Purdue Fort Wayne
Southern Utah
Hopwood's Walk-Off Single Gives Mastodons Sweep
3/19/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 19, 2010
Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score
Fort Wayne, IN - A Sara Hopwood single with one out in the seventh inning propelled the IPFW Mastodons to a 5-4 victory over the Southern Utah Thunderbirds, giving the Mastodons a sweep in the three game series between the conference schools, and pushing the `Dons to a 5-1 league record.
Cronin shown here in against Southern Utah, gave up just three runs over three games during the week  |
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"Today we had a total team effort," said IPFW coach Amy Tudor. "Our big seventh inning got started with Rachel's (Staschuk) hit. Our pinch runner Kaitlyn (Frost) got moved over when Cassie (Wolfe) hit behind her in a groundout to second , and then she did a great job of sneaking under the slide. All (Sara) Hopwood had to do was hit a ball to the outfield. Even if it would have been a fly-out it would have worked, but she hit the ball well, and we were able to win the game."
The Mastodons, 12-9 overall, pounded four home runs in the final day of the series, one each from Hopwood, Stacey Swinford, Courtney Cronin, and Cassie Wolfe, as the team has accumulated 20 over the course of the 21 games of the season, the second highest single-season total in program history, behind just the 24 hit by the 2008 season.
Cassie Wolfe's third inning home run knotted the first game at one apiece in the third inning |
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"We have been hitting the longball well all year," said Tudor. "We have had many different players step up, and sometimes when they hit it hard, it gets out of the park. We work on hitting every single day that we have practice, and it is starting to pay off for them."
Rachel Staschuk was 4-of-6 at the plate on the day, including a perfect 4-of-4 in the nightcap, while Kristina Karpun was 4-for-7. Hopwood drove in four runs, all in the finale, as Cronin and Kaitlyn Frost each scored twice.
"I called out Rachel Stashcuk, Sara Hopwood, and Kris Karpun before the game," commented Tudor. "I told them that they need to start producing at the plate, and they responded accordingly. I was really happy with our overall hitting this weekend. You can always improve on your hitting, but timely hitting wins ballgames. That is what we had today - timely hitting. It was nice to have a sweep."
In the opener, the Mastodons used the slow and steady approach to open up to a 4-0 lead with one run each in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings.
Kris Karpun went 4-for-7 at the plate for IPFW against Southern Utah |
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The first IPFW run came via a Wolfe solo home run, the third time in the previous four games that the sophomore has gone long in either the first or third innings. In the fourth, Ava Hall singled up the middle, chasing home Courtney Cronin, who had singled and advanced to second on a fielding error by a Thunderbird outfielder.
Karpun drove in pinch-runner Frost in the fifth inning with a double, before Cronin opened the sixth inning with a solo home run to left field.
Cronin, who also started the game in the circle, battled in and out of trouble throughout the game, and finally succumbed to the weight of a 20-inning scoreless streak when the Thunderbirds got three runs on a bases-loaded double by Katie Olinger, cutting the deficit to one at 4-3; however, Whitnie Griffith couldn't capitalize on the runner in scoring position, flying out to Sarah Swanson in left field.
Two players, Karpun and Cronin each had two hits in the game, with Cronin scoring twice, and Wolfe, Karpun, Cronin, and Hall each driving in one.
Sara Hopwood drove in four runs, including the game winner, in the finale against Southern Utah |
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Cronin struck out four on the game, scattering eight hits and walking one, while giving up the three earned runs, the only runs allowed by the sophomore in three games this week, while evening her record to 6-6 in the circle.
Southern Utah (5-20, 1-5 Summit League) opened the second game with a run in the top of the first inning when Aly Daniels hit a sacrifice fly to right field, staking the visitors to an early 1-0 lead. IPFW countered with a run-scoring double from Hopwood, knotting the game at one apiece.
Two innings later the Thunderbirds struck again when Brittany Henderson hit her second home run of the season, helping the visitors re-capture the lead at 2-1. After a line-out double play seemed to kill the momentum of the bottom of the third inning for the Mastodons, Karpun singled, and was driven home on Hopwood's fifth home run of the 2010 campaign, which pushed the `Dons to a 3-2 lead.
An inning later Swinford opened the frame with a solo home run, giving IPFW a 4-2 lead. Southern Utah closed the gap in the top of the fifth when Daniels drove in her second run of the game with a single, cutting the deficit to one at 5-4.
Down to their final out in the top of the seventh inning, the Thunderbirds rallied, using back-to-back hits of a double and single, as Griffith chased home Daniels, before being thrown out trying to advance to third base, forcing the game into the bottom of the seventh inning tied at four.
Staschuk, shown here stretching for a play at first base, went 4-for-4 for IPFW in the finale against the Thunderbirds |
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Staschuk opened the action in the bottom of the seventh with her fourth hit of the ballgame, before being lifted for pinch runner Frost. A Wolfe groundout moved Frost to second, before Karpun reached on a fielder's choice where Frost slid under the tag of Southern Utah third baseman Darleen Fernandez, putting runners on the corners before Hopwood hit her heroic single up the middle, giving the Mastodons the win.
Staschuk was perfect at the plate in the nightcap, while Hopwood went 3-for-4, driving in a team-high four runs, putting her into a two-way tie for the team lead on the season with Karpun, as each has 21, eight off of the single-season school record. Karpun added two hits, and a run scored in the win.
Also a pitcher, Staschuk pitched the first five and two-thirds of an inning, but picked up a no-decision. She struck out five, didn't walk any, and allowed three runs. Amanda Olender, who entered as a relief pitcher, went the final one and a third inning, giving up one run and earning the win, improving her record to 3-2 on the season.
"I was really happy with our pitching staff," said Tudor. "I knew that Courtney threw yesterday, going seven innings, and with seven more today, eventually they are going to catch up a little bit. She held us in the ballgame, and we produced enough runs to win. When your offense is going, it always helps your defense. Rachel threw well for us, and Amanda came in and closed the door. It was definitely a good mix that we had."
The Mastodons return to action on Wednesday, March 24, when the team plays host to the Valparaiso Crusaders of the Horizon League in a mid-week non-conference double header at the IPFW Softball Field, with the first pitch tentatively scheduled for 3:00 PM.
~Dons~
