Spring Break
URI softball suffers two losses during weekend's Frost Classic
Brandon Gearing
Issue date: 3/5/09 Section: Sports
03/05/09 - The University of Rhode Island softball team was handed a pair of deflating losses this past weekend at a shortened Chattanooga Frost Classic. URI fell to both Lipscomb University and the University of Tennessee-Martin by scores of 7-3 and 2-1.
Rhody was pegged to face both Radford University and Tennessee Technical College the following day, as well as Eastern Tennessee State University on the third and final day of the tournament. Rainy weather forced the cancellation of the final three contests.
In each game that Rhode Island played, the Rams went into the final inning tied, but relinquished the lead.
"Our game is about momentum," head coach Erin Layton said. "In the seventh inning, on each occasion, the team that we were playing was able to take momentum from us."
In game one, Rhody squared off against Lipscomb University, led by power-hitting shortstop Abby Keese.
The Bison opened the scoring in the first thanks to some timely hitting, as Lipscomb's Kellie Sirus smacked a double to centerfield, capitalizing on a costly Rhody.
Junior Melissa Wilson answered back for Rhode Island in the second as she blasted a solo homerun, her first of the year, over the center field wall to even the score at 1.
Rhody added another run in the third as it too was able to exploit a costly error, pushing a run across to secure the 2-1 advantage.
Botched bunt coverage led to another URI error and a Bison single, setting the stage for Lipscomb slugger, Keese, to break the game wide open. Layton opted to intentionally walk Keese for the second time in the game, loading the bases.
Under pressure, Rhody pitcher Allison Hartzell suffered her first miscue of the game, as she plunked the next batter, forcing in a run to tie the game at two.
Lipscomb broke the tie in the fifth inning thanks to a single by Sirus, another Keese walk and a sacrifice fly that plated a run.
The Rams responded with a run of their own in the seventh as sophomore Amanda Sbei came around to score on a throwing error by Bison catcher Mollie Mitchell.
Rhody was pegged to face both Radford University and Tennessee Technical College the following day, as well as Eastern Tennessee State University on the third and final day of the tournament. Rainy weather forced the cancellation of the final three contests.
In each game that Rhode Island played, the Rams went into the final inning tied, but relinquished the lead.
"Our game is about momentum," head coach Erin Layton said. "In the seventh inning, on each occasion, the team that we were playing was able to take momentum from us."
In game one, Rhody squared off against Lipscomb University, led by power-hitting shortstop Abby Keese.
The Bison opened the scoring in the first thanks to some timely hitting, as Lipscomb's Kellie Sirus smacked a double to centerfield, capitalizing on a costly Rhody.
Junior Melissa Wilson answered back for Rhode Island in the second as she blasted a solo homerun, her first of the year, over the center field wall to even the score at 1.
Rhody added another run in the third as it too was able to exploit a costly error, pushing a run across to secure the 2-1 advantage.
Botched bunt coverage led to another URI error and a Bison single, setting the stage for Lipscomb slugger, Keese, to break the game wide open. Layton opted to intentionally walk Keese for the second time in the game, loading the bases.
Under pressure, Rhody pitcher Allison Hartzell suffered her first miscue of the game, as she plunked the next batter, forcing in a run to tie the game at two.
Lipscomb broke the tie in the fifth inning thanks to a single by Sirus, another Keese walk and a sacrifice fly that plated a run.
The Rams responded with a run of their own in the seventh as sophomore Amanda Sbei came around to score on a throwing error by Bison catcher Mollie Mitchell.
