Sports Information Department – 112 Dods Hall
Phone (716) 673-3100 / Fax (716) 673-3136

CONTACT: Jerry Reilly,
Sports Information Director

DATE: Tues., March 25, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Softball

Devils edge M.I.T. after close loss to No. 5 DePauw

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Fredonia State earned a split of its two games Tuesday at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic.

After dropping a hard-fought 1-0 decision to No. 5 ranked DePauw, the Blue Devils (5-3) bounced back for a 3-2 victory over Massachusetts Institute of Technology at the Lee County Sports Complex.

The Blue Devils took advantage of two M.I.T. miscues to break a 2-2 tie in the second game of the day. Bree Crossett (Wayland/Wayland-Cohochton) reached on an error with one out and advanced to second on a wild pitch. When Jessica Thompson (Falconer) lofted a deep fly to center, pinch-runner Kelsey Sherwood (Forestville) held up before advancing to third on what turned out to be a double. Sherwood was awarded home on the following play, a grounder to shortstop, when the home plate umpire ruled the catcher blocked her from reaching the plate without having the ball.

Starting pitcher Andrea Devon (Elmira/Notre Dame) pitched into the sixth inning before running into trouble. In came Cristina Reale (Geneva), who inherited a first-and-third situation with one out. The M.I.T. rally was squelched when the runner on third was picked off on a throw by Crossett, from her catcher's spot, to third baseman Samantha Kinkema (Lake City, Mich./Northern Michigan Christian). Reale retired the batter on a bouncer to short, then worked a 1-2-3 seventh to earn the save.

The Blue Devils broke on top 1-0 in the top of the first on an error an RBI double by Kristy Sheridan (Buffalo/Mount Mercy). Sheridan later scored from third on a dropped third strike and a subsequent throw to first even though the base was occupied.

Devon earned the win by scattering four hits over 5 1/3 innings. She struck out two and walked three -- two in her final inning of work. Offensively, Sheridan had three hits to raise her batting average to a team-leading .476.

In the first game of the day, No. 5 DePauw scored in the first inning and made their lone run stand. A lead-off single, a sacrifice, and infield single, a walk, and an run-scoring single by Ashlee Anton accounted for the DePauw run off Reale. The junior righthander pitched out of further trouble in the inning, and also pitched out of another bases-loaded jam in the second inning before settling down. At one point, she faced a minimum 12 straight batters, including one who doubled to center and was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a triple.

The Blue Devils were limited to one hit, a first-inning single to center by Sheridan. Otherwise, the offense was stymied by DePauw's Megan Soultz, who struck out nine and recorded her team's seventh straight shutout and their 10th this season. The Tigers (16-1) have won 16 straight games. Later in the day, they defeated Wisconsin-Whitewater, 2-0, their 17th straight win and eighth straight shutout.

The Blue Devils close out their Florida trip with two games Wednesday morning -- 9 a.m. vs. Middlebury, and an 11 a.m. rematch with Wisconsin-Whitewater.

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FREDONIA STATE/DEPAUW BOXSCORE

FREDONIA STATE/M.I.T. BOXSCORE

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