Army's Rally Falls Short In Loss To Quinnipiac

Friday, February 13

Charlotte, N.C.

5:00 PM

Army West Point

2-5

Quinnipiac

1-1

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Army West Point	0	2	0	0	1	2	0	5	8	2
Quinnipiac	0	2	3	2	0	0	X	7	9	2

Army's Rally Falls Short In Loss To Quinnipiac

February 13, 2015 | Softball

Box Score

Feb. 13, 2015

Box Score

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - - Reliever Casey Herzog worked her way out a jam to pick up the save and seal Quinnipiac's 7-5 victory when Army threatened in the top of the seventh after the Black Knights cut the Bobcats' five-run lead to two heading into the final frame in closing out the opening day of the First Pitch Classic.

Senior co-captain Alex Gaff's blasted a two-run homer, her second of the day, to give Army an early 2-0 lead, but Quinnipiac battled back with seven unanswered to pull out to a 7-2 lead after four innings.

The Black Knights scored a run in the top of the fifth on Hailey Megge's one-out single delivering Kasey McCravey (2-for-3), who led off that inning with a hit up the middle and moved to third on a passed ball.

Hannah Lindsley then took over the circle from starter Sydney Robey (1-0) and induced the first batter she faced into a foul ball popup. A passed ball moved Emily Gray, who singled, and Megge to second and third base before she nipped that threat on a groundout to the shortstop as Army drew to 7-3.

The Black Knights added two more runs in the top of the sixth capitalizing on a hit and a pair of walks. With two outs and runners at second and third, McCravey's single to center field delivered Alyssa Strobehn, who was safe on by a fielder's choice, and pinch runner Karena Gonzalez to close the gap to 7-5. McCravey stole second base, but was stranded when Lindsley got the next batter on a groundout back to the circle.

Army reliever Kristen West kept the Bobcats in check over the final 2.1 innings in limiting them to just two hits after taking over from Caroline Smith (1-3) in the bottom of the fourth with two outs. After picking up the final out on a groundout, she retired the side in the fifth on a strikeout and stranded a pair of runners in the bottom of the sixth after being touched for a pair of hits along with an error.

Following a pair of popups and a double, Army denied pinch runner Emily Czaja, who advanced to third on Nikki Barba's single, when she was thrown out at home plate on the relay from left fielder Megge to Strobehn at home plate.

Army challenged in the top of the seventh facing its third pitcher of the game when Herzog took over the circle. She held Army hitless, but an error put the first runner on and a hit batsman allowed the tying run on base with one out. A fielder's choice for the second out allowed West, who reached on error, to advance to third before Herzog nipped Army's comeback bid on a foul ball to right field.

Quinnipiac tied the game in the home half of the second with Abby Johnson's run-scoring double sending home Miranda Magan, who singled, to knot the score at 2-2. The Bobcats snapped the tie with three runs in the third and tacked on two more in the fourth inning to pull out to a 7-2 lead.

Molly Jarrett's two-run single capped a three-run third with Barba's RBI single delivering the first run as Quinnipiac led 5-2. The Bobcats scored two more in the fourth on an error and Barba's second RBI of the game.

Army will look to bounce back Saturday taking on Ohio at 10 a.m. and Charlotte at 2 p.m.