Hartsville, S.C.----Wingate University junior infielder
Emily Usiak (Matthews, N.C.) delivered a one-out, game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday afternoon as fourth-seeded Wingate University stayed alive in the SAC Tournament with a 2-1, nine-inning victory over eighth-seeded Coker College. The Bulldogs advance to take on Lincoln Memorial Friday at 3 p.m. in another elimination game.
Usiak was two-for-four with an RBI to lead the Wingate attack. Junior catcher
Taylor Laskey (Cherryville, N.C.) went one-for-four with an RBI, while senior
Alexis Burrell (Chesapeake, Va.) was one-for-four with a double.
The first eight innings went scoreless, with the Cobras squandering a couple of early chances. Coker's first threat came in the third inning, with back-to-back one-out walks. Junior right-hander
Stacey Houser (Mooresville, N.C.) induced an inning-ending double play. Two walks and a single loaded the bases with one out for the Cobras in the fourth, but back-to-back groundouts ended it without a run being scored.
Jill Lewis lined a one-out double to left in the fifth, but Houser got out of that jam with a double play.
Sophomore
Misty Doran (Century, Fla.) led off the seventh with a double, then moved to third on a sacrifice from
Shannen Adams (Ayden, N.C.). Doran was stranded there after back-to-back groundouts ended the frame.
Katelyn Szupello led off the eighth with a double for Coker, then tried to score on an
Ashley Gallman single but was thrown out at the plate by
Morgan Hendrix (Mocksville, N.C.) from right field.
Riley Morris led off the top of the ninth with a double, then scored on an RBI double from
Carley Bailey to make it 1-0.
Wingate had the answer. Junior
Mellena Helms (Concord, N.C.) led off the bottom of the ninth with a single, then moved to second on a sacrifice from Hendrix. Laskey followed with an RBI single to center, tying it at 1-1. Burrell would follow with a double to right center, moving pinch runner
Hailee Barbarits (Wheelersburg, Ohio) to third. Usiak then drove home Barbarits with the game-winning RBI single to left.
Houser got the win, moving to 19-13. The three-time All-SAC selection allowed a run on nine hits in nine innings of work, striking out one and walking four.
Tabitha Allen took the loss, allowing two runs on seven hits in 8 1/3 innings, striking out one without walking a batter.
