April 13, 2009

Story courtesy of Savannah College of Art and Design Sports Information Office

SAVANNAH, Ga. - Savannah College of Art and Design swept a The Sun Conference softball doubleheader from Northwood (Fla.) University Saturday (April 11) afternoon at the Paulson Softball Complex. The Bees took the opener 8-0 in six innings before rallying to take a 9-8 decision in the nightcap in the eight innings.

The Bees won their sixth consecutive game with the sweep to improve to 17-9 overall and to 6-3 in the conference while the Seahawks fell to 10-28 and 1-8. SCAD returns to action Friday (April 17) at 4 p.m. when they travel to Lake Wales, Fla., to start a conference set against defending champions Warner University.

With the win in the opener, SCAD head coach Terri Knecht notched her 500th career win. Knecht, who is in her 15th season as a head coach, has a 501-277-2 record (.644), including a 206-97 mark (.680) in her seven seasons in charge of the Bees. Prior to SCAD, Knecht spent eight seasons at Sante Fe Community College where she went 295-180-2 (.614).

The Bees took a 2-0 lead in the opener in the second on double to left field by Dominica Jordan off Northwood starter Michelle Crompton. The Bees broke open the game with four more runs an inning later. Courtney Mienkina had a bunt single for a run and Jessaca Spears drove in two more with a single up the middle.

SCAD pushed across a run on the fifth on another Mienkina single before closing out the game early in the sixth on a Jaime Voelkel RBI single.

Starter Lisa Williams (8-4) recorded the win for the Bees as she limited the Seahawks to three hits and four strikeouts.

In the nightcap, Northwood erupted for six runs in the third to take a 7-3 lead as they Seahawks took advantage of the Williams' wildness (three walks and two wild pitches) in the inning.

The Bees battled back and tied the game at the 8 in the bottom of the seventh as SCAD scored an unearned run as Northwood committed three of its errors in the inning.  Jackie Rooney led off the eighth with an infield single and moved to second on a Voelkel sacrifice bunt. A Mienkina single put runners on the corner before Spears reached on an fielding error which allowed Rooney to scamper home with the deciding run.

SCAD reliever Jennifer Bryden (6-2) earned the win for the Bees with 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.