Game 1
Box Score (Quinnipiac)
Freshman Brandi Lawson is making sure the softball world is learning her name. The Freshman blasted a two-out, grand slam in the top of the sixth inning to propel IUPUI to a 5-3 win over Quinnipiac in the opening game of the Lancer Lead-Off. IUPUI dropped game two 8-1 to Longwood.
In the young six-game season, Lawson is hitting .444 with two home runs and 8 RBIs.
Such a clutch home run couldn't have happened without the rally by her teammates first.
Senior Amy Raker got the rally started with a one-out single.Chelsie Hale's sacrifice bunt advanced Tori Magner, who pinch ran for Raker, to second base.
Leah Prewitt and Hannah Croucher walked setting up Lawson's blast. The Jaguars (3-2) tacked one more on after a Julie Love double and a Jessica Lam RBI-single.
Down 5-2 in the seventh inning, Quinnipiac mounted a late rally in the seventh inning. After two singles and a hit batsman loaded the bases, Nicole Natter (1-0), the game's winning pitcher, hit the next batter to force in a run.
Coach Maggie Calcaterra called on Samantha Bumbaugh for the save. Bumbaugh struck out the next two hitters to get the save and preserve the win for the Jaguars (3-2).
All eight runs were scored in the last three innings of the game. Before that, the game was a pitcher's duel.
Freshman ace Nikki Thomas started for the Jaguars was in control for the first three innings, but got a bit wild in the fourth.
She hit the first two batters of the fourth inning. After a sacrifice bunt by Bridget Figmic, the Bobcats had runners at second and third with one out. Thomas hit Joelle Jacobsen to load the bases.
But, the Southport native, buckled down to keep the game scoreless. She got Alex Murray to fly out to left and fanned Julia Sini to leave the bases loaded.
Quinnipiac finally got to Thomas in the fifth with a Jacqueline Ristow RBI-single. After the next batter
doubled, Calcaterra took Thomas out and went with Natter (1-0) to try to stop the bleeding. She did the job as a defensive miscue accounted for Quinnipiac's second run.
Game 2
Box Score (Longwood)
Poor defense did not help IUPUI's cause in an 8-1 loss to Longwood in its second game of the day. The team had four errors leading to five total unearned runs.
Two Jaguar errors fueled three unearned runs, putting the Jaguars down 8-1 in the top of the sixth inning.
Lancers' starter Briana Wells turned in a dominant performance giving up just four hits and one run.
Lam was one of the few who figured out Wells. She had two of those five hits, including a single to knock in Brewer, accounting for the only Jaguars run in the game.
IUPUI's biggest threat came in the bottom of the sixth. Hale was hit by a pitch, Prewitt singled and Lawson walked to load the bases with one out, but reliever Brittany Shotwell fanned Love and Brewer to escape the jam.
The Jaguars were behind right from the start.
The host Lancers got an unearned run in the first inning when, with two outs, Maggie Margadonna scored on a passed ball after an error allowed her to get third.
They added two more in the second inning, one on an RBI-single by Tricia Nelson and the other on an error.
Brooke Short's solo home run and Ashley Kramer's two-out single put the Jaguars down five.
Jocelyn Oppenhuis took the loss in the circle giving up three earned runs over five innings of work.
IUPUI (3-3) will play another doubleheader on Sunday. The first game will be at 11 am against Army while the Jaguars will get a second chance at defeating the Lancers (3 pm) in their second game of the day.
