Charleston, S.C. (February 16, 2007)?Getting away from the cold Northeast, the softball team and new head coach Meaghan Asselta opened up their 2007 campaign today at the Cougar Classic, a three day, five team event hosted by the College of Charleston.
In addition to the Lady Jaspers and the College of Charleston, the round-robin style tournament also features the University of North Florida, James Madison, and North Dakota State.
In Manhattan's first game against James Madison, the Lady Jaspers hung tough but dropped a 4-2 decision to the Dukes. Liz Pennino pitched a complete game, allowing four runs and striking out three, but Manhattan could not come up with enough offense to pull out the win.
In the first inning, Candice Sheridan singled in Kerry Cook from second to give Manhattan an early 1-0 lead. But James Madison would get one back in the bottom of the inning, and would score once in fourth inning and twice in the fifth inning to lead 4-1. In the top of the sixth, Danielle Just tripled in Stephanie Gozdziewski to provide the game's final margin.
Manhattan's second game was against the hosts, with the College of Charleston coming away with a 12-1 win. Manhattan's lone run was driven in by Amanda Genovese, who drove in Jaclyn Churilla with a single in the fourth inning.
On day two of the Cougar Classic, Manhattan will take on North Florida at 10:00 a.m., followed by another game with James Madison at 8:00 p.m.
