GULF SHORES, Ala. – HBU fell to Liberty, 11-3 in six innings, and Jackson State, 7-4, on day two of the Sand Dollar Classic Saturday.
In game one, Liberty took a 2-0 lead with one swing in the bottom of the first, as Kelby Allen hit a one-out, two-run shot to left-center to give the home team on the scoreboard the early lead.
In the bottom of the third, Tori Zavodny homered to right field to give the Flames a 3-0 lead.
HBU scored three times in the top of the sixth to knot the game at 3-all.
Shay Orsak led off the inning with a single, followed by a single by
Nicole Shedd. After a groundout that moved the runners to second and third,
Melissa Herman walked, loading the bases with one out.
Libby Brown hit a two-run double to right-center field, cutting the deficit to one, 3-2. With runners at second and third,
Cecilia Bauer reached on an error, which scored Herman from third and tied the game. The Huskies were still threatening, with two runners on, but Chandler Ball struck out consecutive Huskies to keep the game tied.
HBU's defense had a rough bottom of the sixth, as Liberty put an eight-spot in the inning to win via run-rule, 11-3. The Huskies had four errors and two wild pitches with runners on in the inning.
Six different Huskies had a hit, while Brown had the two RBIs.
Shannon O'Connor took the loss in the circle, as she went 5.0+ innings and allowed 10 hits, seven runs, and four walks with one strikeout.
Emily Mueller and
Erica Reyes each pitched in the sixth inning.
Crisp went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored for Liberty, while Zavodny, Allen, and Mickey Loveridge each had two hits. Ball earned the win in the circle, as she allowed six hits, three runs (two earned) and one walk while striking out five.
Both HBU and Jackson State scored a run in the first inning in game two. An RBI single by Reyes scored Brown in the top of the second to give the Huskies a 2-1 lead.
The Huskies scored twice in the top of the fourth, as Herman scored on a passed ball and
Michaela Granchelli scored on a Lady Tigers error, as HBU increased its lead to 4-1. But, similar to game one, the opponents followed with a big inning, with the defense partly the culprit. Jackson State ended the bottom of the fourth scoring four runs on three hits and three HBU errors, as the teams entered the fifth with the Lady Tigers having their first lead of the game, 5-4.
Jackson State added two insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth on a two-run single by AJ Hervey. The Huskies had a chance, with the tying run at the plate with two outs in the bottom half of the frame, but Merina Young got a strikeout to end the threat. The Huskies went down in order in the seventh.
HBU was held to just two hits in the game, as M. Granchelli and Reyes each went 1-for-2. Orsak and Reyes each had an RBI.
Laci Belovsky started in the circle and lasted 4.2 innings, allowing four earned runs and four walks while striking out one. O'Connor pitched the final 1.1 and walked two.
Denisha Knight went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored to lead Jackson State (2-3). Hervey also went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs. Sybil Lozano started in the circle and took the no decision, as she allowed one hit, two earned runs, and one walk. Young earned the win, giving up one hit, two runs (zero earned), and five walks with three strikeouts in 5.1 innings.
HBU (0-4) concludes the Sand Dollar Classic against Florida International Sunday at 10 am.
