Box Score
BURLINGTON, N.C. — Shenandoah University freshman Amanda Litwin took a no-hitter into the seventh inning Friday afternoon to help the sixth-seeded Hornets to a 7-2 win over eighth-seeded Averett in the USA South Conference Tournament at Springwood Park.
The loss eliminated Averett (6-25) from the tournament and ended its season.
Shenandoah (19-16-1) got all of the offense it would need with one run in second inning and three more in the third. Two Averett errors led to all three third inning runs being unearned. Junior Catherine Pruiett drove in two of them with a single to center.
The Hornets, who limited Averett to just three hits, put the finishing touches on the victory with one run in the fourth and two in the fifth. Shenandoah banged out 16 hits in the game with all but one starter getting at least one hit.
The Cougars tried to mount a rally in the top of the seventh. Junior
Jessica Maldonado and freshmen
Molly Nanney and
Chrissy Pickert all belted singles to start the final inning. Maldonado scored on a squeeze grounder to the third baseman by sophomore
Heather Carnes and Nanney was able to cross the plate on the next play following a groundout by sophomore
Emily Atkinson. The Averett rally was cut short, however, when the Cougars hit into a groundout for the third out.
Litwin was nearly perfect through the first six innings, with only a first inning walk preventing her from perfection. She retired 16 in a row before Maldonado’s single.
Freshman
Nicole DeFilippo pitched the first two innings for the Cougars and gave up four runs on eight hits with a strikeout. Sophomore
Danielle Emerson surrendered eight hits and allowed three runs in relief.