Sunday, March 02, 2008

Mt. PLEASANT, S.C. (Mar. 2, 2008) - With one out in the bottom of eighth, freshman Katie Henderson (Jackson, Tenn.) broke the stalemate as she scored from third on Amanda Haverman's (Kirkwood, Mo.) slow roller to short for the game-winning run as the Lady Bucs nipped the Zips, 1-0, Sunday afternoon at the College of Charleston Tournament from Patriot's Point Field.

Freshman hurler Ashley Boyd (Chattanooga, Tenn.) outlasted Christina Swierz in what was a classic pitchers duel. Boyd improved to 2-2 on the season as she allowed only two hits and struck out a season-high five batters over eight innings. Swierz scattered four hits but fell to 3-4 by letting the game-winning run to cross the plate in 7.1IP.

Boyd was amazing as she faced the minimum through 6.0IP and worked out of a tough jam in eighth. With runners on first and second and only one out, the right-handed hurler forced Monica Shorter to hit into a fielder's choice and left two Akron runners stranded when she struck out Jessica Davidson swinging.

ETSU (7-10) received hits from Cheniece Cason (Moreno Valley, Calif.), Katy Jett (Talbott, Tenn.), Trisha Massenzo (Russellville, Tenn.) and Henderson; however, it was Haverman who recorded the lone RBI of the contest with her fielder's choice.

The Lady Buccaneers missed a chance to push a run across the plate in the sixth after Cason singled, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Swierz worked out of the threat by forcing Kate Powell (Johnson City) to ground out to second.

A pair of Softball Bucs kept their hit streaks intact. Cason has hit safely in six straight games and Massenzo in five. Cason is hitting .500 (9-for-18) over this stretch, while Massenzo is 6-for-15 (.400) with a double, home run and four RBIs over her last five contests.

After taking four of the five games in the tournament, ETSU looks to carry its momentum with them down to Florida as they get set to play in next week's Under Armour Invitational. The Lady Buccaneers will face some stiff competition as ETSU meets Big Ten foe Michigan State and the 13^th-ranked Baylor Bears on Thursday. The Lady Bucs kick off the tournament at 9:30 a.m. against the Spartans in Clearwater.

For more information on Lady Buccaneer softball, visit www.ETSUBucs.com.