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Show !MONDAY, MARCH 17, 1000 PAGE9 UNIVERSITY JOURNAL SPORTS Sluggers rally to win Tennis team rising SUU trails 6-1 early, but comes back to beat Washington SUU's baseball team batted around in doubles, and four RBI to pace SUU, while Amos Bright finished with three the sixth inning and sent 13 more batters hits, an RBI and two runs scored. Todd to the plate in the seventh inning in Mitchell, Jarod Ingersoll, Geddes and rallying to defeat Washington, 14-7, in the rubber game of a three-game series Grundy each had a pair of hits also. SUU Thursday afternoon in Cedar City. righthander Justin Kittrell (1-1) earned his first win of the season in relief of The Huskies jumped out to a 6-1 lead starter James Anderson, pitching two after three innings, scoring two runs in innings of perfect baseball. Anderson the second and three more runs in the threw six innings in his third start of the third. The Thunderbirds answered with two runs in the season, allowing bottom of the fifth seven runs, sfx earned, on nine thanks lo a Luke Geddes home run to hits. UWs Michael Done . cut the lead to 6-3. Washington (0-2) was saddled followed with with the loss after another run in the relieving starter sixth, but that would Randy be it for the Husky Vanderplow, offense as SUU's giving up three offense came to life runs on two hits in to score 11 runs in one inning of work. Vanderplow the next two innings. lasted five The 'Birds sent nine innings, giving up men to the plate in six earned runs the bottom of the sixth, scoring four on nine hits with -.1.· five strikeouts. runs, including a two-run double by ~ Wit~ the victory. Q the 'Birds took two Keith Dickinson to ffi out of three tie the score at 7-7. In the seventh, the ~ games in the 'Birds scored seven i ; series and ~ improved to 9-10 times on eight hits L-,-l.;.~::..:_= ;:__...;,:;....;L.:::.:.;..;.:!::-_...:t fl'~ ==:.....;:='(.) on the season, and two costly while Washington Washington errors. Luke Geddes provided the spark SUU falls to 7-11 . needed with his two-run homer in the fifth Dickinson had a inning of Thursday's game. SUU will open pair of RBI singles in that frame and its first-ever MidJarod Ingersoll, Geddes and Chad Continent Conference series on the road Grundy each had RBI base hits to rally next weekend as the Thunderbirds travel the 'Birds. to Valparaiso, Ind., for a four-game Dickinson had four hits, including two series against Valparaiso. to top of Mid-Con BY JASEN ASAY JOURNAL SPORTS EDITOR After playing five games in four days against Mid-Con opponents, SUU's women's tennis team is in good shape in the conference standings. The Thunderbirds took four of the five games, putting them in second place in the league. On Thursday, SUU came from behind by winning three of the last four matches to beat Oakland 4-3. The 'Birds trailed 3-2 with only number-four singles to be decided, but Kendra Gleason, playing number-four for SUU , rallied after losing the first set to tie the match and send it into doubles play. In doubles play SUU took two of three matches to claim the victory. SUU's Shaland Romero and Gleason won the first doubles match 8-2 and Melinda Francom and Ashlee Berge took the third doubles match to give the 'Birds the victory. "This is probably the biggest win since the inception of the SUU tennis program,· said SUU head Coach Lenny Lee. "It was a four-hour marathon but we had some players come up big for us when we needed them to. We had to have Kendra win or the match would have been over, but she came back and won, sent the match to doubles and we were able to get a hard-fought win.· The 'Birds again relied on Gleason to win the match Friday against Youngstown State as SUU lead 3-2 with only Gleason's match left. Gleason won in three sets, and gave the 'Birds the 4-2 lead and avoid the doubles round. If the teams would have had to play doubles, SUU would have been on trouble. Caroline Ferrandez had to withdraw from her singles match because of illness a(ld would have been unavailable for doubles. Without Ferrandez. SUU would have forfeited number two doubles, meaning SUU would have had to win both doubles to win the match. "These tight matches are going to give me a heart attack," said Lee. "But it's incredible. We're having success beyond my wildest expectations. We keep getting into these tight matches. but we also keep winning them.· Saturday SUU played two matches, losing a close one against Oral Roberts 4-2 and beating Chicago State 5-1 . Oral Roberts is undefeated in the conference and sits at first place. The match came down to the last singles game with SUU trailing 3-2, but the magic wasn't there this time for the 'Birds. However, the effort shown by the 'Birds should let last year's champions ORU know that there· will be competition for the top spot this year. "Oral Roberts knows that we're knocking at the door," said Ashlee Berge. "We're going to beat them in the conference tournament. · SUU wrapped up the tournament with a 4-2 victory over UMKC on Sunday. Next up for the team is a match against Utah State on Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Thunderbird Courts. This is the only match of the season that will be played in Cedar City Football practices begin today Softball team Southern Utah University will begin spring football Gregory said the points of emphasis this spring will include the play-action passing game, special teams. drills TODAY. The Thunderbirds, who are coming off defensive patterns, a few trick plays and specific their best campaign in 12 seasons after posting an 8-3 mark last year, will work out five times a week for preparation for selected 2000 opponents. three weeks before staging the annual Red-White · we plan on putting our offense and defense into Scrimmage, April 15 at .--- - - - - - - - -- -- - - - - ~ game-type situations based 11 a.m. . SUU 2000 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE on what our opponents this Practices are scheduled fall like to do,· he pointed for Mondays, Tuesdays, Sept. 2 Ft. Lewis out. ·we really don't see 7 Thursdays, Fridays and p.m. anoth~r offense like ours, Saturdays, with meetings at Sept. 9 at Utah State so there's not much sense 7 3:30 p.m. and practice p.m. in having our first defense sessions at approximately Sept. 16 at San Jose State TBA practice defending our 4 :30, Monday through offense. The other side of Friday. Saturday practices Sept. 23 TBA TBA that coin is most defenses are scheduled for 11 a.m. won't try to defend us with our defensive scheme Forty-four lettermen, 19 redSept. 3 Cal Poly · ) 7 p.m. · her, so we ,re going to try S h,·rts and 10 newcomers H e1t ( omecommg are expected to participate to simulate what we think in spring drills. Oct. 7 TBA TBA we're going to see "This should be the most "Another major point of exciting spring we've had," Oct. emphasis will be on special 14 at UC Davis TBA Suu Head Coach C. Ray teams," he added. "We've Oct. been pretty good on special Gregory said. : we should 21 at Idaho State TBA have a good battle for a lot teams but our feeling is of positions , more with the schedule we have 1 p.m. competition than we've ever Oct. 28 St. Mary's next year we're going to had in a lot of spots, so it Nov. have to be flawless. That 4 1 p.m. should be a lot of fun. We Rocky Mountain means we need to work Nov. harder on special teams to are at the mercy of the Morehead State 11 1 p·m · get to where we want to be wea th er this time of year· though, hopefully we'll get it Nov. and that all starts in spring 18 at Northern Arizona TBA ball." to cooperate." ° ' - - - - - - - - - - - - ~........,..........._.....,........~ ... -,:w ........ . ........... , swept on road Southern Utah's softball team was swept in four games by Portland State over the weekend. The Thunderbirds were shutout on Saturday in game one 4-0 and lost 6-2 in the nightcap. Then on Sunday PSU completed the sweep by beating the 'Birds 5-1 and 11-1 . During game one, SUU could not solve PSU's Morgan Seibert, falling 4-0. The 'Birds scattered four hits over the span of the game. The Vikings manufactured three runs off four hits in the second inning, taking a 3-0 lead that never diminished. During the nightcap on Saturday, Portland State scattered six hits over the first three stanzas, defeating the 'Birds 6-2. PSU's Nichole Ivie shutout the 'Birds until the sixth inning, when Kolbi Clothier doubled to left center to drive Kelly Grundy home. In the seventh in_ning, Wendy Haramoto singled to bring Shay Stoddard home, but the game ended when Joni Bardsley flied out to right field . The 'Birds hoped to get reve11ge on the Vikings the next day, but struggled offensively. lr?game-one on Sunday, SUU took a 1-0 lead into the foUrth inning on a double steal when Sarah Poloni stole home and Erin O'Donnell stole second, but the Vikings took the lead and never looked back. Sunday's second game was called after five innings due to the eight-run mercy rule. SUU now travels to face Oregon State on Tuesday before returning home to Cedar City to open Mid-Continent Conference play against UMKC on March 31 at 2 p.m . ,t"" ..........- - , - -- - - - - - - - -----.-. --, ....... - .... .-~., ...... _ _ _ _ ..,,, .~ - __ _ _ _ .. _ .... ..-.., • • ' . ...... .. ~ • • _.. ' I· |