Perry Victorious in Return to Circle
MIAMI-The University of Arkansas softball team defeated No. 19/24 Iowa, 1-0, Saturday, Feb. 11, in the Diamond Fun and Sun Classic in Miami, Fla. In the second game, the Lady Razorbacks fell to Florida International, 8-3.
The Arkansas pitching duo of senior Blaire Perry and Katy Henry combine for a one-hitter in the shutout. Perry did not give up a hit while recording nine strikeouts.
Lady’Back softball head coach Jamie Pinkerton said he was pleased with the win against the Hawkeyes, who were 3-0 before the game and are the No. 1 seed in Sunday’s championship round.
“Obviously, I’m proud of beating a ranked opponent,” he said. “Blaire Perry was great. As a coach, you’d like to see her finish the game but her health is more important. At this point in the season, we look at this as a marathon and not as a sprint.”
In the first game, the Lady’Backs were first on the scoreboard when they used three hits to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning.
Sophomore infielder Samantha Buckner began the inning with single. Freshman infielder Carrie Egnor then reached base on a fielder’s choice before sophomore infielder Dayna Huckabee continued the rally with a single. Freshman infielder Kayla Johnson loaded the bases after she drew a walk.
Freshman outfielder Jocelyne Moncrief proceeded to record the first RBI of her collegiate career when Egnor scored on a right field single.
Perry earned her first win of the season before Henry came in picking up four strikeouts while tallying her first save of the season.
Pinkerton said the Lady’Backs used every aspect of the game to earn their first win of the season. Buckner and Huckabee led the Arkansas offense with two hits respectively.
After a rough outing Friday, Katy (Henry) did a good job,” he said. “I thought we hit the ball well and (Dayna) Huckabee sparked us. Overall, it was a good team effort.”
In game two against tournament host, Florida International the Lady’Backs took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning before the Panthers tied the game in the top of the second inning.
FIU took its first lead of the game in the fourth inning but Arkansas answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at three.
In the circle, Henry replaced junior pitcher Kayce Odle during the fourth inning.
Perry and freshman catcher Whitney Cloer both recorded singles in an inning where the Lady’Backs took advantage of two Panther errors.
The Lady’Backs fell behind 4-3 in the fifth inning and then gave up four runs on five hits in the top of the seventh inning.
Pinkerton said the team has to find a way to even out its performances instead of the rollercoaster that the Lady’Backs have shown in the first two days.
“Offensively, and from an intensity standpoint, we need to be more consistent,” he said. “With six underclassmen in the lineup, we grew up.”
After posting a 1-3 record, the Lady’Backs play in the 8:00 a.m. game in Sunday’s championship round. For more information on Arkansas softball, log on to LADYBACKS.COM.
