Owls Take Two from ETSU, 7-2 and 12-1

Thursday, April 13

Johnson City, Tenn.

2:00 PM

Florida Atlantic

East Tennessee

4/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball

April 13, 2006 JOHNSON CITY, TN - Junior Mandie Fishback (Banks, Ore.) had a career day with four hits, four runs and six RBI as Florida Atlantic swept East Tennessee State in an Atlantic Sun Conference doubleheader on Thursday at Metro-Kiwanis Field in Johnson City, Tenn.

Fishback totaled two runs and three RBI in the opener, a 7-2 win, and came back with her first home run among three hits in the nightcap, a 12-1 win in five innings. Florida Atlantic had double-digit hits in back-to-back games for the first time this season.

Game One: Florida Atlantic 7, ETSU 2

Final Stats

Florida Atlantic scored seven consecutive runs to rally from a brief one-run deficit in a 7-2 win in the first game ever with ETSU. Kathryn Stauffer (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) set down 15-consecutive batters and allowed just one earned run to improve to 7-13 on the year.

Just five balls reached the outfield in six innings against the freshman, who recorded a two-hit, no-walk, five-strikeout performance. Junior Jen Musillo (Tequesta, Fla.) struck out the side in the seventh to close out the win.

Brittney Lehrschall fell to 3-7 for ETSU, giving up seven runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings. Florida Atlantic totaled 11 hits in the game, the most in its last 13 outings.

The Bucs' lone earned run came on a leadoff pinch-hit home run by Melissa McCall in the sixth. Stephanie Gaynord, who opened the game with a single to left and moved to third on a two-base error, scored an unearned run for the only other tally of the game against Stauffer.

After a one-two-three first, Florida Atlantic responded to the ETSU tally in the opening stanza with two runs in the second. Senior Danielle Arriaga (Miami, Fla.) opened with a double to left center and junior Fishback followed with a walk.

After a sacrifice by freshman Amy Bukovich (Boca Raton, Fla.), classmate Kala Guy (Hollywood, Fla.) delivered two RBI with a single to left center. Consecutive infield grounders ended the inning for the Owls.

FAU's lead grew in the third when junior Jenna Lopez (Orangeburg, N.Y.) delivered a one-out single to left, stole second and took third on a groundout to second base by junior Shauna Corso (Seal Beach, Calif.). After an Arriaga walk, Fishback slapped a single to shortstop to make the score 3-1 at the end of three.

Florida Atlantic broke the game open with one out in the fifth. Lopez was hit by a pitch, Corso, Arriaga, Fishback and Bukovich had consecutive singles and Guy followed with a double to right center.

Fishback drove in two runs with her shot to leftfield, scoring Lopez and Corso with the bases loaded. Arriaga was gunned down trying to take third base on the play, but the throw to third opened the door for Fishback to advance to second.

Fishback came home on Bukovich's poke to right center. Guy collected an RBI with her two-bagger to right center, giving FAU a 7-1 lead after five.

Fishback had two runs and three RBI in the game. Guy had a career-high three RBI and her first collegiate double, while Lopez scored twice in the game.

Arriaga, Fishback, Bukovich and Guy had two hits each for FAU.

Game Two: Florida Atlantic 12, ETSU 1 (5 innings)

Final Stats

The Owls' 14 hits and 12 runs were the second-best totals of the season in the 12-1 finale. Florida Atlantic exploded for nine total runs in the first and fourth innings.

Senior Jessica Sachs opened the game with a hit, the 14th time she has batted safely in the last 15 games, to spark a four-run first. One out later, Corso and Fishback sandwiched singles around an Arriaga double.

Arriaga's deuce plated two runs for FAU and after advancing to third on Fishback's knock to leftfield, Arriaga scored on a Guy fly to center. Sophomore Lauren Crandall (DeLand, Fla.) wrapped up FAU's scoring in the inning with an RBI single to left.

Sachs collected her third of four hits in the game with one out in the fifth. After Corso drove in a run and reached safely along with Arriaga, Fishback connected on a three-run shot to leftfield.

The Owls added three more runs in the fifth. Sophomore Melissa Moore (Miami, Fla.) hit her first collegiate home run. After three-consecutive singles to load the bases, a walk by pinch runner Annie Voyles (Bronson, Fla.) and single by Musillo plated Sachs and pinch hitter Maggie Ebanks (Savannah, Grand Cayman) with the final two runs.

Junior Meghan Doonan (Wallingford, Conn.) held the Bucs to two hits and struck out four to move to 4-1 on the year. Mary Catherina Vercoe fell to 5-12 with the loss, giving up four runs on six hits in one inning of work.

Sachs scored three times to go along with her four singles. Arriaga had two runs and three RBI in the game.

Florida Atlantic (19-21, 6-4 A-Sun) will return to action 2 p.m. EDT, Friday against Belmont at Aquinas College Softball Field in Nashville, Tenn.

Florida Atlantic University Softball Capsule

Who: Florida Atlantic Owls (19-21, 6-4 A-Sun) at Belmont Bruins (13-24-1, 1-9 A-Sun)
What: Atlantic Sun Conference softball doubleheader
When: 2 p.m. EDT, Friday, April 14, 2006
Where: Aquinas College Softball Field, Nashville, Tenn.
Admission: No charge