Southland softball team scores two in the sixth to edge out Dover/Eyota

Published 10:19 pm Monday, May 17, 2010

ROSE CREEK — The Southland softball team faced some early adversity, but it came back to pull off a 2-1 win over Dover/Eyota at Ulven Field Monday.

The Rebels (8-8 overall) took the lead for good when Emily Howton chopped a ground ball towards the first base side of the infield to score pinch-runner Calli Smith on a ground-out in the bottom of the sixth.

Brandi Schammel tied the game with a one-out triple to deep center to score Lindsey Bottema to start the spurt.

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Schammel finished 2-for-3, with a double and a triple.

“She was pitching right down the middle, so I hit it hard,” Schammel said.

Schammel, a junior, picked up the win on the mound after a rough first inning, where she hit Holly Lauth with a pitch and allowed a run-scoring double to Miranda Boettcher with one-out. Schammel was able to retire the next two hitters to hold D/E (7-12 overall) to one run in the inning.

“They put the double and the hit by pitch behind them,” Southland head coach Greg Schulte said. “The last several games, the girls have been been putting little things behind them and they’ve had a short memory (when it comes to bad plays).”

Schammel allowed just three hits and one walk in the win and her defense gave her some big plays as well. Jana Schammel made a running catch in shallow center field and threw to first to turn a double play to end the fifth inning and second baseman Lindsey Bottema held on to a pop fly, despite colliding with Jana Schammel in the seventh inning.

“It always gets me fired up when my team makes a good play,” Brandi Schammel said. “I’ve been pitching really high lately and that’s when they’ve been hitting, so I tried to keep it low in the strike zone today.”

Southland lost to D/E 8-6 earlier this season, and it has now won five of its last six games.

“I think they’re extremely confident at the plate,” Schulte said. “They want to attack and hit the ball and they’re not afraid to swing. We’re also patient and we’ve been waiting for strikes.”

D/E 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 3 1

Southland 0 0 0 0 0 2 X — 2 6 0

Southland pitching: Brandi Schammel (W), 7 IP, 3 H, BB, 1 ER, 4 K, HBP

Southland hitting: Jana Schammel, 1-for-3; Lindsey Bottema, 1-for-3, R; Brandi Schammel, 2-for-3, double, triple, RBI; Whitney Bamrick, 1-for-3; Emily Howton, 0-for-3, RBI; Kelli Smith, 0-for-3; Holly Goergen, 1-for-2; Haley Kirkpatrick, 0-for-2; Sarah Nelson, 0-for-1; Jenna Juenger, 0-for-1; Calli Smith, R