Lyons finish eighth out of 24 teams at NFCA Leadoff Classic

March 11, 2007

PANAMA CITY BEACH, FL- The Wheaton College softball team finished competition at the third National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III Leadoff Classic in the Gold Bracket third-place consolation game, coming in eighth out of 24 schools at the prestigious three-day tournament on Sunday. The Lyons fell in their opener, 12-0 in five innings to Trinity University of Texas before falling, 5-0 against North Carolina's Methodist University. Wheaton is now 2-4 and will continue a 12-game Florida trip on Tuesday.

Trinity pounced on the Lyons early, plating six runs in each of the first two innings. The Tigers' first-inning outburst came on four singles, keyed by senior Kristen Yurasits' (Houston, TX) two-run base hit, while their second frame output was aided by five hits, including sophomore Lee Smith's (Round Rock, TX) two-run double.

Over the final three innings, Wheaton junior relief hurler Jodi Moynagh (Worcester, MA/Holy Name Central Catholic) faced only 11 batters, yielding one hit and fanning two. Senior Nicole Lachance (Rochester, NH/Spaulding) stroked a leadoff single in the fourth for the Lyons' only hit. Senior Jillian Degerness (Woodbury, MN) earned the win for the 8-5 Tigers with three shutout inning of relief.

In the second contest, Wheaton put a runner on base in five different innings, including each of the first four, but was unable to break through. Junior left fielder Alix Brozman (Chappaqua, NY/Horace Greeley) threw a runner out at the plate to end the bottom of the first inning before starting a two-out rally in the top of the third, singling to right before being joined on base by two other Lyons. However, the Blue and White was held off the board.

Methodist scored all of the runs it would need in the bottom half, with both scoring on senior Kristen Kennedy's (Greensboro, NC) two-run single, which snapped a scoreless tie. Two more Monarch runs came home in the fifth, and Kennedy single in another during the sixth. The Lyons threatened to push a run across in the seventh but narrowly came up short after senior Jessica DePolito (Taunton, MA/Coyle and Cassidy) and Lachance each singled to put runners on the corners with two down.

Junior Audrey Poulton (Charlestown, RI/Chariho Regional) suffered the loss by yielding three earned runs in five innings. Senior Jessica Hutzul (Brampton, Ontario) drew the win for 11-4 Methodist with four shutout innings of four-hit ball, while freshman Emily Beck (Tenafly, NJ) notched the save following three relief innings in which she yielded no runs on two hits.

The Lyons begin a six-game swing at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic in Fort Myers, Florida on Tuesday with a pair of contests. Wheaton and Montclair State University square off at 11:00 a.m. before the Blue and White faces Keene State College at 3:00 p.m.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 3/12/07.
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