Urbana Knocked Out by Cougars
Blue Knights miss NAIA Region IX Tournament cut
URBANA, Ohio (May 1, 2008) – The Blue Knight softball team was one run from advancing to the NAIA Region IX tournament. Urbana University needed to win one-of-two in its American Mideast Conference doubleheader against Mount Vernon Nazarene University Thursday. The Cougars, which needed to win both games to earn a playoff berth, squeaked out a 2-1 win in game one and ran away in the nightcap with an 8-1 victory.

In game one, the two teams played evenly as both Urbana and MVNU registered six hits. The Cougars scored both runs in the third; including the game-winner which came on a sacrifice fly. Urbana put one run up in the fourth inning, an RBI sacrifice hit by Jessica Tuttle. The Blue Knights had several missed opportunities, leaving nine base runners stranded. Junior Erica Schroeder paced Urbana at the plate, going 3-for-4. Freshmen Danielle Finley (2-for-3) and Tami Lasley (1-for-2) had Urbana’s only other hits.

In game two, the Cougars started off hot, scoring five runs in the first inning. They tacked on two more in the fifth and another in the sixth, to take a commanding 8-0 lead. The Blue Knights scored their lone run of the contest in the bottom of the sixth as Schroeder scored on a fielder’s choice. Urbana managed just three hits to MVNU’s 11.

Urbana finishes the season at 18-19 overall and 9-11 in the AMC. The game marked the last for seniors Erin Dowdell and Jackie Masur.