Campus News

SOFTBALL: UT Tyler slips past ETBU in extra innings, 1-0

MARSHALL, Texas (5/9/09) -- ETBU stranded eight baserunners, most of them in scoring position, and Texas-Tyler broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the eighth on an Ashley Klores RBI single that propelled the Patriots to a 1-0 win over the Lady Tigers at Taylor Field in the winners bracket final of the 2009 NCAA Division III Softball Championship First-Round Tournament.

The hard-earned win sends UT Tyler into Sunday's first-round championship game, while ETBU (39-8) must play the winner of Saturday's elimination game between Louisiana College and Linfield later Saturday.

The loss to UT Tyler, ETBU's second 1-0 loss to the Patriots in eight days, was a bitter pill to swallow. The Lady Tigers got a pitching gem from freshman Alicia Wright, who baffled the Patriots through the first seven innings.

Wright (14-3) tossed 7 1/3 innings and allowed just six hits while striking out three. But the Lady Tigers could never get a lead off UT Tyler sophomore Stacy Shepherd (10-0), who got the win on a six-hitter as well and posted her second straight shutout over ETBU.

ETBU had runners in scoring position in the first, second, fifth, sixth and eighth innings but couldn't find a way to get a run on the board. The Lady Tigers' best chance during that stretch was the top of the eighth, when Porsha Harrison led off with a single and moved to third one out later on Adrienne Meier's hard single to right.

Meier moved to second on the play, and ETBU had runners at second and third with just one out. But Shepherd struck out Meghan Fisher and coaxed a groundout from Stacy Jordan to end the threat.

The Patriots took advantage in the bottom half. Roo Richardson led off with a walk and moved to second on Julie Smith's bunt single. Wright got Whitney Wyly to foul out before Klores drilled a 1-0 pitch to the gap in right-center, plating Richardson with the winning run.