April 19, 2008
Box Score
FAIRBORN, Ohio - Sophomore Amy Solava used both her arm and her bat to help propel Loyola University Chicago (14-17, 8-4 Horizon) to a sweep of a doubleheader at Horizon League foe Wright State (22-21, 9-5 Horizon) this afternoon at WSU Softball Field. After pulling out a 6-3 victory in 11 innings in game one, the Ramblers held on for a 6-4 win in the nightcap.
In the opener, Loyola opened up an early lead when Haley Ambrosch led off the top of the second inning with a single, then advanced a base on a passed ball. First baseman Lindsay O'Gean laced a single to center field to score Ambrosch and put the Ramblers on the board first, 1-0. Meanwhile, Solava was impressive early and did not allow a hit until Jherica Williams stroked a single with two outs in the bottom of the fourth.
The Ramblers added to their slim lead in the sixth when Angie Funston ripped a run-scoring single through the left side to score Stephanie Cihlar, who had reached on a one-out single and moved to second on a stolen base. Solava carried a one-hitter into the bottom of the sixth before the Raider offense awakened and plated a pair of runs to tie the game. A double by Louie Haney and a single by Kristen Bradshaw drove in runs and Wright State had the bases loaded with two outs before Solava escaped trouble.
Loyola took a 3-2 lead in the eighth inning on Nora Schober's RBI single that scored Katie Duffy, but the Raiders countered with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning on Allison Cox's run-scoring double, to tie the game at 3-3 and continue the extra-inning affair.
The Ramblers finally broke through with two outs in the 11th inning. Ambrosch walked, O'Gean reached on a fielder's choice and both moved up on a double steal before Solava stepped to the plate and deposited a pitch over the fence in center field for her first career home run to give Loyola a 6-3 lead it never relinquished.
Solava threw all 11 innings, scattering 11 hits, while matching a season high with eight strikeouts. Funston went 2 for 5 at the plate to pace the Loyola offensive attack.
In game two, Loyola opened up a 6-0 lead and never looked back as it held on for a 6-4 victory. Loyola wasted no time getting on the board as Kat Krause led off the contest with a home run. The Ramblers threatened to do further damage in the first, putting runners at second and third with one out, but were unable to push another run across the plate. Solava added to the lead with her second homer of the day, a two-run shot, in the third inning and back-to-back RBI doubles by Krause and O'Gean, followed by a run-scoring single from Funston in the fourth, gave Loyola a 6-0 lead.
Wright State chipped away at the Ramblers' lead, scoring a run in the fourth and two in the fifth before mounting one final threat in the seventh. The Raiders cut the deficit to 6-4 in their final at-bat and had the winning run at the plate, but Loyola right-hander Krista Crosson got Michelle Logan to line out to preserve the lead and earn the victory.
Krause went 2 for 4 with a pair of runs, two RBI, a double and a home run and Funston added a pair of hits and two stolen bases to key Loyola's offense. Crosson, meanwhile, scattered seven hits and allowed only two earned runs, en route to her fourth win of the year.
The teams conclude a three-game weekend series with a single game tomorrow beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern.
