Thursday, May 13, 2010

DeLAND, Fla. – With the score tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Jill Semento of No. 2 Stetson sneaked an RBI single through the left side and Jessica Lokeinsky scored the game-winning run, leaving the Hatters as the lone unbeaten team after day one of the 2010 Atlantic Sun Softball Championship.

Semento's only hit in four at bats on the day capped a furious final inning rally for the host Hatters, as Stetson entered the final frame trailing by a 3-0 margin. Amanda Lindsey and Nicole Peltz split seven innings in the circle, as the pair allowed for five hits, three runs (three unearned) and one walk in total. The duo also fanned nine Owls batters. Lindsey (25-10) picked up her second win of the day, scattering three hits over the final four innings.

After cutting the lead to 3-1 in the seventh, second baseman Jordan Cleghorn came to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded. The freshman drove the second pitch she saw through the left side, plating two runs to tie the contest at three. Cleghorn finished the game 2-for-3 with two RBI.

For No. 3 Kennesaw State, Jessica Cross proved to be a force inside the circle, as the sophomore dished up no-hit pitching for 4.2 innings and allowed three hits, two runs (unearned) and four walks, falling to 15-11 for the year. Freshman Ashlee Burkett led the Owls at the plate with one hit in two at bats and two RBI.

Kennesaw State will face No. 1 Lipscomb in a matchup slated for 1 p.m., while Stetson will face the winner of the contest at 6 p.m.in day two action of the A-Sun Softball Championships at Patricia Wilson Field.

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.