Hennings, Gierke Pitch Cougars to Victory
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (3/13/07) - The Kean University
softball team improved to 6-0 this season with victories over
University of Wisconsin-Stout (3-1) and Lake Forest College (4-2)
at the Rebel Spring Games on Tuesday morning.
GAME ONE: THREE-RUN THIRD INNING POWERS KEAN PAST WISC.-STOUT
Junior centerfielder Katy McManus (Edison, N.J.)
had a two-out double to score the go-ahead runs, as the Cougars
rallied from an early 1-0 deficit to defeat University of Wisconsin
- Stout, 3-1, in the day's opening game.
The Blue Devils plated the game's first run, as they took advantage
of two Cougar errors in the game's first two plays. Junior
Jackie Juan (La Crosse, Wisc.) delivered a
sacrifice fly to centerfield to score junior Beth Lloyd to take a
1-0 lead before the Cougars threw out freshman Sarah Nelson
(Chippewa Falls, Wisc.) who tried advancing to third on
the play.
In the bottom of the third inning, Kean junior shortstop
Johanna Hedler (South Plainfield, N.J.) scored on
an RBI single by sophomore second baseman Sara Steinman
(Springfield, N.J.) to tie the game. One batter later,
McManus drove in both Steinman and sophomore left fielder
Jesse Buchanan (Washington Twp., N.J.) to give the
Cougars a 3-1 lead.
On the mound, junior right-hander Kristen Hennings
(Jackson, N.J.) allowed six hits and no walks, while
striking out six in her second victory of the season.
GAME TWO: GIERKE EARNS COMPLETE-GAME, NINE-INNING VICTORY
Sophomore right-hander Meg Gierke (Glen Gardner,
N.J.) had nine strikeouts and allowed just four hits, as
the Cougars defeated Lake Forest, 4-2, in nine innings on Wednesday
morning.
Gierke, who had a no-hitter through four innings, pitched the
complete game victory to improve to 3-0 this season.
Junior shortstop Johanna Hedler (South Plainfield,
N.J.) led the game off with an infield single and would
score on a RBI groundout by sophomore second baseman Sara Steinman
(Springfield, N.J.) to give Kean the early 1-0 lead.
Kean would tack on a run in the fifth inning, as Steinman had a RBI
single to centerfield to score sophomore left fielder Jesse
Buchanan (Washington Twp., N.J.), who had a two-out double
to the left field fence.
In the bottom of the fifth, freshman Mallory Norton
(Chicago, Ill.) broke up the no-hitter with a single
through the left side and freshman Jill Pfund (Morceni,
Mich.) had a RBI single to cut the Cougar lead to 2-1.
The Foresters tied the game in the bottom of the seventh, as senior
Jenni Riddle (Bloomington, Ill.) had a two-out RBI
single to score freshman Tracy Rainey (Roselle,
Ill.) to force extra innings.
In the top of the ninth inning, international tie-breaking rules
placed junior third baseman Kara Schultz (Clinton,
N.J.) second base to start the inning, and junior catcher
Vicki Lanza (Edison, N.J.) put down a sacrifice
bunt that resulted in a throwing error to score Schultz. The
Cougars tacked on an insurance run when junior first baseman
Katie Hicks (Medford Lakes, N.J.) singled to score
freshman pinch runner Melissa Dietrich (Carteret,
N.J.).
The Cougars return to action on Wednesday, March 14, when they take
on Rhode Island College (1 p.m.) and Penn State-Behrend (3 p.m.).
