University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Quinnipiac
Minutewomen Close Regular Season With 1-0 8-Inning Win
May 08, 2011 | Softball
May 8, 2011
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AMHERST, Mass. - On Senior Day at the UMass Softball Complex on Sunday afternoon, it was a freshman that gave UMass an eight-inning victory to close the regular season. Tiffany Meeks singled through the right side with two outs in eighth inning to drive in Kyllie Magill and give the Minutewomen (28-17) a 1-0 victory over Quinnipiac (30-25). Seniors Audrey Boutin and Meghan Carta, who combined to record the Minutewomen's first two hits, were honored in a ceremony prior to the game.
UMass receives the No. 2 seed in this week's Atlantic 10 Championship and will face the winner of No. 3 Saint Joseph's and No. 6 Dayton on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. in Charlotte.
In the bottom of the eighth, Magill walked with one out and Lindsey Webster followed by getting hit by a pitch. Carta's ground-out to second base moved the runners to second and third with two outs for Meeks, who went the other way with the 1-2 pitch to bring in Magill and win the game.
Sara Plourde (26-13) twirled her 13th shutout of the season, striking out 15 in eight innings. The junior allowed just two hits and walked two batters. It was the 13th time this season Plourde fanned 15 or more batters.
Heather Schwartzburg (22-12) held the Minutewomen scoreless through seven innings, struck out 10 and allowed four hits and walked four.
The Bobcats put runners on second and third in the top of the seventh on a double by Alex Alba, a walk by Jordan Paolucci, a wild pitch, and a stolen base, but Plourde got back-to-back strikeouts to get out of the jam.
Cyndil Matthew also had a hit for UMass, while Quinnipiac's first hit of the game came on a single by Christy Cabrera in the fourth.
Meeks also recorded an outfield assist, doubling off Cabrera from left field on a fly-out to end the top of the fourth inning.
UMass is 4-3 in extra inning games in 2011.
