University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Northern Illinois
Softball Shuts Out Northern Illinois, 2-0
March 10, 2007 | Softball
March 10, 2007
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Sophomore Brandice Balschmiter (Newark, N.Y.) tossed a three-hit shutout with six strikeouts as the Massachusetts Softball Team (7-7-1) defeated Northern Illinois (6-8) 2-0 Saturday afternoon in the final game of pool play at the adidas Invitational. Balschmiter retired 15 of the final 17 batters she faced and threw only 92 pitches. The Minutewomen conclude pool play at 3-2 and will now await their opponent in the silver bracket championship quarterfinal game that will be played tonight at 6:00. Senior Amanda Morin (Worcester, Mass.) and junior Stacy Cullington (Encinitas, Calif.) each had a RBI hit for UMass.
The Minutewomen took the first lead with a run in the bottom of the first inning against Northern Illinois pitcher Kate Greenough. Senior Candice Molinari (Glendora, Calif.) reached on a one-out infield single and then stole second base. She came around to score the first run of the game when junior Stacy Cullington (Encinitas, Calif.) ripped a RBI single up the middle.
In the top of the second inning, the Huskies looked for at least the tying run. They got a bloop single, hit batsman and a sacrifice to set up the inning with runners on second and third and just one out. Balschmiter managed to get out of the jam on a foul out and a ground ball to keep it a 1-0 game.
UMass had a chance to give Balschmiter some insurance in the bottom of the second inning. The Minutewomen loaded the bases with two outs for Cullington, but she was punched out on the 10th pitch of a lengthy at bat.
With Balschmiter on cruise control through four innings, UMass pushed another run across in the bottom of the fourth. Sophomore Emily Wehr (Marietta, Ga.) reached on a fielder's choice, went to second base on a passed ball, advanced to third on a ground out and then scored when senior Amanda Morin (Worcester, Mass.) dumped a two-out single into left field.
Balschmiter allowed a two-out single in the seventh inning, but was able to work around it and preserve her second shutout of the season. She scattered three hits and one walk while striking out six batters.
Massachusetts will now play Jacksonville in the silver bracket championship tonight at 6:00 PM. Bracket play runs through Sunday at the E.C. Moore Complex. Live stats of every UMass game at the adidas Invitational is available via Gametracker at www.umassathletics.com.
