Softball Shuts Down Creighton In Regional Opener

Friday, May 18

Seattle, Wash.

2:00 PM

University of Washington

36-16

Creighton

39-13-1

Creighton

Washington

Huskies Open Women's College World Series Vs. DePaul Thursday

May 18, 2007 | Softball

Box Score

By: Washington Athletics

May 18, 2007

Box Score | Quotes

LINCOLN, Neb. - The Washington softball team collected eight hits vs. Creighton Friday to win the NCAA Regional opener, 5-1, at Bowlin Stadium. The Huskies advance to the winner's bracket and will face Georgia Saturday at 11 a.m. (PST).

Washington improves to 36-16 on the season, marking the most wins for the Dawgs in third year head coach Heather Tarr's tenure. CU drops to 39-13-1 and will face Nebraska in the loser's bracket Saturday at 2 p.m. (PST).

"Overall, it was a well played game," said Tarr. "Creighton was as tough as we thought they were. We played great defensively behind Danielle (Lawrie). She threw a great game. She only threw 112 pitches, which is a good outing for her. I know that she personally isn't satisfied though, knowing who she is and what she's about. Offensively, we were able to execute a plan. We got a couple hard hits early in the game, and it was nice to be able to score first.

"Every time we go into a game, offensively we have a plan, we have an idea of what we want to do, whether it's attacking a certain side of the zone, or sitting on a certain pitch, or whatever. Our main plan was to pass the bat and extend the inning."

The Huskies jumped out to the 1-0 lead in the first inning with an RBI-single by senior All-American Dominique Lastrapes. Sophomore Marnie Koziol ignited the inning with a single up the middle and promptly stole second base. Lastrapes then hit a line drive up the middle that ricocheted off the glove of pitcher Tara Oltman and dribbled into the hole between shortstop and third base, allowing Koziol to score. The run marked the first earned run surrendered by Oltman in the first inning this season.

Washington added two more runs in the second inning on three hits. Ashlyn Watson and Nicole Moojen kicked off the frame with back-to-back bloop singles to centerfield to put runners on first and third with no outs. Ashley Charters reached base on a fielder's choice with the out at home but Koziol followed with a single up the middle to score two and give UW the 3-0 lead.

The Huskies tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning on two hits. Senior Dena Tyson walked and moved to second on a single by Lauren Greer to shallow centerfield. An illegal pitch moved runners to second and third and a sacrifice fly by Danielle Lawrie scored pinch runner Amanda Fleischman- who was celebrating her 19th birthday. Alicia Matthews then singled through the right side to score Greer and put the Huskies on top, 5-0.

Lawrie kept the Bluejay hitters in check until the seventh when CU sparked a rally of its own. Caitlin Marcano led off with a full-count walk and moved to second on a single by Jessica German to left field. A walk to pinch hitter Laura Kratochvil loaded the bases and a ground out to the right side by Michelle Koch brought in a run and cut the UW lead to 5-1. Lawrie settled in and notched her 11th strikeout of the game to seal the Washington victory.

Lawrie (25-10) earned the win as she held Creighton to one run on four hits. Her 11 Ks brings her season total to 384, three shy of her own school record. The complete game marked the 54th of her career, tying All-American Jaime Graves for fifth on the UW career list.

"All in all it was a great game," said Lawrie. "Give credit to Creighton, they put the ball into play, and our defense made great plays. The last inning was interesting for me, that's not normally how things work out. The catcher called a great game. Alicia (Matthews), she had great calls for me, and she helped me out big time. I can't help but thank the offense. Getting the lead early makes me pitch a little better. Thanks to them for scoring the runs."

Oltman (25-7) took the loss as she allowed five runs on eight hits with four strikeouts over six innings. It marked just the fourth time she has given up five or more runs this season.

Koziol finished the day going 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

All of Washington's postseason games will be broadcast live on KKNW 1150 AM through the Washington ISP Network. The radio broadcast along with live video streaming can be accessed on the Dawg Channel at gohuskies.com.