University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics
North Carolina A&T
Alexander Nearly Perfect as Upstate Sweeps N.C. A&T
3/7/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Spartanburg, S.C. – Freshman pitcher Hannah Alexander took a perfect game all the way down to the final strike before giving up a hit in the seventh inning of game one and USC Upstate dominated play as the Spartans took a doubleheader sweep of North Carolina A&T Monday afternoon at Cyrill Stadium. Upstate won by scores of 7-0 and 9-1.
Alexander (Lexington, N.C.) was untouchable for the entire game. She faced the minimum through 20 outs, striking out 10 along the way. She had a 1-2 count on Dominique Gillard when Gillard lifted a towing fly down the line in left. The ball hit off the fence just inches from being foul for North Carolina A&T's only hit, breaking up the perfect game. No pitcher in the history of the program has tossed a perfect game at Upstate.
Upstate improved to 24-0 on the year, the best start since the 2000 squad opened the season 28-0. The Spartans are one of just five undefeated teams in the country and will leave Wednesday to travel to Seattle, Wash., to play in the Husky Classic at the University of Washington. The Spartans open the tournament against Oregon State (1:00 p.m. PT, 4:00 p.m. ET) and Washington on Friday (6:00 p.m. PT, 9:00 p.m. ET). The Spartans will face Oregon State and Washington again on Saturday before ending the tournament Sunday against Seattle. Washington joins Upstate as one of the five undefeated teams in the country.
"Hannah was so close to having a perfect game and she will have plenty more opportunities," said Upstate head coach Chris Hawkins. "All 18 players played today and it was good to get some people who have really worked hard some playing time."
It was a pitcher's duel for most of game one until Upstate broke open the game with six runs in the sixth inning. Upstate held a 1-0 lead after Katie Zauner (Canby, Ore.) picked up an RBI single in the third inning. In the sixth, Janna Lewis (Huntersville, N.C.) scored on a throwing error on Ashley Butler's sacrifice bunt. Kim Brasil (Mississauga, Ontario) tripled to drive in two runs and Ericka Harris (Piedmont, S.C.) followed with an RBI single. Lewis doubled to drive in a pair of runs to end the scoring and give Upstate a 7-0 lead.
The lead was all that Alexander needed in picking up her seventh win of the season. North Carolina A&T (3-7) starter Hope Fletcher went the distance and took the loss to fall to 3-3 on the year.
Zauner finished the game 4-for-4 with an RBI and a run to lead Upstate at the plate. Ohlrich and Lewis each finished with three hits, while Katelyn Molkenthin (Valrico, Fla.)tallied a pair of hits in the game.
Upstate didn't take long to start things off in the second game. The Spartans opened a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Zauner and Lauren Quevedo (Wellington, Fla.) each picked up RBI doubles. Upstate made it a 6-0 lead with four runs in the second inning. Erica Kaufman (Moncks Corner, S.C.) led off the inning with a solo home run and Harris belted a three-run dinger.
North Carolina A&T got a run back in the third inning when Detavia Kenan reached on an error and Tranae Jones scored an unearned run on the play.
Upstate increased its lead to eight with three runs in the bottom of the third. Harris picked up two RBIs with a double and Lewis had an RBI single in the inning as well.
Morgan Childers (Kings Mountain, N.C.) tossed a planned three innings, striking out eight and allowing two hits to improve to a nation-leading 17-0 on the year. Amber Hamilton (Roswell, Ga.) tossed two innings of one-hit ball to close out the game. Tranea Jones went four innings to take the loss and fall to 0-4.
Lewis, Harris and Zauner each collected two hits in the game to lead Upstate at the plate. Harris totaled five RBIs in the game.
