March 1, 2003
TENNESSEE, BUFFALO DOWN FURMAN AT GOLDEN PANTHER SOFTBALL INVITATIONAL
MIAMI, Florida -- Buffalo (2-1) exploded for three first inning runs on its way to a 6-2 win over Furman in the second game of the day at the Coca-Cola Golden Panther Invitational in Miami, Fla., Saturday afternoon. The Tennessee Lady Vols out-slugged Furman 12-5 in the opening game.
Trailing the Bulls 3-0 in the bottom of the first, Furman's LaKerah Barr reached on a leadoff bunt single. Kristen White followed Barr with a single to left. After Ali McNulty's sacrifice moved Barr to third and White to second, both scored when Meagen Johnson reached on a throwing error by Buffalo second baseman Marce Ross. Jessica Matthews and Joni Lockridge followed Johnson with singles, but Buffalo pitcher Stacey Evans got Kelli Leachman to ground out with the bases loaded.
The Bulls would add a single run in the second and two more in the seventh as Evans (2-0) held to no runs on only five hits the rest of the way to garner the win.
Meagen Johnson took the loss for Furman. The Georgetown, S.C., native pitched a complete game, while allowing ten hits and five earned runs.
Barr paced the Lady Paladins at the plate going 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Johnson also was 2-for-3 with a double.
In game one, Furman jumped out to a 1-0 lead when LaKerah Barr singled to lead off the game and came home to score a bloop single down the left field line by Kate Morrison.
Tennessee quickly erased the Lady Paladin advantage with five runs in the bottom of the first highlighted by pitcher Stacey Jennings' three-run home run to left field chasing Furman starter Tabitha Dease.
The Lady Paladins, trailing 5-1, fought back in the top of the fourth inning. A Kate Morrison single, Johnson double, and Lockridge walkknocked Tennessee starting pitcher Stacey Jennings out of the game and loaded the bases for Furman with no outs. Lady Vols' reliever Stephanie Humphrey struck out and Leachman and got Jessica Griffin to pop out to second base. With two outs and the bases ful,l White's grounder to second was misplayed allowing Morrison to score and leaving the bases loaded for Barr. The Furman centerfielder answered with a two-out, two-run single to center scoring Lockridge and Johnson. Centerfielder Sarah Fekete's throw got away allowing White to come around from first to tie the game at 5-5.
However, Tennessee would bounce back in the bottom of the fourth. With the score 6-5 and one out, second baseman Katherine Card cracked Tennessee's second home run of the day, a two-run shot, to give the Lady Vols an 8-5 lead.
Jennings re-entered the game for Tennessee in the sixth inning and put it out of reach with her second three-run homer of the contest for the final 12-5 margin.
Humphrey worked four innings in relief to pick up the victory for Tennnessee. The righthander gave up four hits and no earned runs, while striking out four Lady Paladins.
Jennings finished the game 3-for-4 with six RBI and three runs scored. Card batted in three runs and scored two for the Lady Vols.
Rachel Henley, who entered the game when Tabitha Dease was chased in the first, took the loss. Henley surrendered seven runs on eight hits over 5.2 innings of work.
Morrison went 3-for-4 at the plate for Furman, while Barr picked up two hits and two RBI in the loss.
Furman, 3-6 on the season, will await the results of the remaining three games on Saturday to find out what time it will open single elimination play Sunday morning.