Bell helps Washington softball beat Tigers
Published 5:49 am Wednesday, March 19, 2003
By By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
Jeri Bell was, well, Jeri Bell on the mound.
Along with her usual steady pitching performance, the Washington Pam Pack added solid defense and timely hitting to capture their second win of the season. Behind a 10-hit attack, the Pam Pack captured a 6-0 non-conference win over the Williamston Tigers on Tuesday.
The win for the Pam Pack (2-3), which kept Williamston (0-3) winless, came on the heels of a 1-0 loss to Manteo in eight innings on Friday night.
Bell fired a one-hitter, retiring 20 straight batters after giving up a one-out single to Mika Gurganus in the first. The junior fanned six and didn't walk a batter.
Bell helped her own cause by ripping three singles, driving in three and reaching base in all four of her plate appearances.
She had plenty of help behind her. Freshman Meredith Knox played an outstanding game at third base, recording five putouts. One of those was a leaping snag of a liner to rob Meredith Miller of a hit in the seventh.
Samantha Elks was steady at second base, helping with four putouts. She made a running grab behind the bag to take a hit away from Virginia Webb to end the fourth inning.
Meanwhile, Bell got plenty of offensive support. Elks led off the first by slapping a single into left off Samantha Shepard. Elks moved to second on a sacrifice by Jessica Joyner and third on a groundout by Jamie Lilley, then scooted home on a single to center by Bell.
The Washington pitcher made it 2-0 with another RBI single in the third. Joyner slapped a one-out single to center, moved to second an a Lilley sacrifice and raced home on Bell's hit. Joyner just avoided the tag by Miller, Williamston's catcher, to make it 2-0.
The Pam Pack added three more runs in the sixth. Joyner and Lilley singled to start the inning, while Bell reached on an error to load the bases. Meredith Whitehead reached on a fielder's choice to plate Joyner, while Ashley Gladsen's double to right brought in Lilley. Whitehead later scored when she slid under the tag of Miller at the plate, as the Tiger catcher dropped the ball.
Bell drove in Washington's final run, a single up the middle that plated Elks.
Washington travels to J.H. Rose on Friday for a make-up game.
Williamston 000 000 0 -- 0 1 5
Washington 101 031 x -- 6 10 0
WP: Jeri Bell; LP: Samantha Shepard
Will -- Mika Gurganus 1-3; Wash -- Jeri Bell 3-4 (3 RBI), Jessica Joyner 2-3 (2 runs), Jamie Lilley 2-3, Ashley Gladsen 1-3 (2B, RBI), Brittany Lehrschall 1-3, Samantha Elks 1-4 (2 runs).