Never-ending Softball: Pitching duel lasts into 13th inning before Scots prevail in NCAAs
Box Score
By Nate Jervey
Alma College Sports Information
ALMA, Mich. - Freshman Shannon Harrington (Dewitt/St. Johns) playing
in the biggest game of her collegiate career, came through with perhaps
the two most outstanding plays of her short career. In a pitching duel
that featured two senior staff aces, it was the freshman that proved to
be the difference. Her diving catch at the fence in the top of the 13th
robbed Dana Cebular of extra bases, and kept the Aurora offense off the
basepaths. In the bottom half of the inning, Harrington came up
with the bases loaded and launched a ball into the left center gap that
scored Anne Westerman (Gaylord/St. Mary’s) and provided the Scots with the deciding run in the 2-1 victory.
Aurora senior Taylor Peterson, who entered the game with an ERA below
one and a perfect record of 26-0, pitched all 13 innings allowing only
two runs on nine hits, struck out 11 and walked three. Alma
senior was up to the task however, and matched Peterson
pitch for pitch. After giving up a solo home run to Caryssa
Douglas in the top of the third, Tavidian (14-5) shut down the Spartan
offense for the remainder of the game giving up just two more hits and
keeping the Scots in the game. For the game Tavidian struck out
13 and walked five to earn the win.
Alma tied the score at one in the bottom of the fourth when, after back-to-back walks to Megan Colligan (Northville/Novi) and Harrington, Amy Gaudard (Mt. Pleasant) came through with a single that scored Andrea Lunsted (Haslett), who had come in to pinch-run for Colligan, tying the score and setting up the extra-inning heroics.
Anne Westerman doubled twice for the Scots. Megan Knochel (Pinconning) and Laura Bell (Walled Lake/Western) also had two hits for the Scots who improve to 31-8 on the season.
The 13-inning, never-ending softball game is the Scots’ was their first
NCAA extra-inning victory in games lasting longer than 10 innings.
Alma lost in the 2004 NCAA World Series to Chapman in 14 innings (7-6),
and to Salisbury in 10 innings (3-2). There are six other NCAA
Tournament games lasting extra innings - the only wins came in 1997’s
Central Regional in a 2-1, 8-inning win against Calvin and in last year's first round in a 10-inning game against Chicago.
The Scots return to action Sunday, May 15 at 1 p.m. in the championship
game against the winner of the Aurora/North Central game which will be
played at 11 a.m.
Posted: Sat, May 14th, 2005 at 6:06PM
