University of North Florida
Florida A&M
Offense, bullpen lead UNF
4/17/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 17, 2007
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The
University of North Florida softball team guaranteed
itself a winning season - its first on the NCAA Division
I level - with a pair of wins on Tuesday against Florida
A&M at the UNF Softball Complex.
With eight games left in the season, the Lady Ospreys
upped their record to 30-19 thanks to an offense that
pounded out 18 hits in the doubleheader. UNF won
the opening game 16-4 before defeating the Rattlers
(14-39) 7-6 in the second game.
UNF has pounded out at least seven hits in 12 of its
last 15 games and has averaged almost seven runs a
contest in that stretch.
The top four hitters in the lineup - Kelli Rutenbar,
Christina Evans, Gwen Williams and Elizabeth Howell - all collected two hits in the opener, while the
Lady Ospreys received a little help from their bullpen
to secure both wins.
Williams led UNF in the opener with a 3-for-3
performance that included a home run, three RBIs
and a three runs.
The Lady Ospreys scored seven runs in the first two
innings of the opener to make a statement early,
grabbing a 7-1 advantage. Williams started the
scoring with an RBI single that drove home Rutenbar
before Evans came in to score on a wild pitch. The
Lady Ospreys added five more runs in the second,
capped off by Rutenbar's home run to left-center.
Rutenbar finished the game 2-for-4 with a pair of runs.
FAMU countered with three runs in the top of the third
on four-straight hits off of Lady Osprey starter Tori Ahern. Those hits, three of which went for extra bases,
chased Ahern from the game. Joanna Kurycki (2-1)
came on from there to shut the door on any FAMU
comeback hopes. The freshman did not give up a hit
in three innings and struck out four.
"Joanna has a good drop ball and keeps it down in
the zone," UNF head coach Sonya Wilmoth said. "I
know we have a good infield that can play and she is a
groundball machine."
The offense gave Kurycki all the run support she
needed in the fourth when it sent 12 batters to the
plate and scored nine runs. Evans drove in three of
those runs with a bases-loaded triple before Howell
hit her team-leading 13th double to bring home
another run. Williams finally topped the inning off with
a home run to left. She has now reached base safely
in 19-straight games and will head into the weekend
with a seven-game hitting streak.
The second inning was kind to UNF once again in
game two, as the Lady Ospreys scored five runs to
take a 5-2 lead. UNF took advantage of four FAMU
walks and received RBIs from both Rutenbar and
Mallory Butler.
Butler drove home another run in the fifth with a
sacrifice fly, giving UNF a 7-2 advantage.
The game looked to be well in hand heading into the
seventh inning. The Rattlers, however, had different
plans after Alesha Wells and Rhianna Green led off
the inning with infield singles. They led a four-run rally
that finally ended when Destiny Gordon popped up to
end the game.
Three of the six hits that Findley (15-3) allowed in her
four innings of work were infield base hits. She gave
up only one walk in the win and struck out five.
Ashley Parenteau led the Lady Ospreys at the plate in
game two with a 2-for-2 performance that included two
runs and an RBI.
UNF returns to conference play this weekend when it
travels to Mercer on Friday before tangling with rival
Kennesaw State on Saturday.
