Army Edges Kent State in Extra Innings

Friday, February 24

Madeira Beach, Fla.

11 AM

Army West Point

2-4

Kent State

4-6

Army West Point

Kent State

Army Edges Kent State in Extra Innings

February 24, 2017 | Softball

Box Score

Madeira Beach, Fla. – The Army West Point softball team won its first game of the EMU Madeira Beach Invitational in thrilling fashion with a 1-0 victory over Kent State in eight innings Friday.

The Black Knights improved to 2-4 on the year, while the Golden Flashes dropped to 4-6.

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

This was Army's first-ever victory over Kent State in the second game between the two sides with the other meeting coming in 2013.
This was the first shutout of the season for the Black Knights, and the first since a 7-0 victory over Hartford on May 3.
Senior Caroline Smith tossed seven shutout innings, allowing just four hits in the game.
Smith's classmate, Kristen West, came in for the final frame, where she closed out the game for the Black Knights.
Smith earned her first win of the season, while West provided the first save for Army in 2017.
Army received its offensive contributions in the form of two hits for freshman Lacey Swafford and one hit from junior Taylor Gaff andsenior Alee Rashenskas.

KEY MOMENT
Swafford stepped into the box with two outs in the top of the eighth and delivered an RBI single, scoring sophomore Carrie Reilly from second for the only run of the game.

HOW IT HAPPENED

It was a pitchers dual as both teams earned only four hits each.
Swafford opened the game for Army with a triple to right field, but was stranded on there.
The Black Knights had its second-straight leadoff batter reach base as Gaff was hit by a pitch.
Smith shut down the Golden Flashes in the first inning and worked through a pair of walks in the second.
She would work herself out of a couple of jams in the following innings as Kent State was able to get runners on first and third with one out in the third, a leadoff double in the fourth and runners on second and third with one out in the fifth.
Army's bats came alive late in the game, notching three of its four hits in the final two innings.
A seventh-inning single by Gaff was followed in extras with back-to-back hits from Swafford and Rashenskas.
Kent state put three runners on base in the final two innings, but was unable to push any runs across the plate.

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