April 14, 2010

Story courtesy of Shorter Sports Information

CLEVELAND, Tenn. - No. 19 Shorter College (Ga.) broke open a 3-3 game with a four-run outburst in the top of the seventh en route to a 7-3 upset of Southern States Athletic Conference foe and second-ranked Lee University (Tenn.) in game two of a doubleheader on Tuesday.

The Lady Hawks, who fell 4-3 in eight innings in the opening game of the twin bill, bounced back in a big way, defeating Lady Flames' Brittany Balough to improve to 34-12 overall and 16-8 in league play.

Lee (43-4, 24-2 SSAC) fell for just the second time in conference play and for the first time in five meetings with Shorter this season. The Lady Hawks won the season series last year.

Shorter methodically worked its way back into the game after falling behind 3-1 in the third inning.

The Lady Hawks touched up the Venezuelan national team pitcher for two runs and a 3-3 tie in the fifth. Tiffany Adams, who went 2-for-4, scored on a Lady Flames' throwing error to cut the deficit to 3-2 and Emily Clements followed with a sacrifice fly that plated Jessica Womble to draw Shorter even.

Gomez, who gave up six hits and threw 105 pitches in her six innings of work, was lifted in the seventh in favor of Brittany Balough. Shorter wasted little time in capitalizing on its momentum, as Libby Munson drove in Womble with a groundball that was misplayed and then combined with Clements to execute a successful double steal for a 5-3 lead.

Chelsea Blair scored on a passed ball and Kara Pollock capped the inning with her second homer of the season, a solo blast to center, that put the Lady Hawks ahead 7-3.

Shorter's pitching staff was up to the challenge against the nation's No. 2 team.

Munson started on the rubber and went four innings, giving up two runs on five hits with two strikeouts. Reliever Elisabeth Barber earned the win by tossing the final three innings, shutting out the Lady Flames and scattering three hits.

The Lady Hawks and Lady Flames posted an identical eight hits in the game, but while Lee was haunted by three errors, Shorter left plenty of opportunity on the base paths to the tune of nine stranded runners.

Shorter returns to the diamond on Friday when it travels to Central, S.C., for an SSAC doubleheader with Southern Wesleyan University (S.C.) beginning at 5 p.m.