Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Houston Baptist
Softball Defeats Houston Baptist, 1-0, In Rubber Game
February 13, 2011 | Softball
Box Score
HOUSTON, Texas - Freshman right-hander Haley Pypes threw a nifty two-hit shutout, twice getting out of jams with bases loaded, in picking up her second win against Houston Baptist in less than 24 hours following Army's 1-0 decision in Sunday's rubber game played at the Ft. Bend Baptist High School. The Black Knights went 2-1 in their first meeting with the Huskies this weekend.
Husky pitcher Kendall Stiefel threw no-hit ball through the first five innings in keeping Army off the scoreboard until the sixth inning when the Black Knights got both hits off her in that frame along with the lone run of the game.
With one out in the sixth inning, Dana VanderLey broke up Stiegel's no-hitter on a shot to the second baseman in pinch hitting for catcher Rachael Duval, who returned to the lineup. The next batter flew out to the right field for the second out. Team captain Angela Deger drew the last of four walks issued by Stiefel, moving Duval into scoring position at second base.
Freshman April Ortenzo provided the game heroics with her RBI single up the middle delivering Duval for what would prove to be all the scoring needed. The RBI was her fourth of the season. Stiefel did not allow Army an insurance run in getting the next batter on an infield popup as she left two Black Knight runners on base.
Pypes made that run stand as she retired the Huskies in order in the bottom of the sixth and the first two of the seventh before a hit batsman put the tying run on base. The freshman hurler got out of that situation on a groundout to the second baseman to move to 2-0 following her first collegiate shutout in compiling a 2.25 earned run average against the Huskies.
At the start of the game, Pypes got into a jam in the bottom of the first inning with two outs and bases loaded due to an error and a pair of walks. The native of Kansas City, Mo., got out safely by getting the next batter to fly out to the right center field. In the third inning she found herself in the same situation following an error and a pair of walks with two outs, and once again got the same player, Holly Webber, to fly out to the same spot in right center field. She stranded eight Husky runners for the game.
Army had just one runner in scoring position prior to the sixth inning. With one out in the top of the second inning, junior outfielder Reanna Johnson walked and stole second base, but was stranded when Stiefel retired the side with back-to-back strikeouts.
The Black Knights will take on Texas Southern in closing out their trip to the Lone Star State.
NOTES: Army batted .263 against Houston Baptist with the freshmen posting the highest averages led by Amanda Nguyen's .500 along with .333 marks by Meghan McGowan and Haley Pypes, with sophomore Alex Reynolds and freshman April Ortenzo hitting .300 ... the freshman have accounted for 12 of Army's 21 hits along with 10 of 14 runs batted in with Pypes the leader with five.
