The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Chattanooga
Zips Softball Falls in Both Games of Day 2 of the Dot Richardson Invitational
February 13 | Softball
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Game 1 Box Score (PDF) | Game 2 Box Score (PDF)
Clermont, Fla – The Akron softball team falls just short of a ninth inning comeback against Bethune-Cookman, 3-2, and went just 5-for-25 from the plate in the Zips early afternoon contest but could not bounce back from an early deficit falling to Chattanooga, 6-3, in Clermont, Fla., Saturday afternoon.
"If we start doing what we practice, we will win. I thought Nicole gave us an opportunity to win the second game but we keep taking ourselves out of it by making mistakes," said head coach Julie Jones. "If we can clean that up and start putting the ball in play, score some runs, do what we do in practice we will be just fine."
Heading into the bottom of seventh inning against Bethune-Cookman, Akron trailed 3-1. Junior Carley Childress (Belknap, Ill.) doubled to lead off the inning. After a quick out, Fruin moved Childress over to third with a groundout. Freshman Kelly Hysong (Canton, Ohio) stepped to the plate and smacked a shot over the right fielders head, put her head down and strolled into third base for a triple where she would stay stranded to end the game.
Sophomore Nicole Best (Brunswick, Ohio) pitched a complete game against the wildcats. The righty went all seven innings, gave up 11 hits but held Bethune-Cookman to just three runs and struck out two.
Chattanooga struck first in the initial contest posting four runs in the fourth inning off a single and a pair of doubles. All four runs were unearned.
The Zips scored their first runs of the 2016 season in the fourth inning of the affair. Hysong ripped a double to right-center field and junior Anna Tarpley (Jacksonvile, Fla.) moved to third after her leadoff walk. The next batter, freshman Gabrielle Fredericks (New Philadelphia, Ohio), reached on a fielder's choice and Hysong scored easily from third. Fredericks then took off for second base creating a diversion for Tarpley to steal home, both runners were safe.
The Mocs countered the Zips fourth inning adding on another pair of runs off two singles.
In the fifth inning, Akron put another run on the board when junior Savannah Fruin (Delray Beach, Fla.) put the ball in play, sophomore Kayla Schlosser (Erie, Pa.) was forced out at second, and sophomore Cassie Gillespie (Sylvania, Ohio) went from second to home and was called safe due to an obstruction of the plate.
Senior Erin Seiler (Bowling Green, Ohio) was the Zips starter but did not make it out of the first inning. Sophomore Paige McMenemy (Westerville, Ohio) came in relief and pitched 5.1 innings, surrendered two runs on six hits and struck out seven.
Akron will round out the Dot Richardson Invitational tomorrow at 9 a.m. against Morgan State in Clermont, Fla.
