DAHLONEGA, Ga. -- The Wayne State University softball squad (7-8 overall) concluded its third pre-spring break tournament with mixed results on Sunday. After falling 3-0 to Mercyhurst (2-5) in the first game, the Warriors responded with a 2-1 triumph over No. 11 North Georgia (15-4) in the second game of the day.
The Lakers scored three times in the top of the first on a pair of hits and three walks by freshman
Haley Hurd (Atwater, Ohio / Waterloo).
Mercyhurst starter Annie Truelove (1-3) went the distance limiting WSU to four singles, while striking out four and walking two.
Hurd was replaced in the top of the first after allowing the Lakers' second run on a wild pitch. Junior
Mackenzie Boehler (Saginaw, Mich. / Swan Valley) pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings on three hits with five strikeouts. Senior
Briana Lee (Canton, Mich. / Salem) retired six of the eight batters she faced in the final two innings with one strikeout.
Senior second baseman
Nikki Fulton (Stratford, Ont. / St. Michael Catholic S.S.), freshman
Kylee Barrett (Croswell, Mich. / Croswell-Lexington), junior third baseman
Jade McGarr (Guelph, Ont. / St. James Catholic) and sophomore
Devin Hentschel (Wyoming, Mich. / Rogers) each had one hit with senior
Emily Bryce (Rochester Hills, Mich. / Rochester Adams) and sophomore
Emily Cava (Brampton, Ont. / Cardinal Leger S.S.) each reaching via a walk.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In the nightcap against the host Nighthawks, sophomore
Lyndsay Butler (Cambridge, Ont. / Centennial C.V.I.) held North Georgia to only two hits, the fewest in any game this season for UNG.
Butler retired the first 18 Nighthawk batters and was perfect through six innings. A leadoff infield single in the bottom of the seventh preceded two groundouts, before an RBI double spoiled the shutout. After a hit by pitch, Butler recorded the final out on a fly out to center.
Meanwhile, the Warrior offense had a single in each of the first two innings by Fulton, then Barrett. Fulton had a leadoff double in the fourth but was thrown out at home trying to tag on a fly out to end that frame.
In the top of the fifth, McGarr had a leadoff single and with one out stole second then advancing to third on a throwing error. Junior shortstop
Gabby Williams (South Lyon, Mich.), after fouling off a 1-2 offering, laced an RBI single into left center scoring McGarr with the game's first run.
The next inning, Bryce had a two-out single with pinch-runner
Hailey Lazarek (Allen Park, Mich.) scoring all the way from first on a double to right center by junior
Shelby Spano (Sterling Heights, Mich. / Stevenson) with what proved to be the deciding run.
After returning home for another week of classes, Wayne State will head to Florida for its annual spring break trip. The Warriors will play a doubleheader at Florida Tech (March 16) along with 12 games as part of the NTC Spring Games.
