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Knights fastpitch extends win streak to six games
March 28, 2007 LAURINBURG, N.C.—Freshman Danyell Marquez (Riverside, Calif.) ripped a team-high three hits including an RBI-double in the first game and a solo home run in the second game, lifting host St. Andrews Presbyterian College to a non-conference sweep of Chowan University, 8-2 and 3-2, on Wednesday afternoon. The Lady Knights, winners of their last six games, improved to 13-25 on the season while the Hawks fell to 16-18-1. The two teams will complete the home-and-away series on Sunday in Murfeesboro, N.C. at 1:00 p.m. The Knights pulled away with a four-run outburst in the fourth inning. Freshman Brianna Shurtleff (Colton, Calif.) started the rally with an RBI-single up the middle. St. Andrews took advantage of a couple Chowan errors by scoring three more unearned runs. Sophomore Brittni York (Indian Trail, N.C.), who was 2-for-3 in the first game, walk in the sixth and scored on her second stolen base of the inning on a delayed steal home. Marquez completed the Knights scoring with a ground-rule double to center field that plated senior Devane Rushing (Monroe, N.C.). Stewart garnered her seventh win of the season from the rubber, scattering just three hits and one unearned run over six innings of work while striking out two batters. The Hawks added a late unearned run in a seventh-inning rally but the Knights turned a nice 5-2-3 double play to escape the bases loaded threat and take the six-run victory. Chowan once again took a 1-0 lead with an unearned run in the first inning of the nightcap. Sophomore Sara Teh (Yorktown, Va.) had a no-hitter going for the Hawks until Marquez ripped a two-out solo home run in the bottom of the fourth. Marquez drilled her fifth blast of the season over the left field fence to breakup the no-hitter and tie the game at 1-1. Juniors Mika Tanji (Honolulu, Hawaii) and Erin Haugen (Fort Mill, S.C.) put the Knights on top in the fifth after completing a double steal and then both scoring on an errant throw during the play. Chowan made a last-inning rally as freshman Jenna Lassiter (Hertford, N.C.) plated the Hawks second run of the contest with a single to pull within one, 3-2, with only one out in the seventh. However, York forced two pop-outs to end the danger and earn the complete-game victory. York evened her record at 4-4 after allowing just two runs on four hits while fanning three over seven innings. SAPC was a perfect 8-for-8 on stolen base attempts including three swipes by York and two from freshman Nicole Easter (Lumberton, N.C.). Rushing scored a team-high three times while Marquez led the 11-hit attack with three base knocks. |
Chowan took an early 1-0 lead in the opener with an unearned run in the first inning but St. Andrews quickly took the lead for good with a pair of runs in the home half of the first. Junior starting pitcher Samantha Stewart (Ft. Pierce, Fla.) helped her own cause with a two-run single to start the SAPC scoring.