Purdue Fort Wayne
4-7
Kent State
7-2
Big First Inning Pushes Mastodons to Five-Inning Win
3/2/2012 9:24:00 PM | Softball
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The IPFW Mastodons erupted for ten runs in the bottom of the first inning, cruising to a 14-4 victory over the Kent State Golden Flashes in the first game of the 2012 Marshall Invitational.
Alex Bousquet went 3-for-4 at the plate with three runs driven in and a home run, while Courtney Cronin and Kayti Hanson were each 2-for-3, while Hanson scored three times.
After Kent State went down in the top of the first inning, IPFW opened the bottom of the first inning with back-to-back singles from Alex Bousquet and Hanson, before Ashleigh Bousquet sacrificed them on with a bunt to the third baseman. After a lineout by Cronin, Mackenzie Ritsema emptied the bases with a triple, as Stephanie Beuther and Dani Pugh followed with walks to load the bases. Audrey Mintari drove in a run as she was hit by a pitch, giving the Mastodons a quick 3-0 lead.
After a pitching change, Larissa Franklin singled to left field, chasing home Pugh and Beuther, before Alex Bousquet, in her second at-bat of the inning, hit a home run, her first of the season, driving home three more. Hanson walked and Ashleigh Bousquet followed with a single, and both scored on a Cronin double, as every player in the IPFW lineup reached base in the opening inning, before a groundout ended the opening frame with IPFW off to a 10-0 lead.
A Cronin single in the third inning scored Hanson, as Mintari hit her first collegiate home run, a three-run blast scoring herself, Pugh, and Jess Haskins.
The Golden Flashes scored four in the top of the fifth inning, but it was not enough as the Mastodons won the run-rule shortened game 14-4.
Megan Flenniken improved to 2-1 on the year, striking out four in four and a third inning of work, before Miranda Kramer closed out the game by getting the final two outs of the contest.
The evening game against Marshall was suspended due to darkness, and will be resumed tomorrow.
The Mastodons are now 7-2 on the season, and will play in two full games and the resumed game tomorrow afternoon in Huntington.
~ Feel the Rumble ~
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Megan Flenniken (2-1)
L: Abernathy (0-2)
Batting:
2B: Mintari, Audrey 1
RBI: Mintari, Audrey 2 ; Kachur, Brittany 1
SF: Kachur, Brittany 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cronin, Courtney 1 ; Balodis 1 ; Wolfe, Cassie 1 ; Mintari, Audrey 1
Batting:
2B: Courtney Cronin 1
3B: Mackenzie Ritsema 1
HR: Alex Bousquet 1 ; Audrey Mintari 1
RBI: Alex Bousquet 3 ; Courtney Cronin 3 ; Mackenzie Ritsema 2 ; Audrey Mintari 4 ; Larissa Franklin 2
SH: Ashleigh Bousquet 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Alex Bousquet 2 ; Kayti Hanson 3 ; Ashleigh Bousquet 1 ; Mackenzie Ritsema 1 ; Stephanie Beuther 1 ; Jessica Haskins 1 ; Dani Pugh 2 ; Audrey Mintari 2 ; Larissa Franklin 1
SB: Kayti Hanson 1
HBP: Audrey Mintari 1
