University of North Florida
Columbus State
Late inning heroics propel UNF
3/5/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (March 5, 2005) - The University of North Florida softball team scored all of its runs in two innings against Columbus State in a doubleheader sweep on Saturday.
That was all UNF needed, however, to secure a 5-2 win in the first game and a 1-0 win in nine innings in the second.
"Those were two tough games," UNF head coach Sonya Wilmoth said. "We got great pitching in both of them. They were two big wins and I like our momentum heading into Monday's games [against Lander]."
Ashley Parenteau and Kelli Rutenbar led the UNF offense, each going 4-for-8 combined in the two games. Parenteau finished the opener with a pair of RBIs, while Rutenbar started both of UNF's game-winning rallies.
Rutenbar reached on an infield single to leadoff the bottom of the sixth in game one, then advanced to third on an Alisha Phillips base hit, before Caitlin Miller drove her home with a groundout to second.
Katie Field reached with a single one batter later, tying the game up when she drove home Dyann Busse, who came on to pinch run for Phillips.
Field finished the day with three hits, including two in the nightcap.
Parenteau finally gave UNF the lead for good with an RBI single that drove home two and gave the Lady Ospreys a 4-2 advantage. UNF (10-4, 4-2 PBC) added an unearned run to finish the scoring in the fifth. Columbus State committed three errors in the game and five on the afternoon.
A bases loaded error led to the Lady Cougars (5-5, 1-5 PBC) demise in the second game, when shortstop Jenny Baaske booted a grounder off the bat of Jessica Sexton, allowing Phillips to score from third.
The teams remained scoreless until Rutenbar led off the ninth inning with a double to left. Phillips followed her with a walk and Miller reached on an error to load the bases. Columbus State pitcher Stasha Morton looked as if she might get out of the jam after she forced Field into a flyout and Baaske cut down Rutenbar at the plate on a groundball off the bat of Williams.
Baaske, however, couldn't come up with Sexton's grounder a batter later, allowing Phillips to score easily.
Phillips (4-2) helped keep the game scoreless, pitching nine complete innings, while allowing four hits and striking out five. Morton (2-1) was the hard-luck loser for Columbus State, allowing seven Lady Osprey hits in the loss. She did not allow an earned run and struck out five.
Tori Ahern (6-2) won the opener for the Lady Ospreys, throwing her seventh complete game of the year. She gave up eight hits and struck out five in the win. Randi Rainwater (2-3) suffered the loss for Columbus State.
Mia Moffett led the Lady Cougar offense with a 4-for-8 day at the plate and a run. Erin Brown drove home CSU's only two runs of the day with an RBI double in the top of the fifth inning of game 1.
UNF is back at home Monday when it hosts Lander for a pair of conference games at 4 p.m.
