Sept. 27, 2010
ROCHESTER, Mich. - Senior Alyssa Deacon hit .615 (8-for-13) with three doubles and a triple, stole seven bases, scored two runs and drove in two runs, senior Marisa Everitt hit .545 (6-for-11) with two doubles and two triples, scored a run and drove in four runs and junior Brittany Doyle fired a no-hitter as the Oakland University softball team went 3-1 over the past weekend to close out the fall season.
"Overall, we had a good weekend," said head coach LaDonia Hughes. "I thought we hit the ball well. We executed very well and to end the weekend, we began to communicate well. We had 45 hits with 18 going for extra bases. I was also pleased with the fact that we stole 21 bases in 21 attempts, but there is still room for improvement in that aspect of our game. Our pitching staff is starting to come into their own taking things one pitch at a time and becoming more relaxed on the mound. This comes from knowing that they are in control of the pace of the game and that their teammates are always behind them supporting 100%. "
On Saturday, Oakland beat Concordia (Mich.) 5-2 before falling in the nightcap 10-1 to Saginaw Valley State.
Against Concordia, the Golden Grizzlies scored one run in the first and third to take a 2-0 lead into the fourth inning. The Cardinals used a hit and two errors to score a run, making it 2-1.
In the bottom of the fourth, sophomore Erin Galloway doubled and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by junior Kelsey Krych. Senior Alyssa Deacon singled to left field to score Galloway. Deacon then stole three bases to score and make it 4-1. Concordia scored in the sixth to make it a two-run game. In the bottom of the inning, Oakland used three hits to score the insurance run.
For Oakland, Deacon went 2-for-3, scored two runs, drove in two runs and stole three bases while Everitt was 2-for-3 and drove in two runs. Contributing two hits each were Galloway, freshman Shelby Gott and junior Kylie Schalz. Senior Alison Tansel gave up four hits, two runs, none of them earned and struck out 10 batters in seven innings of work.
In the nightcap, Saginaw Valley scored nine runs in the first two innings to seal the game. Krych went 3-for-3 and stole a base while Everitt and junior Colleen Zimmerman each had a double. Doyle gave up eight hits, nine runs, five of them earned in 1.3 innings of work.
On Sunday, Oakland took the sweep beating Macomb Community College 10-2 and Mott Community College 9-2, both in six innings.
In the opener, OU had a 3-2 lead after three innings over the Monarchs. Freshman Shannon Cleveland reached on an error and moved to second on a groundout. Freshman Brittany Prior singled to move Cleveland to third.
Freshman Shelby Gott singled up the middle to score Cleveland followed by a bunt single from Krych. Deacon then cleared the bases with a triple down the right field line. The Golden Grizzlies would score three more runs to invoke the mercy rule in the bottom of the sixth.
Deacon went 3-for-4, scored a run, drove in four runs and stole two bases while Everitt, Gott and sophomore Abbie Richardson had two hits apiece. Richardson gave up four hits, two runs, walked two and struck out five in six innings for the win.
In the nightcap against Mott, Oakland used six hits and four stolen bases to score five runs in the first inning to break the game open. Doyle threw her second no-hitter in her fall ball career as she struck out seven batters. OU had 15 hits with Deacon having three and Cleveland, Galloway and Schalz collecting two hits each.
Next up is the annual Oakland softball alumni game, on Saturday, Oct. 2. The game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. We encourage all Oakland University fans to come out and support the softball team.
"This coming weekend, we will have our annual alumni game," said Hughes. "We're excited to have the opportunity to play the alumni. It's a great opportunity to see where the program has been and where we look to go in the future."
-30-
