Baseball and Softball Eliminated

For More Information Contact: Scott Musa, 540.665.5417

DANVILLE, Va. – NC Wesleyan eliminated Shenandoah University from the 2002 Dixie Conference Tournament Friday morning with a 9-3 victory in the first consolation game of the tournament.

Shenandoah (11-26) held a 3-2 lead with two innings to play, but saw the Bishops (13-22) score seven runs in the eighth inning to break open the close game.

SU had taken its first lead of the game in the last of the seventh with a pair of runs on two hits and an NCWC error. Freshman Matt MacDonald (Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne) led off with a single and advanced to second on Dusty Crostic’s (Chesterfield, Va./LC Bird) sacrifice bunt. Rodney Wooden (Baltimore, Md./Woodlawn) then moved MacDonald 90 feet from home with an single to center.

Tommy Delaney (Fairfax Station, Va./Hayfield) tied the game one batter later on a fielder’s choice to second. After an intentional walk to John Cowell (Devon, Pa./Conestoga), Delaney scored from second when Jafar Alexander (San Jose, Calif./Wilcox) reached on an error by Wesleyan third baseman Matt Ellsworth.

Wooden led SU at the plate with three hits in five at-bats and Delaney was 2 for 5 with two RBI and a run scored.

Junior JR Creamer (Lovettsville, Va./Loudoun Valley) took the loss after giving up eight runs on 10 hits and two walks in 7.1 innings. He struck out one.

A complete box score and play by play can be found at http://www.su.edu/athletics/bb/2002/0419022.htm

Shenandoah completes its season next Tuesday with a non-league game at Villa Julie College. Game time is 6:30 pm .  

Softball

TARBORO , N.C. – The softball team also was eliminated from Dixie Conference play on Friday after dropping its first two games of the tournament.

Shenandoah (4-29) lost 7-0 in the opener to top-seeded Christopher Newport and then was a 9-0 loser to NC Wesleyan in the first consolation game of the evening.

CNU (31-9) scored all the runs it would need in the bottom of the first inning on a three-run home run by cleanup hitter Jen Harrell and then padded its advantage with single tallies in every inning thereafter with the exception of the fourth.

SU was held to five hits in the contest; senior Amanda Long (Antwerp, Ohio/IPFW) was 2 for 3 while Shanel Fisher (Lutz, Fla./South Florida), Nikki Braithwaite (Winchester, Va./James Wood) and Jodi Milburn (Winchester, Va./James Wood) had singles.

Long and Milburn were both 2 for 2 in the nightcap, but NC Wesleyan jumped all over the Hornets for eight runs in the first two innings to finish matters virtually before they started. SU also did not help matters by committing four errors that led to seven of the Bishops nine runs being unearned.

Complete box scores and plays by play can be found at http://www.su.edu/athletics/sb/2002/teamstat.htm

This completes the Hornets season.

Shenandoah University offers 16 intercollegiate sports, eight for men and eight for women. For further information, please contact the Office of Athletic Communications at 540-665-5417 or visit our web site at http://www.su.edu/athletics. For Dixie Conference Information, please visit the Dixie Conference home page: http://www.dixieconference.com.

Shenandoah University is a comprehensive Level V private university with an enrollment of approximately 2,500 students in five schools: School of Arts & Sciences, Harry F. Byrd Jr. School of Business, Shenandoah Conservatory, Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy and the School of Health Professions (Athletic Training, Nursing, Physician Assistant, Respiratory Care, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy). The University offers more than 60 programs of study at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels.