|
Saturday, February 22, 2003
Golden Panthers drop two
games at FAU's Worth Classic
 IU
(5-14) dropped a pair of softball games at Florida Atlantic's
Worth Classic in Boca Raton on Saturday, but playing nose-to-nose
with No. 1-ranked UCLA before coming up short, 3-0, certainly
seems like a building block for a team of struggling Golden Panthers.
FIU lost the opener to Rutgers, 3-1.
The charge of taming the Bruins (13-1) was given to freshman
pitcher Nicole Barrett (0-5) who lasted 3.1 innings after
allowing three runs on five hits. Kendra Laminack pitched
the final 2.2 innings, giving up just one hit with three strikeouts.
UCLA scored once in the first inning then added two more runs
in the third on a two out single by Cooper City's Claire Sua.
The Golden Panthers recorded three base hits off UCLA winning
pitcher Michelle Turner (4-0), all three coming off the
bat of shortstop Stephanie Wolter, but Golden Panther
hitters refused to go down quietly, putting the ball in play
and only striking out four times against Turner.
In the opener, Rutgers (4-2) raised its weekend record to
3-1 and a classic championship meeting against UCLA with the
win.
Rutgers got on the board in the top of the first inning off
Golden Panther starting and losing pitcher Amanda Nealer (5-4)
on a two-out RBI double by Jenny Card.
FIU loaded the bases on a pair of walks and an infield hit,
but couldn't get the tying run home.
The Scarlet Knights then plated an unearned run in the third
and another in the fourth for a 3-0 lead before FIU finally cracked
the scoreboard with an unearned run in the seventh.
Amber Gill opened the inning with a single to center
field, moved to third on a pair of ground outs and scored FIU's
lone run of the day on a throwing error by Card at third base. |