April 8, 2009

MARS HILL, N.C. - Rebekah Huff (Mars Hill, N.C.) went 3-7 at the plate with one RBI and two runs scored in two games Wednesday afternoon to lead Mars Hill to a doubleheader split with Catawba at Ponder Park. Catawba won the first game 6-1, but Mars Hill took the second contest 4-2. The Lions are now 21-15 and 7-3 in the SAC. The Catawba Indians are 18-16 and 5-5 in the SAC.

Catawba opened the first game strong with two runs in the first inning. Brittany Thornburg (Kings Mountain, N.C.) hit a sacrifice fly to left field which scored Ryann Baker (Rockwell, N.C.) to get the Catawba Indians first on the board. Carly Sabat (Warren, Ohio) then scored off a groundout by Callie Gordy (Oak Ridge, N.C.) to increase the margin to two runs.

After Catawba plated another run in the third inning, Mars Hill got on the board in the fourth. Anna James (Bellevue, Wash.) hit a sacrifice fly to center field which scored Ashley Seawell (Asheboro, N.C.) to cut the deficit to two runs, but the Lions would get no closer.

Allie Marshall (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) hit a two-run shot in the fifth inning off Paige Brantley (Raleigh, N.C.) to give Catawba a 5-1 advantage. The Catawba Indians capped the scoring in the sixth when Kathryn Geouge (Canton, N.C.) scored off a double to center field by Jessie Whitesides (Yadkinville, N.C.).

Chelsea Wallace (Danville, Ky.), now 7-2, picked up the win for Catawba. She threw a complete game and allowed one run, none earned, on four hits.

Tiffany Farthing (Kure Beach, N.C.), now 7-3, dropped the decision for Mars Hill. She surrendered three runs on five hits in four innings.

Catawba scored first in game two in the top of the third inning. A Baker solo homerun to center field was later followed by a Thornburg RBI single to center field to give the Catawba Indians a 2-0 lead.

The Lions answered in the bottom of the inning with two runs of their own. With the bases loaded and only one out, Seawell hit the ball on a rope to center field but was later thrown out trying to advance to second base. However, Huff and Jade Bullins (Danbury, N.C.) scored during the sequence to tie the game.

Mars Hill took the lead for good in the fifth inning when Huff tripled to center field, plating Bullins to give the Lions a 3-2 lead. The hit parade continued two batters later when Ashley Harber (Goose Creek, S.C.) singled through the right side to score Huff and give Mars Hill a two-run cushion.

Tara West (Urbana, Ohio), now 8-8, won the second game for Mars Hill. She pitched a complete game and gave up two runs on six hits while striking out seven batters.

Meghan Cobb (Richmond, Va.), now 4-6, was tagged with the loss for Catawba. She allowed four runs on seven hits in four and one-third innings.

Mars Hill travels to Lincoln Memorial Thursday for a doubleheader. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.

Boxscore...

#####