Softball | 2/26/2015 7:36:00 PM

Tournament Central

AVE MARIA, Fla. --- The Ave Maria softball team will travel to Columbus, Ga., this weekend to compete in the NFCA NAIA Leadoff Classic. The tournament will consist of three pool play games that will take place on Friday and Saturday morning followed by a double-elimination bracket tournament on Saturday afternoon and Sunday.
 
The field consists of 20-teams from across the country which are divided into five pools. The Lady Gyrenes will be in Pool 5 with (11) Belhaven, (RV) Corban, and (19) William Woods. In total, the tournament features 14 teams that are either ranked or receiving votes in the latest NAIA Softball Top-25 Coaches Poll including the top four teams in the country.
 
LADY GYRENES RECAP
 
The Ave Maria Lady Gyrene softball team dropped a pair of games against NCAA Division I Oakland University on Wednesday afternoon. The Blue and Green were edged in game one 4-3 before falling in game two 11-0. With the loses, the Lady Gyrenes fall to 5-9 overall.
 
In game one, Alyssa Colding got the Gyrenes on the board in the third inning on a single to left field to score Cheyenne Benson. McKayla Jeter followed that up with a double to left field to plate Colding to put AMU in front 2-0.
 
The Lady Gyrenes held on to a 2-0 lead before that lead was cut in half on a run scoring triple in the fifth innings. The Golden Grizzlies tied the game, 2-2, in the fifth before taking a 4-2 lead on a two-run home run in the top of the seventh.
 
The Blue and Green added a run in the bottom half of the seventh inning on a Benson solo home run.
 
Benson took the loss in game one, going seven innings and allowing four runs, three earned, on 10 hits. She struck out five and walked two.
  
Emily Lemin was credited with the loss in game two after allowing seven runs on nine hits over five innings. Hali Delashmet pitched the final two innings and allowed four runs on four hits. Both Lemin and Delashmet struck out four batters.
 
LADY GYRENES CATEGORY LEADERS
 
Batting Average – Cheyenne Benson, .361 BA
RBI – McKayla Jeter, 8 RBI
Stolen Bases – Kingsley Avery, 7 SB
ERA – Cheyenne Benson, 2.04 ERA
Strikeouts – Cheyenne Benson, 37 K
 
SCOUTING POOL 5
The Lady Gyrenes begin the NFCA NAIA Leadoff Classic in a tough pool with 11^th-ranked Belhaven, (RV) Corban, and 19^th-ranked William Woods. This will be the first time that the Blue and Green have faced each of these teams. AMU will take on Corban (Ore.) on Friday at 2:30 p.m. followed by their matchup against William Woods (Mo.) at 5 p.m. On Saturday morning, the Lady Gyrenes will take on Belhaven at 10 a.m.
 
Corban is off to a 10-1 start to the season and have won nine straight since a 5-2 loss to San Diego Christian College on Feb. 13. Corban is playing Point (Ga.) Thursday afternoon in a doubleheader before the start of the tournament.
 
Early on in the season, Corban is led by Anne Binschus who is hitting at a .467 clip in 30 at-bats. Of her 14 hits, two have been doubles and she has two home runs. She has also drove in 10 RBI and scored six runs. As a team, Corban is hitting .347 on the season.
 
In the circle, Corban is led by Emily Buhrkuhl. She is off to a 5-0 start in four starts and five appearances. She has a 1.29 ERA over 21.2 innings pitched and has struck out 17.
 
William Woods is off to a 2-4 start including an 11-0 loss last Saturday to Friends University (Kan.), who is competing in the tournament this weekend. The struggles for William Woods has come in the circle, as opponents are hitting .376 against Owls pitchers.
 
Leading the Owls offensively will be Emily Murphy. Murphy is batting .500 in 20 at-bats this season with four doubles and two triples. She has six RBI and has scored two runs. In the circle, the Owls are led by Bre Logan who has a 5.37 ERA in 14.1 innings. She has a 1-0 record and has struck out 10 and walked 14.
 
Bellhaven is off to a strong start to the season with a 5-3 record. One loss came against 18^th-ranked University of Houston-Victoria and another in a doubleheader split with #2 William Carey University.
 
The Blazers are led by Ashlee Hitt. Hitt is batting .480 on the season with a double and two home runs. She has 13 RBI and has scored five runs. Hitt is one of six batters with at least 14 at-bats to be batting over .400 through eight games. As a team, Bellhaven is hitting at a .300 clip.
 
Jordan Herring will lead the Blazers in the circle with a 1.78 ERA over 23.2 innings. She has a 3-0 record in three starts and four appearances. She has struck out 11 and walked six on the season.