ECU softballers sweep Southern Arkansas
February 28, 2010ADA - Wanda Malone pitched four strong innings for the victory while Desiree' Nordie and Kasey Barber collected three hits apiece as East Central rolled to an 11-0 victory over Southern Arkansas on Sunday to complete a non-conference softball doubleheader sweep at Lady Tiger Field.
The Lady Tigers won the opener of the doubleheader by a 6-5 count on Stefanie Watson's sacrifice fly to right field which scored Nordie from third base in the bottom of the seventh.
ECU improved to 9-3 on the season with the sweep.
ECU 11, Southern Arkansas 0 (Game 2)
Desiree' Nordie drove home four runs and Barber knocked in three as the Lady Tigers compiled a whopping 16 hits in the game which lasted just 4 ½ innings due to the run rule.
Nicole Sanchez, Hillary Hughes and Tori Parrish also contributed two hits each.
Malone (3-1) worked four complete innings for the win as she allowed just two hits and one walk and struck out six. She fanned the side in the second inning.
Courtney Gaines pitched the fifth and final frame for ECU.
Desiree' Nordie was a perfect 3-for-3 with an infield single in the first inning, RBI single in the second, bases-loaded walk in the third and a two-run single in the fourth.
Barber went 3-for-4 with an RBI single each in the first, second and third innings.
Her run-scoring single in the first gave the Lady Tigers an early 1-0 lead. ECU then scored three unearned runs in the second off SAU starter Candice Collier to make it 4-0 as Desiree' Nordie hit an RBI single, scoring Parrish, who led off with a smash double down the third base line and into left. Barber later drove in Shelby Simmons, who reached on an error, with a single and Nordie raced home on an error on the same play.
ECU then put together a four-run, five-hit third as pinch-hitter Hilary Kuestersteffen led off with a double down the left field line. Hughes, Parrish, and Barber had a run-scoring single each in the frame while Nordie had her bases-loaded walk for an RBI in the frame as the Lady Tigers went up 8-0.
They scored three more times in the fourth off reliever Rachel Heidemann. However, all three of those runs were unearned. The highlight was Nordie's two-out, two-run single through the left side of the infield.
ECU 6, Southern Arkansas 5 (Game 1)
Nordie, Sanchez and Emily Kennemer picked up two hits each while Ellen Estabrooks got the win in relief.
Nordie was a perfect 2-for-2 with a pair of runs batted in off a sacrifice fly in the first inning and an RBI double in the seventh which tied the game at 5-5.
Sanchez went 2-for-3 with a leadoff double in the first and a two-run single in the fourth and Kennemer was 2-for-4 with a pair of singles.
Estabrooks worked the final two innings for the win as she allowed just two hits, one off a solo-homer by Stephanie Montes to give SAU a 5-4 lead to start the seventh. Estabrooks allowed no walks and struck out none in relief of starter Randee Crockett.
Reliever Alexandra Doyle (1-5) took the loss for the Muleriders in working the final 2.2 innings.
Kelsey Rodenroth went 3-for-4 with a double and scored twice for SAU while Katie Lenderman was 2-for-2 with two RBIs.
The Lady Tigers return to action on Friday and Saturday as they host a four-game series with Southwest Baptist (Mo.). Friday's doubleheader will begin at 2 p.m. while Saturday's action will start up at 11 a.m.
