CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Despite taking the lead in the second inning, the sixth-seed East Stroudsburg University softball team could not get a win in its first-ever NCAA Softball Championship game, falling to three-seed North Georgia, 6-2, on Thursday evening inside Frost Stadium.
The Warriors (43-18) head to the elimination bracket and will face seventh seed Nova Southeastern on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The Nighthawks improve to 60-6 on the season and will play two-seed Central Oklahoma on Friday.
Gallery: (5-25-2023) NCAA SB Championships: North Georgia
Notables
- Kaitlin Houser lifted ESU to a 1-0 lead in the top of the second after an RBI single with two outs.
- Leigh Ann Jenkins (L, 12-8) pitched well, scattering eight hits in six innings and allowed just two earned runs. UNG's Tybee Denton (W, 20-1) allowed three hits, two earned runs, striking out two in the victory.
- Abigail Weirich scored the first Warrior run, stealing a pair of bags to setup Houser for the RBI.
- Jada Smallwood registered a hit in the seventh inning, in hopes of starting a rally.
- Denva Shaw-Tait smacked a two-out double in the top of the 7th, producing ESU's second run of the contest to score pinch-runner Gianna Coyle.
How It Happened
- ESU got out of trouble in the bottom of the 1st, after a single and hit-by-pitch, she forced a pop out and a foul out to avoid any damage on the scoreboard.
- The Warriors struck first, in the top of the 2nd. After reaching base on a fielder's choice with one out, Weirich stole second and third to setup a clutch two-out single by Kaitlin Houser, as the Warriors led 1-0.
- With two outs in the top of the 2nd, a single and an error allowed a pair of runs to score, as UNG grabbed a 2-1 edge after two frames.
- UNG was able to tack on three runs in the in the bottom of the fourth to grab a 5-1 edge. With two outs, a throwing error led to its third run. An RBI single followed, as a throwing error with a play at the plate allowed an additional run to score.
- Holding a four-run lead, the Nighthawks added an insurance run with an RBI single in the bottom of the 6th.
- The Warriors never conceded, as a single from Smallwood and a double from Shaw-Tait cut the deficit to 6-2 with two outs in the 7th. Unfortunately for the Warriors, a lineout ended the chance at a comeback, for the final score of 6-2.
Up Next
- The Warriors are off on Friday and will play Nova Southeastern on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Chattanooga's Frost Stadium in an elimination game. All NCAA Softball Championship contests are available to watch on NCAA.com.
