MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.--The Hood College softball team rallied in
its final at-bats to win both of its games on the final day of its
Spring Break trip to Myrtle Beach Thursday.
In their first game, the Blazers scored four times in the
seventh to pull out a 5-4 win over Oswego State and give head coach
Tricia Fiut her 100th career win.
Hood then used a six-run seventh inning comeback to get past
Alvernia 6-4.
Against Oswego State, Hood took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on
freshman Mandi Lambert's RBI double, but the Lakers scored four
times in the fifth to move in front.
The Blazers scored all four of their seventh-inning runs with
two outs, sparked by sophomore Jamie Bussey's two-run single.
Hood later loaded the bases, and a wild pitch and throwing error
on the same play allowed the Blazers to score the tying and winning
runs.
Freshman Jamie Gardner (2-1) earned the win after tossing two
innings of hitless relief.
Freshman Sara Wastler went 3-for-4 at the plate, while sophomore
Jen Guyer and Lambert added two hits each.
In their second game of the day, the Blazers battled Alvernia
through three and a half scoreless innings before the Crusaders
plated three runs in the fourth and another in the fifth to open a
4-0 advantage.
However, the Blazers mounted their second unlikely comeback of
the day with six runs in the top of seventh.
Sophomore Alecia Weddle started the rally with a RBI-double, and
Gardner and freshman Jess Krietz added run-scoring singles to pull
Hood to within a run.
Wastler then came through with a go-ahead two-run single and
later scored on a throwing error.
Senior Lisa Green (1-3) picked up the victory after scattering
three hits in two innings of relief.
Gardner, who tossed the first four innings, re-entered in the
bottom of the seventh and closed out the game to earn the save.
Wastler again sparked the Hood offense, going 2-for-4 with two
RBIs, a run scored and a stolen base. Gardner was 2-for-3 with a
RBI and a run scored.
The Blazers return to action Sunday when they host Mount
Aloysius in a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m.
