Blackbirds Shut Out Mercer; Fall to Ohio State in Quarterfinals of USF adidas Tampa Tournament

(Mercer boxscore)
(Ohio State boxscore)

3/10/07 -- The Long Island University softball team dropped a heartbreaking, extra-inning contest to Ohio State, 5-4, in the quarterfinal round of the silver bracket at the USF adidas Tampa Tournament in Clearwater, Fla. on Saturday evening.

In the final game of round-robin play, freshmen Brynn Lewis (Woodinville, Wash.) and Mariesha Marker (Keizer, Ore.) combined for four hits, three runs scored and four RBIs in the first game of the day as the Blackbirds broke out of a three-game scoring drought to drop Mercer, 8-0.

The Blackbirds held a 4-3 advantage going into the bottom of the seventh of the game against Ohio State but a one-out solo home run by Courtney Pruner tied the game at 4-4 and sent it into extra frames.

In the top of the eighth, a sacrifice bunt by junior Brittany Murphy (Los Alamitos, Calif.) advanced pinch-runner Mariesha Marker (Keizer, Ore.) to third with only one out. Senior Randi Gillespie (San Jose, Calif.), who already had a ground-rule, RBI double in the third inning, laced a rocket at the second baseman that was speared in a leaping attempt for the second out. Junior Vanessa Mejia (Roanoke, Va.) followed with a towering fly ball to right center that was tracked down by the Buckeyes’ center fielder to end the inning.

In the bottom half, Ohio State loaded the bases with nobody out and after freshman Blaire Porter (Redmond, Wash.) struck out Brittany Vanderink, she walked Sam Marder that forced in the winning run to end the game.

After the Buckeyes established an early 1-0 lead in the second inning, the Blackbirds exploded for three in the top of the third. Gillespie’s double was followed by a two-out, two-run single by Mejia that gave LIU a 3-1 lead. In the top of the fourth inning, sophomore Renae Beauchman (Eagle Rock, Calif.) drilled her third home run of the year to get back the run the Blackbirds had given up in the bottom of the third. OSU would get a run back in the bottom of the fourth before the home run that tied it in the seventh.

Against Mercer, Lewis broke the Blackbirds’ scoring drought that had reached 27 innings leading off the bottom of the third. The freshman second baseman hit a line drive that cleared the left-field fence for the first home run of her career. The Blackbirds tacked on two more in the inning as Marker singled and came around to score on an error by the shortstop. Senior Randi Gillepspie (San Jose, Calif.) advanced to second on the error and moved around the bases courtesy of a wild pitch and passed ball.

The fourth inning also saw LIU score a trio of times. A two-out RBI triple by Marker pushed the Long Island lead to 4-0 and back-to-back RBI singles by junior Brittany Murphy and Gillespie made it 6-0. A sacrifice fly by Lewis gave the Blackbirds a 7-0 advantage and a bunt base hit by Marker scored freshman Chelsea Martinson (Agoura Hills, Calif.) for the game-ender.

Sophomore Jenny Giles (Melbourne, Fla.) notched her fourth victory of the season and first shutout, going five innings and striking out four. No runner for Mercer advanced past second base.

LIU will continue its spring break trip in Tampa with a doubleheader on Tuesday, March 13. The Blackbirds will face George Mason and South Florida in the USF Invitational at 11:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.