April 9, 2007

BARBOURVILLE, Ky. - Union College added a few more highlights to its already amazing season on Saturday as it posted an Appalachian Athletic Conference doubleheader sweep over visiting Bluefield (Va.) College, winning 8-0 and 11-1.

The wins improve the Lady Bulldogs to 25-15 overall and 5-3 in the AAC, while the Lady Rams dropped to 3-21 overall and 0-6 in league play.

In the first game, Sarah Driver (Hopkinsville, Ky.) posted her fifth double-digit strikeout outing of the season as she one-hit Bluefield in the 8-0 Union victory.

Driver nearly recorded just the second no-hitter in Lady Bulldog history, but Aimee Street led off the fifth and final inning with a single to break to no-no. Driver finished with 11 strikeouts, and she helped herself offensively in going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

Union scored three time in the first but broke the game wide open with a five-run second. In the second, Driver double in two runs, while Kaila McSpedon (West Palm Beach, Fla.) tripled in a run and scored off of Lee Davis' (Lexington, Ky.) single. Davis completed the rally by scoring on a wild pitch.

McSpedon finished the game 2-for-2 with two runs scored and three RBIs.

With the win, Driver improved to 14-6 on the season.

A seven-run outburst in the third inning propelled Union to the 11-1 decision in the finale.

Up 3-1, Driver led off the third with a triple before scoring on McSpedon's single. Davis followed with a two-run home run, her second four-bagger of the season. Davis added a third RBI in the inning as she was walked singled with the bases loaded, giving Union a 10-1 cushion.

The Lady Bulldogs tacked on a run in the fourth, wrapping up the 10-run decision.

Jenna Gray (Lakeland, Ky.) improved to 11-9 on the season as she allowed one run on three hits and no walks while striking out five.

With her two RBIs in the win, McSpedon tied the school record for most RBIs in a season as she now has 38 on the year. McSpedon, who set the mark at 38 in 2006, is also the career RBI lead with 107.

Davis finished the game 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored, while Ashlee Bertsch (Hamilton, Ohio) went 1-of-3 with two RBIs.

Union (Ky.) Softball Record Falls as Bulldogs Sweep Pikeville (Ky.)
BARBOURVILLE, Ky. - A couple of records fell by the wayside Saturday as Union College swept visiting Pikeville (Ky.) College 6-2 and 6-4.

The first record that fell was the single-season record for stolen bases as junior Lyla Blauser (Hopkinsville, Ky.) swiped two to give her 31 on the season, surpassing the old mark of 30 which she set just last year. She is also the career record holder with 88 stolen bases.Additionally, the team achieved another first as both Sarah Driver (Hopkinsville, Ky.) and Jenna Gray (Lakeland, Fla.) picked up victories. Driver improved to 13-6 on the year with Gray going to 10-9, making it the first-time ever that Union had two pitchers win 10 games in a season.

In the opener, Union overcame a 1-0 deficit en route to the 6-2 victory.

After three scoreless frames, Pikeville drew first blood in the top of the fourth. However, Union came back with three runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 3-1 advantage. Samantha Bridges (Jackson, Tenn.) had a sac fly to score a run, while Ashlee Bertsch (Hamilton, Ohio) and Driver each had run-scoring singles.

Union extended the lead to 6-1 with another three-run rally in the fifth. Pikeville tacked on a run in the sixth, but it was too little, too late as the Lady Bulldogs posted the 6-2 decision.

Lyla Blauser stole her 31st base of the season last week to break her old single-season mark of 30.

Blauser went 2-for-3 with a run scored, while Lee Davis (Lexington, Ky.) was 2-of-4 with two runs scored. Bertsch went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and a RBI with Bridges batting 2-of-3 with a RBI.

Driver struck out seven in allowing two runs on five hits and three walks. At the plate, she was 1-for-3 with two RBIs.

In the finale, Union faced a two-run deficit twice and needed a three-run rally in the fifth to pull out the 6-4 win.

Down 4-2 in the fifth, Union took advantage of a couple of Pikeville errors to push three runs across in grabbing a 5-4 lead. In the sixth, Blauser swept her 31st base of the season and then scored on Kaila McSpedon single to make it 6-4.

McSpedon went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, while Blauser was 2-of-4 with two runs scored. Davis, Brdiges and Suzannah Behnken (Tempe, Ariz.) each had a RBI in the win.

Gray allowed four runs - all unearned, on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts.