DeLand, Fla. ? Freshman designated player Jessica Lokeinsky (Cooper City, Fla.) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning to force in the winning run as the Stetson softball team (24-11) beat Iowa 6-5 in the Stetson Hatter Roundup Tuesday evening at Patricia Wilson Field. The Hatters fell 2-0 to Tulsa in the nightcap. Iowa was receiving votes in both national polls.
Iowa catcher Emily Nichols blasted a two-run home run in the top of the first to give her team the early 2-0 lead but Stetson erased that advantage in its first trip to the plate. Junior left fielder Amanda Bailey (Destin, Fla.) drove in two runs with a two-out double to right center field to tie the game.
An RBI groundout put the Hawkeyes back up 3-2 in the top of the third but the Hatters would answer again in their half of the inning, this time in emphatic fashion. Junior first baseman Andrea Migliori (Winter Garden, Fla.) cranked an Amanda Zust pitch deep over the left field fence to tie the game and sophomore DP Amanda Lindsey (Byhalia, Miss.) immediately followed with a shot over the wall in right center to give the Hatters a 4-3 lead. The home runs were the 12th of the year for Migliori and the fourth for Lindsey.
The lead changed hands again when a double steal, a single and an error created two runs for Iowa in the top of the fourth inning. Ultimately, the rally that won the game for Stetson was pulled off without the benefit of a base hit in the sixth inning.
Senior second baseman Nicole Forbes (Tampa, Fla.) reached on an error to lead off and advanced to second when freshman right fielder Rachel Lowe (Okeechobee, Fla.) walked. Senior center fielder Amy Peters (Niceville, Fla.) bunted them over and senior third baseman Lindsay Wightman (Surrey, B.C.) then walked to load the bases for Migliori. Hawkeye relief pitcher Brittany Weil could not find the plate and walked in Migliori with the tying run. Weil got ahead of the next hitter, Lokeinsky, 0-2 but lost control of her next pitch and drilled Lokeinsky in the side to force in Lowe.
Iowa threatened in the seventh, putting runners on first and second with nobody out, but junior pitcher Erica Demers (Miami, Fla.) shut the Hawkeyes down from there, striking out the next two batters and getting the last hitter to pop up harmlessly as the Hatters celebrated their biggest win of the 2008 season.
Lindsey had two hits and Wightman walked three times for the Hatters. Nichols drove in three runs for Iowa while second baseman Chelsea Carmody singled and doubled and left fielder Rachel West had two hits as well.
Demers got the complete game win, her 12th of the season and the 60th of her career to become the third pitcher in program history to reach 60 career victories. She allowed five runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out five. Weil didn't give up a hit but walked six batters and was charged with two unearned runs and the loss.
Tulsa freshman pitcher Jordan Kinard handcuffed Stetson in the nightcap to the tune of a three-hit shutout with two walks and seven strkeouts. She walked just two hitters and allowed a Hatter baserunner to second base only once the entire game.
Tulsa scored in the first on an RBI single by center fielder Vanessa Vice and brought in an insurance run in the sixth on left fielder Brooke Smart's RBI groundout. Smart also robbed Wightman of at least a double with a leaping catch against the left field wall in the bottom of the fourth.
Lindsey took the loss for Stetson with two runs coming in on three hits and two walks in seven innings. She struck out five.
Today's tournament was the seventh and final one of the regular season for the Hatters, who host Dartmouth in a single game Wednesday at 5 p.m. Canisius will be in town for a doubleheader Friday at 5 p.m. and A-Sun play begins Saturday in a 12 p.m. doubleheader at home against Campbell.
Hatter Vision has all the live video and audio with Jamie Bataille providing play-by-play. Live stats are also available for all games; all of this can be found on the official website of Stetson Athletics, www.gohatters.com.
