NASHVILLE – Facing an 0-2 count with two outs in a tie game in the top of the seventh inning, freshman
Amanda Guercio drew a bases loaded walk to score the winning run in Indiana State's 4-3 victory over East Tennessee State Friday in the opening game of the Purple and Gold Challenge in Nashville.
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Guercio, who had not reached base at that point, battled back in the count and fouled a pitch away to stay alive before taking two straight balls to bring home
Leslie Sims for the winning run for Indiana State (8-4).
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That capped off a back-and-forth game that saw no scoring over the first 3.5 innings then saw each team score at least one run over the next three innings.
Arielle Blankenship (4-1) then sat down the Buccaneers (4-8) in order in the bottom of the seventh,
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Indiana State didn't have a lead in the game until
Shaye Barton ripped a two-out, two-run double in the top of the sixth inning.
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PLAYER OF THE GAME
While
Rebecca Gibbs' 2-for-3 performance is notable, the honor today goes to
Shaye Barton. The junior infielder finished the game 1-for-3 at the plate but that one hit was a two-run double with two outs in the top of the sixth. Driving in two runs with one swing, Barton gave Indiana State its first lead of the day and the double came at a pivotal point in the game.
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STAT OF THE GAME
All three of Indiana State's RBIs came with two outs in their respective inning.
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PITCHERS OF RECORD
RECORDS UPDATE
- Indiana State: 8-4 (6-2 Neutral)
- ETSU: 4-8 (3-6 Neutral)
NOTABLES
- Indiana State has now won its opening game of the weekend in two of three weekends of play so far this year.
- The Sycamores are now 2-1 all-time against East Tennessee State and have won two straight in a series that dates back to 2003.
- With the win, Indiana State is now 6-7 all-time against the Southern Conference. The Sycamores could pull that record even when they face ETSU on Saturday.
For the latest information on the Sycamore Softball team, make sure to check outÂ
GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media includingÂ
Facebook,Â
Twitter andÂ
Instagram.
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