Tigers Drop Bulldogs in Cowgirl Classic Opener

Friday, February 27

Lake Charles, La.

3 PM

University of Memphis

4-7

Drake University

7-7

Memphis

Drake

Feb 27, 2015 | Softball

Box Score

Feb. 27, 2015

Box Score

Box Score (PDF)

LAKE CHARLES, La. - Lindsay Crowdus picked up her first triple of the season and Wheeler Hill knocked in the winning run as the Tigers defeated Drake 6-3 in the first day of the Cowgirl Classic.

Memphis struggled to get runners on early, but took advantage of their chances later on with back-to-back three run frames as the Tigers moved to 4-7 and dropped the Bulldogs to 7-7.

In the circle, senior Jordan Richwood was in the zone. She pitched another complete game, giving up three runs, only two earned, and just five hits. She struck out 11 of the 28 batters she faced on the day as she moved to 3-3.

Nicole Newman picked up the loss for Drake. The Tigers chased her out after five innings, but not before tagging her for five runs on five hits. Like Richwood, Newman also struck out 11 batters.

The first great scoring opportunity of the afternoon occurred for the Tigers in the fourth inning. Back-to-Back singles from Crowdus and Cierra Mangum, followed by a wild pitch, had Memphis with runners on second and third with nobody out. However, Newman settled down and struck out three of the next four batters she faced. She hit Haleigh Ross to load the bases in-between her first and second strikeouts.

Drake rode the momentum from getting out of the jam by scoring the first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth. A walk and stolen second base put the Bulldogs in scoring position. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runner over, an infield hit on a squeeze attempt made it 1-0.

But the Tigers responded in the top of the fifth, and with some power. Kyler Trosclair dropped a one-out single between the center fielder and short stop, and then Hannah Harrell singled to left. That brought up Crowdus. She drove a pitch in between the center fielder and left fielder to the wall. She ended up on third base and all of a sudden the Tigers had a 2-1 lead. Two pitches later Newman threw a ball over the catcher and to the screen, allowing Crowdus to score to make it 3-1.

In the sixth, Anna Thomas drew a leadoff walk. Calli Irvin then got on with a throwing error from the pitcher, allowing her and Thomas to advance with no outs. Wheeler Hill stepped in as a pinch hitter, and she lined a ball just inside of the third base bag for an RBI single. That would prove to be the deciding run.

After a couple of force outs at home, a single and a walk, the Tigers had the bases loaded for Mangum, who came through with a two-RBI single up the middle to make it 6-1.

The Bulldogs managed to grab two runs in the bottom of the sixth, but Richwood shut them down in the seventh to preserve the win.

Memphis outhit Drake 8-5, and only committed one error to the Bulldogs' two. The Tigers return to action in the second day of the Cowgirl Classic on Saturday. They'll start with a noon game against Texas Tech before taking on the host team McNeese State at 6.

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