vs. Toledo Box Score
Wellons would tow the rubber once more in the title game, this
time in a relief role, and once more would be effective. The
Raleigh native was quite effective against a powerful Rocket
offense, surrendering just five hits over four innings of work and
surrendering no earned runs to Toledo. Her efforts weren't enough,
however, as Toledo got to starter Whitney James early and CSU had a
disappointing afternoon defensively with four errors.
The Bucs also ran into a hot pitcher on the afternoon, as Shana
Szypka allowed only one hit in six innings of work to record her
third win of the tournament. Szypka's excellence also clinched the
Invitational for Toledo, who finished the 2008 Lady Bucs College
Softball Invitational at a perfect 4-0.
Two Lady Bucs, seniors Jill Shondel and Ashley Conway, were
selected to the All-Tournament team for their efforts at the
Invitational. Shondel lead CSU at the Invitational with a .538
batting average, seven hits and a .571 on base percentage, while
Conway contributed a .364 average with four hits, a double and two
RBIs. Toledo lead-off hitter Sam Toy took home Invitational MVP
honors with a .500 batting average and a team-high four RBIs, while
also setting the pace for an explosive Rocket offense that scored
33 runs in the four games Toledo played in the tournament.
CSU will now venture on a week long road trip through Tennessee
and Mississippi that will begin Monday in Cookeville, Tennessee
against Tennessee Tech University, who defeated the Bucs 3-1 in a
game earlier this season. The Bucs next home date will come when
they host their next tournament, the 2008 Lowcountry Softball
Invitational, which will feature Notre Dame, Towson and Campbell as
well as the Lady Bucs, March 14th and the 15th.
2008 Lady Bucs College Softball Invitational All-Tournament
Team
OF Sam Toy, Toledo (Tournament MVP)
P Shana Szypka, Toledo
IF Megan McCauley, Toledo
1B/P Jill Shondel, Charleston Southern
C Ashley Conway, Charleston Southern
C Angela Righetti, Oakland
DP Linnea Anderson, Brown
