Softball wins in walk-off fashion
Andrew Kelley
Issue date: 2/26/10 Section: Sports
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning and hopes dwindling, junior Julie Langseth made softball the talk of Quaker Nation, launching a fastball over the right-center-field fence to give the Quakers a dramatic 5-4 victory over archrival Greensboro College Pride.
The Quakers' softball team got their season underway Feb. 17 with a doubleheader at a frigid Haworth Field. Both teams came out to play with a competitive fire that heated the field. Unfortunately, spectators in attendance were stuck taking turns warming up by a portable heater.
"Playing in that weather was miserable," said first-year second-baseman Brandi Ingram. "It was so cold that bats were breaking from just hitting the ball."
The Pride scored the game's first run in the second inning when Ingram's throw passed diving first-year shortstop Autumn Yoder as Greensboro's designated hitter Brittany Parsons crossed the plate to score.
The Pride went on to take a 3-0 lead off shortstop Brittany Teer's opposite field home run over the right-field wall in the top of the third. Guilford sophomore pitcher Burcham settled in after that to retire the next three Pride hitters, striking out two of them.
Guilford got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth inning when Ingram hit a double to start a two out rally, and junior third-baseman Ami Hutcherson followed her with a single of her own. As a result, Ingram advanced to third. Ingram then scored on a fielder's choice, and Hutcherson later scored when junior Courtney Kozar was caught stealing second, serving as the decoy to cut the Pride lead to one.
The Quakers pushed across another run in the sixth off of a bases-loaded walk to tie the game at three. Meanwhile, Guilford pitcher Jessica Burcham was on cruise control, holding the Pride scoreless for three consecutive innings.
Greensboro tacked a run on in the seventh inning thanks to first-year Kimberly Blust's sacrifice fly to give the Pride a 4-3 lead going into the Quakers' final at-bats.
The Quakers' softball team got their season underway Feb. 17 with a doubleheader at a frigid Haworth Field. Both teams came out to play with a competitive fire that heated the field. Unfortunately, spectators in attendance were stuck taking turns warming up by a portable heater.
"Playing in that weather was miserable," said first-year second-baseman Brandi Ingram. "It was so cold that bats were breaking from just hitting the ball."
The Pride scored the game's first run in the second inning when Ingram's throw passed diving first-year shortstop Autumn Yoder as Greensboro's designated hitter Brittany Parsons crossed the plate to score.
The Pride went on to take a 3-0 lead off shortstop Brittany Teer's opposite field home run over the right-field wall in the top of the third. Guilford sophomore pitcher Burcham settled in after that to retire the next three Pride hitters, striking out two of them.
Guilford got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth inning when Ingram hit a double to start a two out rally, and junior third-baseman Ami Hutcherson followed her with a single of her own. As a result, Ingram advanced to third. Ingram then scored on a fielder's choice, and Hutcherson later scored when junior Courtney Kozar was caught stealing second, serving as the decoy to cut the Pride lead to one.
The Quakers pushed across another run in the sixth off of a bases-loaded walk to tie the game at three. Meanwhile, Guilford pitcher Jessica Burcham was on cruise control, holding the Pride scoreless for three consecutive innings.
Greensboro tacked a run on in the seventh inning thanks to first-year Kimberly Blust's sacrifice fly to give the Pride a 4-3 lead going into the Quakers' final at-bats.
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