Tuesday, March 12, 2013 (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina) - In the second day of competition for the Mount Ida College softball team in the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the Mustangs surrendered a tough 4-2 loss to the University of Pittsburg-Greensburg Tuesday afternoon at the Pepper Gedding Sports Complex on an overcast afternoon. Due to inclement weather, Mount Ida was only able to get in one contest for the day following cancellations to all morning games.
After a 16-7 win to put a close on the first day of the tournament, the Mustangs fall to an overall record of 1-2 while Pitt.-Greenburg improves to 4-1 with neither team competing in conference action as of yet the season.
The Mustangs opened play scoring a run in each of the first two innings for the 2-0 advantage. The Bobcats answered in the bottom half of the second frame with two of their own knotting the game at deuces (2-2). After three scoreless innings of play, Pitt.-Greenburg plated two runs in the sixth frame giving Mount Ida three outs and unable to extend action in their final at-bats taking the loss.
Senior hurler and Captain Devan Meeker (Bantam, CT/Litchfield) saw her second start of the season tossing six frames surrendering three earned runs with four strikeouts. Meeker led the Mustangs at the dish as the only player with multiple (2) hits driving in one run and scoring another. Five other Mount Ida players added a hit each led by freshman catcher Cassie Durand (Dracut, MA/Dracut) who hammered an RBI single to open the first.
For the Bobcats, freshman catcher Abigail Dygert (Seneca Falls, NY/Mynderse Academy) cranked two doubles in three at-bats with one run driven in. Freshman infielder Morgan Russo (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler) put Pitt.-Greenburg on the board with a towering shot over the left field wall in the second inning scoring two runs respectively. On the mound was freshman Meghan Uher (Acme, PA/Connellsville) who went the distance for the Bobcats notching six strikeouts and surrendering seven hits on two earned runs. Dygert and Uher drove in the go-ahead runs in the sixth frame to solidify the win.
Leading off the game, Meeker cranked a single to left field advancing to second on a fielder's choice by junior left fielder Megan Hall (Danielson, CT/Killingly). Durand followed poking a base hit to center field to send Meeker home to lead 1-0.
Meeker made quick work of the Bobcats in the bottom half of the first on the mound and capitalized with the bat in the top of the second to stretch the Mustang lead to 2-0. With one out, freshman Kaitlyn Berube (Fall River, MA/Diamond Regional) laced a single to right center followed by a double from freshman outfielder Yaritza Otero (Boston, MA/South Boston) putting two runners in scoring position. Meeker cleaned up with a base hit to left field plating Berube finishing out action in the second inning.
The Bobcats answered in the bottom of the frame with Russo blasting a solo home run to left field pulling within a run trailing 2-1. Dygert followed with a double to left and advanced on a ground out eventually scoring after a Mount Ida infield error tying the game at 2-2.
Three and a half scoreless innings ensued with the action picking back up in the bottom half of the sixth frame. Russo would reach on a fielder's choice and would be driven in by Dygert off a double hammered in the gap through right center field giving the Bobcats their first lead of the contest. Uher added an insurance run in the next at-bat popping a single through the left side to close out the two run frame to lead 4-2.
The Mustangs had a chance in the top of the seventh inning with one runner on, but Meeker flied out to deep center to solidify the loss (4-2).
Mount Ida will take on Bay Path College at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday morning and will then play Wesley College at 1:30 p.m. to finish day three of action.
