Quevedo Helps Spartans To Split With Lipscomb
4/19/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 19, 2008
Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2
Nashville, Tenn. - Lauren Quevedo hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning to help lead Upstate to a split with Lipscomb in a key A-Sun Conference softball battle at Draper Field. Upstate won the first game by a score of 8-7, while Lipscomb countered with a 3-0 win in the second.
Upstate stands 30-13 overall and 14-6 in the A-Sun. Lipscomb is 27-22 overall and 16-6 in the conference.
"It's one of the few times that Morgan is ever going to struggle," said Upstate head coach Chris Hawkins. "Having said that, it was very nice to see the team come through for her. I thought we hit the ball really hard in the second game. You have to credit Lipscomb for playing good defense."
In game one, Upstate rallied from a 7-4 deficit in the seventh inning to take an 8-7 win in eight innings, extending the Spartans' winning streak to 11 games and snapping Lipscomb's 11-game winning streak.
Trailing 7-4 to begin the seventh, Shay Slater and Heidi Gibbs led off the inning with back-to-back hits. After a strikeout, Quevedo lifted a three-run home run over the wall and off of the scoreboard in right center to tie the game at 7-7. Quevedo, the reigning A-Sun Player of the Week, hit her fifth home run in the last six games with the game-tying blast.
Kim Brasil led off the eighth inning with a walk and stole second. Slater lifted a fly ball to center that was deep enough to move Brasil over to third. Gibbs's line drive was dropped by the Lipscomb shortstop and Brasil scored from third with the game-winning run.
Upstate starter Morgan Childers gave up a leadoff single in the bottom of the eighth, but got a great play by shortstop Ana Mitchell to put an end to the threat. Mitchell ranged toward the second base bag to catch the line drive and fired a throw to first to double off the runner. Childers then induced a fly out to left field, ending the game. Childers went the distance, striking out six to improve to 23-5 on the year. The 23 wins is tops in the A-Sun.
Upstate plated a run in the first inning, but Lipscomb answered when Christen Campbell connected on a grand slam to give the Lady Bisons a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the frame.
Upstate battled back with three runs in the fourth inning on a two-run double by Slater and an RBI single by Gibbs, tying the game at 4-4. Lipscomb answered again with a run in the bottom of the fourth when Keese scored on a wild pitch. The Lady Bisons opened a 7-4 lead with two runs in the fifth, setting up the seventh inning rally by the Spartans.
Campbell, who entered the game with two outs in the seventh inning, gave up the game-winning run in the eighth and took the loss. She fell to 7-7 on the year.
In the second game, Upstate starter Brittany Rice and Lipscomb starter Abby Jacobson engaged in a pitchers duel. In the end, Jacobson and the Lady Bisons would get the win, scoring three runs in the sixth inning to take the win and earn the split.
After five and a half scoreless innings, Lipscomb broke through in the bottom of the sixth. Keese drove in the first run of the game and Campbell followed with a two-run double to give the Lady Bisons a 3-0 lead.
Upstate attempted to rally in the top of the seventh, putting runners on first and second with two outs, but Jacobson got the final out of the game to take the win. She improved to 11-4 on the year, scattering four Upstate hits to earn the shutout. Rice went the distance for Upstate, falling to 6-7 on the year.
