Ashland Softball Season Ends With Pair of Losses
May 2, 2005

By Paul Carmany, AU Sports Information

Complete Box Scores
Game 1         Game 2

The Ashland University softball team wrapped up regular season play Sunday afternoon (May 1) with a doubleheader against Grand Valley State hosted at Wayne State in Detroit. A pair of 2-1 losses to the Lakers kept the Eagles out of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) tournament.

AU, which ended the season with 10 consecutive losses, finishes the 2005 season at 27-23. The Eagles placed ninth in the GLIAC standings with an 8-12 ledger. Grand Valley State enters the GLIAC tournament as the third seed after going 13-7 in conference games. The Lakers are 24-18 overall.

The Eagles took an early lead in the first game when Nicole Placie led off the top of the second inning with a home run.

AU starter Jaime Williams held the Lakers at bay until the bottom of the sixth. In that frame, a pair of Eagle errors allowed Tara Marsh to score the tying run for GVSU.

The next inning, Marsh plated Kristin Moleski with a walk-off, two-out single that gave the Lakers a 2-1 win.

Williams went the distance for AU, striking out 12 and giving up one earned run on seven hits in a losing effort. Kelli Williams was 3-for-3.

In game two, Grand Valley State drew first blood in the top of the sixth when Denise Ireton, who had tripled, scored on an error.

Ashland answered in its half of the sixth. A two-out single by Amanda Thomas scored Laurie Black, running for Williams.

The game went to extra innings, where the Lakers’ designated player, Elizabeth Smith, led off the top of the eighth inning with a home run.

Three different Eagles would reach base in the bottom of the eighth, but Stephanie Cole, aided by a double play, kept AU scoreless and gave her team a second 2-1 win.

Jaime Williams took another complete game loss despite giving up just one earned run and six hits in eight innings. She finishes the season at 17-13.

Offensively, Kelli Williams continued her productive day, going 2-for-2 with a double. Angie Westenkirchner went 2-for-4.