University of North Florida
Villanova
Ospreys Drop Two to Open UCF/Courtyard by Marriott Invitational II
2/25/2011 3:18:34 PM | Softball
Game One (Villanova) Box Score ::: Game Two (Michigan) Box Score
ORLANDO, Fla. – The North Florida softball team (4-8) dropped its two games on Friday, Feb. 25, to open the UCF/Courtyard by Marriott Invitational II at the UCF Softball Complex. The Ospreys first fell to Villanova (3-4) in a drama-filled 9 innings of play before dropping a hard fought second game, 4-1, to No. 7/9 Michigan (11-0).
North Florida will return to the diamond on Saturday for two more games. The Ospreys will first take the field at 9 a.m. (ET) for a match-up against Maine, and follow up immediately after that game with a meeting against UMKC at 11 a.m.
GAME ONE
North Florida dropped a nine-inning heartbreaker, 2-1, to Villanova in its first game of the day despite a solid performance by freshman pitcher Cortney Radke (3-6). Radke fell to 3-6 on the season with the loss after putting in 8 1/3 innings in which she allowed just three hits and no earned runs.
The Wildcats' hurler Caitlyn Delahaba (2-2) picked up her second win of the year, working nine complete innings, allowing seven hits and no earned runs including seven strikeouts.
The first run of the game belonged to the Ospreys in the top of the eighth. The game was played with the international tiebreaker rules, meaning teams start with a runner on second in extra innings. Back-to-back sacrifices scored junior Chie Someya to take a 1-0 lead.
Villanova answered back in the bottom half of the frame to knot the score at 1-1. In the ninth, North Florida was unable to score its runner from second, while the Wildcats stole third and then scored the winning run the very next play on an error by the shortstop.
Over the course of the game, both teams combined for 16 runners left on base.
GAME TWO
In the second game, North Florida attempted a late rally but eventually fell, 4-1, to No. 7/9 Michigan as the Wolverines' hurler Stephanie Speierman (6-0) took the win to remain undefeated this year in a complete-game effort in which she fanned nine Osprey batters. Speierman allowed one run – unearned – on five hits.
The Wolverines struck first in the top of the first inning, after hitting the first batter who then advanced around to home plate following a ground out, passed ball and ground out RBI. The Ospreys got out the inning and found itself in good position to answer in the second frame.
North Florida put runners on first and second with just one out, putting Michigan in danger of giving up the lead but the pitcher was able to sit down the next two batters on strikes instead.
Again, in the third, the Ospreys looked to score on a shot to left field by freshman Mariah Reynolds. However, the Wolverines' left fielder hosed down the runner trying to score from second on a perfect throw to home plate.
Michigan added another run in the fourth as well as the sixth to take a 3-0 lead over the Ospreys heading into the final three frames of game play, but the North Florida squad would make a rally to threaten the Wolverines.
With two outs in the last frame, senior Caroline Torre reached first on a fielding error by the third baseman and advanced to second. Junior Brittany Hendrix followed suit with the exact same result, which scored Torre from second. The game ended on a runner's interference when Hendrix collided with the shortstop on her way to third, getting in the way of a groundball.
Junior Chie Someya (1-1) was tagged with the loss, pitching six innings in which she allowed all four runs – three earned – on seven hits while striking out two and walking three.
