Herd softball hopes to continue winning streak
More stories from Adam Polsky
The Thundering Herd softball team swept Wright State University Tuesday in a doubleheader at Dot Hicks Field. The Herd won the first game 3-2 on a walk-off by Morgan Zerkle and the second game by a score of 11-2.
Marshall University softball returns to C-USA action with a three game series against University of North Texas this weekend at Dot Hicks Field.
The Thundering Herd is riding a five game win streak into this contest after back-to-back sweeps against Furman University and Wright State University.
The Herd won its two games against Wright State Tuesday in drastically different fashions.
Game one ended when sophomore outfielder Morgan Zerkle drove in freshman infielder Elicia D’Orazio with a walk-off run batted in double to win, 3-2. The win raised sophomore ace Jordan Dixon’s record to 21-10.
Head coach Shonda Stanton said she was impressed her group did not panic after blowing a two run lead late in the game.
“We didn’t press or seem nervous,” Stanton said to Herd Zone. “I think that’s where we’re seeing the growth in our group in that we had the confidence to (stay calm).”
Game two lasted five innings before it ended due to the run rule. The run rule states if the home team is up by 8 runs or more at the bottom of an inning then the game is called and the home team is awarded the victory.
Marshall won 11-2, largely due to the efforts of junior catcher Kaitlin Lucas and junior infielder Shaelynn Braxton who added three RBIs each.
Freshman outfielder Jordan Colliflower also picked up the first two hits of her career in the game.
North Texas is trending in the opposite direction after losing its last contest against University of Texas at Arlington to extend its losing skid to five straight games. The Mean Green has been a streaky team this year with a seven game win streak before its most recent losses.
Stanton said she understands this UNT team can get hot at any time, and her squad will need to fight for a full seven innings to pull out a victory.
“We gotta know that they are going to be here ready to battle,” Stanton said to. “It’s going to be from the first pitch to the last, and I just want our girls to continue to go out and do what we’re doing, play with confidence and compete. The results will take care of themselves.”
First pitch for game one is set for noon Friday. Game two will take place after 2 p.m. and game three will start at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Adam Polsky can be contacted at [email protected].
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