March 1, 2008

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LAURINBURG, N.C.—Seniors Samantha Stewart (Samantha Stewart) and Mika Tanji (Honolulu, Hawaii) combined for a seven-inning no-hitter as the St. Andrews Presbyterian College softball team won the opening game of Saturday’s Conference Carolinas doubleheader, 1-0, but visiting Pfeiffer University rallied for a 5-3 win in the nightcap.

The combined no-hitter earned the Lady Knights their first win of the season. SAPC maintains a 1-12 overall and 1-3 Conference Carolinas record. The Lady Falcons hold a 9-7 overall record while starting league play 1-1.

Tanji was 3-for-4 on the day with a walk and an RBI.

St. Andrews host non-conference Francis Marion University on Sunday afternoon with the doubleheader slated to start at 1:00 p.m.

Game 1: St. Andrews 1, Pfeiffer 0

Stewart and Tanji combined for the seven-inning no-hitter in the opener. Stewart picked up her first win of the season throwing 91-pitches over the first five innings and the seventh while Tanji tossed a hitless sixth. Stewart allowed just four walks over 6.0 innings while striking out one en route to the victory.

While Tanji only pitched one inning, she supplied the big hit offensively for the Knights. Tanji drilled an RBI-single in the bottom the second for the games only run. Junior designated player Tiffany Capone (Jacksonville, N.C.) led off with a single and a stolen base and then scored on Tanji’s single up the middle.

Pfeiffer’s best chance to tie the game came in the bottom of the seventh. The Falcons had the first two batters reach base on a walk and an error. Both runners then advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. After a hard-hit lineout to second, St. Andrews turned an improbable double play to end the game. On a ground ball to short, Tanji threw home to prevent the tying-run from scoring and Capone slapped the tag on in time. As Capone tossed the ball back to pitcher, the Pfeiffer runner on first tried advancing to second. However, Stewart quickly whipped the ball to Tanji, who applied the tag for the final out.

Falcons’ senior starter Dacia Ijames (Kernersville, N.C.) pitched a solid game for the visitors only allowing one run on four hits in the complete-game loss. Ijames fanned a game-high six batters.

Game 2: Pfeiffer 5, St. Andrews 3

After Pfeiffer took an early 1-0 lead with an unearned run in the first, senior Tiffany Allen (Franklin, N.C.) doubled the Falcon lead to 2-0 with an RBI-single in the second.

Sophomore outfielder Brianna Shurtleff (Colton, Calif.) cut the Knights deficit in half with an RBI-single down the left field line that plated freshman shortstop Jasmine Dobbin (Pikeville, N.C.), who reached on an error and stole second base.

St. Andrews catapulted into the lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth. After loading the bases with no outs, Capone hit a clutch bloop-single that drove in two Knights runners. Senior infielders Ashley Shurtleff (Colton, Calif.) and Erin Haugen (Ft. Mill, S.C.) scored on Capone’s base knock.

Pfeiffer leapfrogged back into the lead for good with three more unearned runs in the sixth. Senior Jaimee Cassidy (Brandon, Fla.) provided a sacrifice fly while juniors Sarah Moore (Reidsville, N.C.) and Amanda Beck (Thomasville, N.C.) had back-to-back RBI-singles.

Beck (1-0) picked up her first win of the season on the mound allowing three runs (zero earned) on seven hits and one walk over six innings of work. Sophomore Nicole Springer (Oakboro, N.C.) pitched a scoreless seventh to earn her first save of the season.

Tanji was strong on the mound in her 5.2 innings but three SAPC errors led to five unearned runs for Pfeiffer. Tanji (0-3) had two strikeouts on the day. Tanji tried to help he own cause with two hits in the finale. Haugen and A. Shurtleff also had two hits apiece for the Knights.

Moore had two of the Falcons five hits in the second game.