February 24, 2008

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LAURINBURG, N.C.—Freshman centerfielder Jasmine Dobbin (Pikeville, N.C.) had a team-high three hits for host St. Andrews Presbyterian College on Sunday but Anderson University was able to win a pair of extra-inning games. The Trojans (6-6 Overall) swept the Conference Carolinas season-opening doubleheader for both ball clubs against the Knights (0-10) by scores of 6-5 and 5-4.

Dobbin led a group of five Knights that collected multiple hits on Sunday but Anderson survived both battles to extend their win streak to six games.

In the first game, sophomore leftfielder Morgan Farroll (Newton Grove, N.C.) ripped a pair of doubles but the Trojans were able to survive a furious comeback effort by the Knights after scoring four runs in the first extra inning.

Senior Mika Tanji (Honolulu, Hawaii) gave St. Andrews a quick 1-0 lead with a single that drove in sophomore Nicole Easter (Lumberton, N.C.) in the first inning. Easter had two singles in the first game.

Anderson tied the game with one run in the third and took a 2-1 lead with another run in the fifth.

With their backs against the wall, St. Andrews took advantage of two Trojan errors and forced extra-innings with an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh.

Anderson once again looked poised to take the game one victory by taking a 6-2 lead in the top of the eighth. The Trojans scored four runs (only one earned) in the extra stanza on a two-run homer, an RBI-double, and a run-scoring single.

St. Andrews almost completed a miraculous comeback with three runs in the home half of the eighth. Sophomore Kailee Munden (LaVerne, Calif.) drove in Tanji, who started on second base under the international tiebreaker rule, with a single. Dobbin then added a single to bring up the potential tying run with no-outs. After Munden and Dobbin advanced on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Brianna Shurtleff (Colton, Calif.), they both scored on an infield error by Anderson. Farroll picked up one RBI on the play. However, the Trojans survived the rally with two groundouts.

Senior Samantha Stewart (Ft. Pierce, Fla.) pitched well for the Knights in the loss allowing six runs (three earned) on eight hits over 8.0 innings while striking out four.

In the nightcap, Anderson held off St. Andrews for a second time in eight innings. The Trojans jumped out to a 3-0 lead on a three-run home run in the first.

The Knights bounced back and tied the game with three runs in the bottom of the second. Munden started the rally with a single and Farroll reached on a fielder’s choice. Dobbin filled the bases with a single and B. Shurtleff drove in Munden with a bases loaded walk. Farroll and Dobbin later scored on a wild pitch and error on the same play to knot the game at 3-3.

Both teams were held scoreless for the next five innings setting up extra innings for the second time on Sunday. Anderson scored two runs in the top of the eighth. SAPC took a chance and tried to get the non-force out in the runner placed on second base, who was advancing to third on a sacrifice bunt but that player was called safe. The Trojans took advantage by scoring both runners on base with no outs to take a 4-2 advantage.

St. Andrews tried to comeback but once again came up one run short. Easter started the bottom of the eighth on second and after being moved over to third on a sac bunt by Tanji, scored on a groundout by junior Tiffany Capone (Jacksonville, N.C.). Anderson once again survived by getting St. Andrews to ground out.

Stewart added four more strikeouts in relief of Tanji in the finale for eight K’s on the day. Dobbin had two of the Knights four hits in the nightcap.

St. Andrews next visits non-conference UNC Pembroke on Tuesday at 1:00 p.m.