COLUMBUS, Ga. - Lindsey Matsunaga provided clutch hitting on Friday as Pacific Lutheran beat Emory (Ga.), 4-1, and Kean (N.J.), 3-2 in eight innings, in its opening two games at the NFCA Division III Leadoff Classic.
The Lutes, now 7-3 for the season, entered the tournament ranked No. 15 in this week's NFCA Division III Top 25 poll. They finish pool play at 7 a.m. (EST) Saturday with a game against Hiram (Ohio). After that, they enter into the knockout round.
PLU 4, Emory 1
Kelsey Robinson pitched a four-hitter and Matsunaga hit a bases-loaded, two-out triple in the top of the seventh inning Friday morning to lift Pacific Lutheran to a 4-1 win over Emory in the opening game of the NFCA Leadoff Classic.
Robinson, the Washington state native to transferred to PLU from Troy University, limited the formerly unbeaten Eagles to just one unearned run. That tally, which came in the bottom of the sixth inning on Robinson's error, tied the score after the Lutes had scored the game's opening run in the top of the third.
PLU got that run on Amanda Hall's two-out single, scoring Haley Harshaw after the latter had reached on a single and moved to third on Glenelle Nitta's two-out base hit.
The Lutes had two other excellent scoring chances, leaving the bases loaded in the fifth and stranding another runner on second an inning later.
Meanwhile, Robinson mowed through the Eagles' lineup for three straight innings before they finally got a baserunner in the fourth. In fact, two singles sandwiched around a walk loaded the bases, but Robinson coaxed a ground out to end that threat.
After Emory tied the game in the bottom of the fifth, Robinson was stingy the rest of the way. She retired the side in order in the sixth and allowed a pinch hit single in the seventh inning, but no more.
Robinson, now 2-1, walked one and struck out five in her third start and second complete game.
Every starter in the PLU lineup had at least one hit and both Hall and Katie Lowery had two each as the Lutes got to Emory ace Amanda Kardys for 10 hits. Kardys, now 13-1 for the season, had allowed only five earned runs in 79 2/3 innings of work prior to allowing four earned runs this morning.
Emory, ranked No. 4 in the NFCA poll, suffered its first loss after opening the season with 19 consecutive victories.
PLU 3, Kean 2
For the second straight game, Matsunaga was the hitting hero in the bottom of the seventh inning for PLU. This time, her two-out single drove in pinch runner Spencer Sherwin from second base, tying the game at 1-1 and sending it into extra innings.
Kaaren Hatlen started the game-tying rally with a single, and Sherwin came in as a pinch runner and promptly stole second. With two outs, Matsunaga tied the game with her line drive single to center field.
Both teams started their turn at bat in the eighth inning with a runner on second base as the international tie-breaker rule was used. Kean scored the go-ahead run on a one-out single, leaving it up to PLU to either tie or win the game in the bottom of the frame. Kelli Crawford started at second base, advanced a base on a ground out, but stayed at third on Harshaw's infield single.
With Crawford at third base, the Kean defense allowed Harshaw to advance to second, bringing Montessa Califano to the plate. Her infield single scored Crawford and moved Harshaw to third, from where she scored the game-winning run moments later on a wild pitch.
Kean, playing its first game of the season, used two hits to score a run in the first inning against Pacific Lutheran starting pitcher Leah Butters. Hatlen relieved her with one out in the first and went the rest of the way.
The Lutes, meanwhile, got nothing going against Courtney Yard, a sophomore pitcher who retired 12 in a row between the second and sixth inning. Yard had a no-hitter through 5 2/3 innings before Hall hit a single in the sixth.
Kean had a big opportunity to play add-on in the top of the seventh when Jess Fanty led off with a double and Jill Martin followed with a single. Hatlen bore down, coaxing a short fly ball to right field, striking out a batter, and then inducing an inning-ending comebacker.
That set up Matsunaga's seventh-inning heroics, and PLU's eventual win in the bottom of the eighth. Unfortunately, moments after tying the game, the junior shortstop was injured after colliding with the knee of a Kean defensive player while trying to steal a base. Matsunaga is expected to miss an undetermined amount of games to have dental surgery.
The Lutes managed just five hits against Yard, with no player getting more than one. Kean, meanwhile, had eight hits, including two each by Fanty, Martin and Kelly Moorehead.
Hatlen was the winning pitcher, improving her record to 3-0 by allowing no runs on seven hits with no walks and two strikeouts.
- PLU -
