Clarksville, Ark.--A Devon Bottoms RBI double lifted the Lady Eagles to a 2-1 win and gave them a split in their American Southwest Conference battle with UT-Dallas on Saturday.
With the score tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth, Jessica Pianalto drew a walk to start the rally. Following a 15-minute break due to heavy rain, Bottoms promptly sent a shot to the left field fence to score Pianalto for the game-winning run. It was just Ozarks’ fourth hit of the game as both teams struggled offensively in the cold and wet conditions. Starting pitcher Dana Marvin controlled the Comets’ bats for the games entirety and allowed just three hits. The lone score for the Comets (10-8, 8-6) came in the fourth inning on a wild pitch, which would even the contest at 1-1. "It was nice to see our girls play with determination during the series with UT-Dallas," said head coach Jon Janssen. "The girls stayed focused in each game and these wins will help us in the playoff race. I thought pitchers Chanceree Catlett and Dana Marvin worked their way out of several bad positions, so that was a big boost for us. It’s good to get a split, but I felt like we had a chance to win all four games. I feel like we are headed in the right direction. Now we have some momentum going into our series with UT-Tyler. They are the caliber of team we need to be able to compete with." The Lady Eagles (4-11-1, 3-9) held a 1-0 lead after one inning when Chelsea Joslin cranked a double to right field to score Shannon Rainbolt, who drew a walk to open the inning. UT-Dallas attempted to intentionally walk Joslin, but the power-hitting freshman reached out and connected on a ball clearly outside the batters box, and sent it deep over the right fielder’s head. Joslin would later be intentionally walked in the fifth. Ozarks out hit UT-Dallas 5-3 in the game. Jodie Clark went 2-for-3 to lead the team. Dana Marvin (3-4) picked up her second win in as many days with a three strikeout performance. A three-run sixth inning propelled UT-Dallas to a 3-1 win in Saturday’s first game. Joslin gave Ozarks a 1-0 lead with a solo home run in the third inning. It was Joslin’s fourth homer of the season. In the sixth inning, UT-Dallas scored off of a RBI double and then on two unearned runs to lead 3-1. Joslin went 2-for-3 with an RBI to lead the team. Chanceree Catlett (1-6) received the loss, pitching six innings and recording one strikeout. Ozarks will host Central Baptist College on March 29 in a double-header beginning at 2:00 p.m.
Topics: Athletics