Blue Knights Split with Rio in Close Calls
Urbana deals Redwomen second AMC loss
URBANA, Ohio (April 8, 2008) – The Blue Knight softball team split an American Mideast Conference doubleheader against Rio Grande (14-8, 8-2 AMC) Tuesday. The Redwomen stole game one, 3-2, but Urbana rallied for a 5-3 victory in the nightcap.

Rio built a 2-0 lead in game one with the help of some Blue Knight errors. Urbana (9-10, 1-3 AMC) came storming back with two runs in the bottom of the third. Senior Jackie Masur came up big for Urbana, smacking a double to left centerfield to score fellow senior Erin Dowdell. Next, sophomore Linsey Manning singled to right field. Masur made the dash for home as the throw from the right fielder was on target. Masur ducked the catcher and slid back to swipe home plate and tie the game up. The Redwomen scored the deciding run in the top of the seventh.

Game two started off similarly as Rio scored the first run in the first inning. Freshman Tami Lasley evened the score up for Urbana, belting her first career collegiate home run over the left field fence in the second. The big inning for the Blue Knights came in the fifth as Urbana scored four runs on five hits, one more than it had in the entire first game. Junior Jessica Tuttle started the rally with a single to left field. Dowdell hit a two-out double to score Tuttle, the go-ahead run. Junior Eric Schroeder and sophomore Brittany Heunen continued the hit-fest with infield singles. Manning crushed a double to left field to give Urbana two more runs and a 5-1 lead with two innings to play. The Redwomen threatened in the sixth with two runs, but Urbana got out of the inning, while Rio left the game-winning runs stranded. Junior Katie Cramer (2-2) picked up the win on the mound, while sophomore Jessie Swinderman got the save. The outfield of Heunen, Tuttle and freshman Erin Lein made some spectacular plays to hold Rio in check, including a homerun-robbing snag by Heunen in left field; a diving catch by Tuttle in centerfield to end the sixth inning with three Rio players stranded; and the game-ending catch by Lein in right field.

Urbana hosts Shawnee State in an AMC doubleheader this Friday, April 11 at 3 p.m.

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