February 27, 1999 COLUMBUS, Ga.- The fourth-ranked Huskies shut out two more opponents at the NFCA Leadoff Classic on Saturday to advance to the semifinals of the Gold Medal Bracket. UW downed Connecticut, 7-0, before stopping Pac-10 foe Stanford, 3-0. UW, now 13-1 on the season, will face No. 11 DePaul at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow.
In the first game, Washington exploded in the sixth inning with five hits to break open a 2-0 game to advance to the Gold Medal bracket. Junior Rosie Leutzinger was hit by a pitch to begin the game, stole second, took third on a wild pitch and was hit home with a single by sophomore Kelly Hauxhurst.
UW managed just two more hits through the fourth inning before Leutzinger scored again in the fourth. She singled to right field and stole second before Hauxhurst's hit put her on third. Sophomore Kim DePaul hit her home with a shot to center field.
The Husky bats exploded in the sixth frame, collecting six hits and driving in five runs. Juniors Melissa Downs and Erin Helgeland got things started with singles. Classmate Jennifer Spediacci was hit by a pitch before Jamie Graves' single scored Helgeland. Sophomore Christie Rosenblad's hit to center field sent Spediacci home. Leutzinger reached first on a fielder's choice and stole second, then rounded the bases on a Hauxhurst single to center. DePaul followed with another single to center to help Hauxhurst cross the plate to end the scoring spree.
Graves (6-1) earned the run, pitching five innings and striking out three before being relieved by freshman Bridget Wilcox, who also recorded a strikeout.
Against Stanford, Spediacci pitched a complete game and allowed just one hit, striking out seven. She remains undefeated after seven decisions.
UW, however, didn't get on the scoreboard until the third frame. Rosenblad was hit by a pitch and landed on third by way of a Leutzinger single and Hauxhurst sacrifice. Senior Becky Newbry hit a shot to center field that scored Rosenblad, and Downs' fielder's choice helped Leutzinger cross the plate.
One more run came in the sixth inning when Helgeland singled, was sacrificed to second by Spediacci, and went home off Rosenblad's blooper to center field. Game One Washington 100 015 0 7 11 0 Connecticut 000 000 0 0 5 2 |
