Sixth Inning Magic Helps UVa-Wise Sweep Union Softball

March 28, 2006

Union, KY -- The UVa-Wise softball team used some sixth inning magic to help sweep Union College Tuesday afternoon. The Lady Cavs lined three-straight doubles for a four run sixth to win the opener, 7-3, before seeing Shelley Newton belt a two-run homer in the same frame of the latter affair for a 6-4 victory over the Lady Bulldogs.

UVa-Wise has now won its last seven games to improve to 14-10. The squad stayed perfect in the Appalachian Athletic Conference at 6-0 while Union fell to 9-19 and 0-4 in the league.

For the twinbill, Newton pounded out four hits, a double, a homer, one run and six rbi at the plate for UVa-Wise. Britney Lawson had three hits with a double, triple, two runs and two runs batted in. Terri Ann Hill produced two doubles and Sarah Frazier had one double and three runs scored.

Lead off batters were the winning Lady Cav ingredient in the opener. Britney Lawson led off the game with a triple and scored on a Union error. The Lady Bulldogs plated single tallies in the second and third before Mary Wilson lined a lead off single and came home on a sacrifice fly from Ashley Addington.

The Lady Bulldogs edged back ahead, 3-2, with another single run in the bottom of the fourth. Lawson began the fifth with a single, stole second, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a Newton sacrifice fly to tie the game, 3-3. In the game-deciding sixth inning, Wilson singled to start the at bat, and scored on a Terri Ann Hill double three batters later. Sarah Frazier and Lawson followed Hill with two-baggers of their own to drive in a total of four runs to bring it to 7-3. Mallory Mazur pitched a scoreless final three frames, did not allow a hit and struck out four to pick up the victory.

In the nightcap, it was the Shelley Newton show for the Lady Cavs. She doubled to score Frazier, who singled, in the first. Newton laced a two-run single in the second after Lawson drew a bases loaded walk to go ahead 4-0.

Union posted its biggest inning of the day in the third with three runs and tied the game, 4-4, with a single tally in the bottom of the fifth. Newton proved to be the show in the top of the sixth once again. After Frazier drew a two out walk and stole second, Newton belted a two-run homer to put UVa-Wise back in the lead for good, 6-4. Amanda Wheeler slammed the door shut by setting down the Union batters in order in its last two trips to the plate.

The Lady Cavs will now be off until next Monday when they host the University of the Cumberlands for two games starting at 2:00 p.m.

Game 1
UVa-Wise 100 114 0 7-7-0
Union 011 100 0 3-6-4

WP: Mallory Mazur (3-4) C-Melanie Sutherland
Dani Benton (1st 4 IP)
LP: Kayla Singley C-Ashleigh Mensch
Monica Valdez (1.2 IP)
2B - Lawson(W); Hill (W); Frazier (W); Behnken (U); McSpedon (U); Bertsch(U). 3B - Lawson (W)

Game 2
UVa-Wise 130 002 0 6-9-2
Union 003 010 0 4-8-1

WP: Amanda Wheeler (2-2) C-Shelley Newton
Mallory Mazur (1st 2.1 IP)
LP: Monica Valdez C-Ashleigh Mensch
Kaila McSpedon (1st 2.0 IP)
2B - Newton (W); Hill (W); Bridges(U). HR - Newton (W)