Down 5, No. 8 Express Rally For 12 Runs in Wild Seventh Inning To Split With Jackson

Melanie Iacoangeli gets a jump off third base against Jackson. The freshman rightfielder had six hits, three runs and seven stolen bases in the doubleheader vs Jackson. Below, Express catcher Olivia Reeder looks to the bench for a sign. Photos by Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
Melanie Iacoangeli gets a jump off third base against Jackson. The freshman rightfielder had six hits, three runs and seven stolen bases in the doubleheader vs Jackson. Below, Express catcher Olivia Reeder looks to the bench for a sign. Photos by Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
Posted: Apr 23, 2012

By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information

Jackson, MI---A miraculous seventh inning rally helped the No. 8 Express softball team salvage a doubleheader split on the road against Jackson Community College after Ashlyn Michalak dropped her first decision of the season in the first game.

Game 1: Jackson 3 Owens 1

Aside from Melanie Iacoangeli, the Express offense was dormant in a 3-1 loss.

The Express took a 1-0 lead in the third when Iacoangeli singled with two outs, stole second and scored on a single from Tabitha Britt.

In the fourth, however, Jackson got a two-out, two run single off the glove of Katie Butler at first base to take a 2-1 lead. Then, in the sixth, they added an insurance run when a two-out error allowed a run to score.

Owens had a chance to tie it in the seventh. Iacoangeli and Mareshah Scott reached second and third with two outs, but Britt fouled out to first base to end the game.

Sarah Wilson pitched a complete game to get the win. She allowed seven hits, one run and zero walks while striking out four in seven innings. Meanwhile, Michalak (14-1) suffered her first defeat of the season as she allowed 10 hits, three runs (two earned) and two walks while striking out five over six innings. All of her hits allowed were singles.

Iacoangeli finished 3-for-4 with a run and three stolen bases, while Alyssa Lassey, Olivia Reeder and Scott each picked up one hit apiece.

Game 2: Owens 13 Jackson 6

Entering the seventh inning, the Express offense had only two hits and had committed two base running mistakes. Defensively, they had committed five errors. Those things added up to a 6-1 deficit. Then, everything changed.

Sixteen batters later, the Express had racked up 12 runs, 11 hits and benefitted from one crucial error by Jackson's left fielder as they took a 13-6 lead.

The Jets took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first off Express starter Kasey Graham with a two-out, two-run single by Kylie Bergstrom. Owens answered back in the third when Hannah Morrison's bases loaded RBI groundout scored Lassey.

However, the Jets upped their lead to three in the bottom half when a ground ball went under Lassey's glove at short with two outs – allowing two runs to score. In the fifth, another unearned run for Jackson came across when Graham made an errant throw to first with two outs.

Jackson would add one in the sixth on a two-out RBI single before the madness started.

Kenny Craig got things started as she was hit by a pitch on the first at bat of the seventh. Scott followed with a single to second base before a two-run double from Lassey made it 6-3 with nobody out. A wild pitch and a groundout by Michelle Hollister made it 6-4 with one out and nobody on.

Iacoangeli then singled to second base, stole second and third and scored on an RBI groundout by Britt to make it 6-5. The bases were empty though and two were out.

That's when Hallie Thompson kept the rally going with an opposite field single down the left field line. On the very next pitch, Butler lined a run scoring double to deep right center to tie the game at six. April Decant then hit a high pop up to left field that Jackson's left fielder couldn't catch. It allowed Butler to score and give the Express a 7-6 lead.

That play was followed by an RBI single from Craig, a single by Scott, another RBI double by Lassey, a two-run single by Hollister, an RBI single by Iacoangeli and an RBI single by Britt. Thompson then struck out to end the Express half of the seventh, but the damage had been done.

Four players (Craig, Scott, Lassey and Iacoangeli) scored two runs in the inning, while three players (Lassey, Scott and Iacoangeli) had two hits each in the inning. At one point in the inning, the Express had eight hits in nine at bats and six in a row.

Michalak relieved Graham in the bottom half. After striking out the first batter looking, she struck out the next two batters swinging to end the game. Graham (6-1) picked up the win as she allowed 10 hits, six runs (three earned) and one walk while striking out three in six innings.

Iacoangeli once again led the Express in hits with a 3-for-5, two run, one RBI and four stolen base game. Lassey finished 2-for-3 with three runs, three RBIs and a stolen base, while Hollister was 1-for-4 with a run and three RBIs. Craig, who had two huge at bats in the seventh, finished 2-for-2 with two runs and an RBI off the bench. Scott also had two hits and finished 2-for-4 with two runs.

Notes

The Express (28-4) will now take on Grand Rapids Community College Tuesday beginning at 3:30 p.m. in Grand Rapids, MI. The Raiders defeated the Express once earlier this season.

With her two earned runs today, Michalak's season ERA rose to 0.91…Iacoangeli raised her team-best batting average to .560, while Craig is now hitting .545 in 11 at bats this year…Hollister raised her team-best RBI total to 36, while Iacoangeli upped her team-high stolen base total to 46.