March 23, 2001
Box Score
Marietta, Ga. -
Coming off a second place finish at the Winthrop Invitational, the University of Illinois women's softball team opened up the Buzz Classic with two wins vs. Georgia State and 2000 NCAA Regional participant Middle Tennessee. The Illini are now 22-11 on the season.
"It was nice to come out on the first day and win our first games," said Illinois head coach Terri Sullivan. "We had solid pitching and our defense was able to make the routine plays. I think our hitters were aggressive at the plate and that our team brought our complete game against some hot teams."
Janna Sartini was 2-for-3 with two RBI and Amanda Fortune pitched a five-hitter as the Illini defeated Georgia State 3-1. Fortune also struck out eight batters as she moved her record to 9-5 on the season.
The Illini scored first in the bottom of the second inning. Janna Sartini led off the inning with a double to center field. After a wild pitch advanced Sartini to third, Katie O'Connell singled to right field to score Sartini and give Illinois a 1-0 lead.
Sartini continued with her hot bat, hitting a two-run home run to center field to increase Illinois' lead to 3-0.
Georgia State put the first two batters on base in the top of the seventh inning, but Fortune dug deep and was able to get the next three batters out and allowing only one run.
Earlier in the day, Karyn Bird's first home run as an Illini led the Illinois women's softball team to a 5-3 win over Middle Tennessee in eight innings. It was the Illini's first game and victory in extra-inning play this season.
After seven innings of play the Illini and the Blue Raiders were tied 2-2 and forced to play the extra inning game by international rules. The rules state that a runner is placed on second base with no outs and the team that outscores its opponent wins the game.
Following the Blue Raiders one-run eighth inning, the Illini were able to even the score at 3-3 as Katie O'Connell's one-out single scored Lindsey Hamma. Tied 3-3 and with O'Connell on first base, Bird homered over the left field fence to give the Illini the win.
Alicia Hammel was 2-for-3, and O'Connell was 2-for-4 as the Illini knocked out eight hits off of the Blue Raider pitching. Amanda Fortune notched her eighth victory of the season as she pitched four innings of relief allowing no earned runs and limiting Middle Tennessee to one hit.
Illinois wasted no time taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Erin Jones led off with an infield single and stole second base. With one out, Janna Sartini hit an infield single. As Jones rounded third base, Blue Raider first baseman Ashlie Way lost control of the ball and allowed Jones to score to give the Illini the lead.
Middle Tennessee came back to tie the game at 1-1 in the second inning. Lindsay Azevedo hit a one-out homerun to even the game up.
The Illini got ahead again in the second inning. With one out Sarah Baumgartner knocked a double to left field to score Hammel and give the Illini a 2-1 lead. Middle Tennessee came back again with another solo homerun in the top of the fourth inning by Erica Buhl to tie the game at 2-2.
The Illini play two games tomorrow beginning with a 9 a.m. game against Florida A&M. Illinois will finish pool play against East Carolina at 1 p.m. The Illini defeated Florida A&M at the Florida Atlantic Tournament 9-2 and were defeated by East Carolina 3-2 in Coastal Carolina Spring Chicken Classic.
