2002 Game Recaps

May 10, Malone (NAIA Region IX Tournament)
Malone scored three unearned runs and brought Cedarville's record-setting season to a close with a 3-2 decision in the NAIA Region IX Tournament. The Yellow Jackets' 30 wins broke the previous record of 29 set by the 1990 club. Malone scored twice in the top of the fourth inning to get on the board first. CU tied the score in the fifth on an RBI double by Tara Munson and a run-scoring single by Debbie Krick, but they could get only one runner as far as second base the rest of the way. The Pioneers plated the game winner in the sixth with another unearned run off of Julie Burt, who relieved starting pitcher Natalie Fox one inning earlier. The Lady Jackets finished with seven hits, one each from the top seven hitters in the line-up. [GAME BOXSCORE]

May 10, Walsh (NAIA Region IX Tournament)
Cedarville held on for a 2-1 victory over Walsh in the NAIA Region IX Tournament. Christa Stanford delivered a two-out single in the top of the fourth inning which scored Debbie Krick to break a 1-1 tie. Ginger Keithley was 2-for-3 with a run scored and she extended her school record for stolen bases in a season to 42 with one more theft. Annie Stafford and Sarah Tsermengas each added a hit. Winning pitcher Natalie Fox, 19-6, gave up one unearned run on nine hits with six strikeouts and two walks. The Lady Jackets were swept at Walsh just six days ago in an American Mideast Conference doubleheader. [GAME BOXSCORE]

May 9, Ohio Dominican (NAIA Region IX Tournament)
Top-seeded Ohio Dominican blanked Cedarville, 4-0, in the second round of the NAIA Region IX Tournament. A three-run bomb in the bottom of the third inning sparked ODC to victory. The Panthers completed the scoring in the sixth with an unearned run. Cedarville managed just three hits as Annie Stafford doubled and singles came off the bats of Ginger Keithley and Christa Stanford. [GAME BOXSCORE]

May 9, Urbana (NAIA Region IX Tournament)
No. 4 seed Cedarville edged No. 5 Urbana, 3-2, in the first round of the NAIA Region IX Tournament. Sarah Tsermengas was the hitting star by going 2-for-3 with three RBI's. She doubled home Debbie Krick with the game's first run in the bottom of the second inning and then stroked another double in the third to score Krick and Annie Stafford to make it 3-0. Krick was also 2-for-3 with a double. Urbana plated two unearned runs off of winning pitcher Natalie Fox in the fifth. The freshman righthander struck out seven and did not walk a batter while notching her 18th win of the season. [GAME BOXSCORE]

May 6, Point Park
Winning pitchers Natalie Fox and Denaye Hilty allowed five hits total as Cedarville wrapped up the regular season by sweeping Point Park, 16-1 and 5-0, in an American Mideast Conference doubleheader. The Jackets came up with 13 hits while Fox spun a two-hitter in the opener that was called after five innings due to the eight-run mercy rule. Annie Stafford and Christa Stanford each had three hits and four RBI's. Fox aided her own cause with a pair of doubles and three RBI's. [GAME 1 BOXSCORE] Hilty tossed a three-hitter in the second game for her second straight win. Fox added two more hits with a double and two RBI's. Patty Wilson delivered two hits while Debbie Krick tripled and scored twice. [GAME 2 BOXSCORE]

May 4, at Walsh
Walsh rallied in the first game and hung on in the final inning of the second to beat Cedarville, 4-3 in nine innings and 7-5, in an American Mideast Conference doubleheader. It appeared the Jackets would pull out the first game after scoring a run in the top of the eighth inning, but the Cavs quickly tied it with a leadoff homer in their half of the frame before getting the game winner one inning later. Annie Stafford had two hits including a triple while Ginger Keithley and Sarah Tsermengas added doubles. [GAME 1 BOXSCORE] CU allowed four runs in the sixth inning and then rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh inning in the second contest. Debbie Krick had two hits including a double and two runs scored, and Keithley produced two more hits. [GAME 2 BOXSCORE]

May 3, at Notre Dame
The Lady Jackets came from behind twice to sweep an American Mideast Conference doubleheader at Notre Dame by scores of 7-6 and 4-3. In the opener, Cedarville squandered a 5-0 lead and then needed two runs in the top of the seventh inning to pull out the win. Debbie Krick and Katy Dellicarpini had two hits apiece while Denaye Hilty came on in relief in the last four innings to pick up the pitching victory. [GAME 1 BOXSCORE] The Jackets spotted the Falcons three first-inning runs in the nightcap before chipping away at the deficit. Ginger Keithley scored on a throwing error in the fifth inning to break a 3-3 tie and the run held up. Winning pitcher Julie Burt struck out seven and allowed five hits. Patty Wilson tallied two hits and two RBI's to pace the offense. [GAME 2 BOXSCORE]

May 1, at Ohio Dominican
Cedarville rallied for three runs after two were out in the seventh inning for a 4-3 victory and a split of a doubleheader at American Mideast Conference leader Ohio Dominican. The host Panthers won the opener, 2-0. CU appeared destined for their third straight loss down 3-1 in their final at bat of the nightcap and the first two batters retired. However, Ginger Keithley, Tara Munson, and Annie Stafford strung consecutive singles together for one run and the tying run came across on an ODC throwing error. Following a hit batter, Sarah Tsermengas singled in the go ahead run to complete the rally. Natalie Fox, who pitched the final four innings in relief, notched her 16th victory. Keithley, Munson, Stafford, and Tsermengas all had two hits each in the contest. [GAME 2 BOXSCORE] In the first game, Ohio Dominican got all they needed by scoring two unearned runs in the first inning on two hits. Those were the only hits surrendered by Fox, who fanned seven batters and walked one. Five separate Lady Jackets singled in the game. [GAME 1 BOXSCORE]

April 29, at Rio Grande
Freshman pitcher Natalie Fox tossed her second one-hitter of the season in a 6-0 win at Rio Grande in the first game of an American Mideast Conference doubleheader, but the Redwomen took the second contest, 7-1. As was the case earlier in the campaign against Wilmington, Fox was one out a way from a no-hitter before Rio was credited with an infield single. The rookie righthander struck out eight and did not walk a batter in picking up her 15th win. Ginger Keithley was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. She also stole two more bases to break the school record of 26 steals in a season. Debbie Krick was 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored while Tara Munson drove in two runs. [GAME 1 BOXSCORE] Cedarville scored in the first inning of the nightcap when Keithley led off with a single, stole two bases, and then crossed the plate on a ground out by Annie Stafford. The only other hit the Jackets could come up with was a single from Stafford two innings later. [GAME 2 BOXSCORE]

April 26, Mount Vernon Nazarene (NCCAA National Tournament)
Fellow American Mideast Conference member Mount Vernon Nazarene pushed across an unearned run in the fifth inning for a 1-0 victory ending Cedarville's stay at the NCCAA National Tournament. The outcome ended a personal 12-game winning streak by freshman pitcher Natalie Fox even though she gave up just three hits in the game. The only run scored on a passed ball with two outs. The Jackets totaled six hits with two coming off the bat of Ginger Keithley. [GAME BOXSCORE]

April 25, Louisiana (NCCAA National Tournament)
No. 7 seed Cedarville remained alive in the NCCAA National Tournament with a 2-1 win over No. 3 Louisiana College. Rookie righthander Natalie Fox tossed a complete-game three-hitter for her 12th consecutive win. Annie Stafford was the offensive star going 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBI's which included her knocking in the game winner in the top of the seventh inning. Christa Stanford extended her hitting streak to nine straight games by going 2-for-3. She is 16-for-24 for a .667 average during the streak. Tara Munson laid down a school-record four sacrifice bunts in the contest. [GAME BOXSCORE]

April 25, Mid-Continent (NCCAA National Tournament)
No. 7 seed Cedarville opened play at the NCCAA National Tournament with a 10-2 meltdown versus No. 10 Mid-Continent. The Lady Jackets surrendered a season-high 10 runs in the game including six during a disastrous seventh inning in which CU committed three errors. Cedarville came up with just four hits with Christa Stanford going 2-for-3 with a two-run triple. [GAME BOXSCORE]

April 23, TIFFIN
Cedarville knocked Tiffin out of first place in the American Mideast Conference with a 6-1 win as freshman pitcher Natalie Fox won her 11th straight decision, but the Dragons took game two, 2-1. Fox fanned eight batters and walked one while giving up five hits. TU loaded the bases with nobody out in the second inning but plated just one run. Tara Munson and Annie Stafford drove in runs in the third to give the hosts the lead for good. A three-run sixth inning secured the outcome for Cedarville. Christa Stanford was 3-for-3 with two runs scored and Courtney Green added two hits. [GAME 1 BOXSCORE] Tiffin pushed across a run in the top of the seventh inning to win the second game. Stanford continued her hot hitting with two more hits which included an RBI triple. Stafford was 1-for-3 with a double. [GAME 2 BOXSCORE]

April 20, Indiana Wesleyan (NCCAA Midwest Regional)
The Lady Jackets finished as the runner-up at the NCCAA Midwest Regional following a 4-2 setback to Indiana Wesleyan. IWU jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the and checked the Jackets on six hits. Christa Stanford went 2-for-3 with a double and RBI. [GAME BOXSCORE]

April 20, Indiana Wesleyan (NCCAA Midwest Regional)
Cedarville edged Indiana Wesleyan, 3-2, in the first championship game of the NCCAA Midwest Regional thanks to a three-run fourth inning. Christa Stanford delivered a two-run double and Courtney Green followed with a run-scoring single. Stanford and Annie Stafford had two hits each. Natalie Fox allowed one earned run on two hits in five innings en route to her 10th straight win. [GAME BOXSCORE]

April 20, at Spring Arbor Wesleyan (NCCAA Midwest Regional)
Cedarville opened the day with a 3-2 victory over host Spring Arbor in the consolation bracket final. Christa Stanford singled home Sarah Tsermengas with the winning run with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning. Tsermengas recorded two hits and Julie Burt was the winning pitcher in relief. [GAME BOXSCORE]

April 19, Indiana Wesleyan (NCCAA Midwest Regional)
Defending champion Indiana Wesleyan recovered from a 3-0 deficit to take the winners' bracket final over Cedarville, 9-4. The Wildcats blew the game open with a four-run seventh inning. Patty Wilson was 3-for-3 at the plate to lead CU's nine-hit attack. Natalie Fox and Debbie Krick were both 2-for-3. [GAME BOXSCORE]

April 19, Concordia (NCCAA Midwest Regional)
No. 2 seed Cedarville edged No. 3 Concordia, 2-1, in the opening round of the NCCAA Midwest Regional. The Jackets took a 2-0 lead into the seventh inning. The Cardinals had a run in with the tying run at third base and threatened to knot the contest with a sacrifice fly, however, rightfielder Annie Stafford threw the runner out at the plate to end the game. Natalie Fox posted her ninth straight pitching victory and Denaye Hilty got the save. [GAME BOXSCORE]

April 18, GENEVA
Solid pitching and timely hitting carried Cedarville to a doubleheader sweep over Geneva in American Mideast Conference play, 5-0 and 6-2. Freshman pitcher Natalie Fox struck out nine while firing a three-hitter for her eighth straight victory in the opener. Ginger Keithley was 2-for-2 with three runs scored and three stolen bases. Annie Stafford was 2-for-3 with three RBI's and Debbie Krick added a two-run double. [GAME 1 BOXSCORE] Julie Burt got the victory in the second game with three strikeouts and no walks in 5 2/3 innings while Fox came on in relief to get the save. With CU hanging on to a 3-2 lead in the 6th inning, Fox escaped a bases loaded, one-out jam and then the Jackets put the game away with three runs in their half of the frame. Stafford was 3-for-3, Patty Wilson and Tara Munson had two hits each, and Krick drove in three runs. [GAME 2 BOXSCORE]

April 16, at Mount Vernon Nazarene
Sarah Tsermengas continued her torrid hitting and Natalie Fox won her seventh straight pitching decision during Cedarville's doubleheader split at American Mideast Conference foe Mount Vernon Nazarene. The Lady Jackets won the first game, 8-1, and the host Cougars prevailed in the nightcap, 7-5. Tsermengas, who is batting .727 over her past 11 games, was 3-for-3 in the opener with two doubles, two runs scored and three RBI's. Fox allowed one earned run on four hits with four strikeouts. [GAME 1 BOXSCORE] MVNC broke a 2-2 tie in the second game with five unanswered runs to take control. Tsermengas again was 3-for-3 while Fox and Debbie Krick were both 3-for-4 as part of CU's 12-hit attack. [GAME 2 BOXSCORE]

April 15, CARLOW
The Lady Jackets have won three straight and 10 of their last 12 after sweeping Carlow, 6-0 and 9-1, in an American Mideast Conference doubleheader. Cedarville rode the pitching and hitting of Natalie Fox to win the opener. The freshman righhander won her sixth straight game by tossing a three-hitter with 13 strikeouts without a walk. Fox was 3-for-3 at the plate with two RBI's and a run scored. [GAME 1 BOXSCORE] The Jackets erupted for 15 hits total from nine different players in the second contest. Ginger Keithley was 3-for-4 with three runs scored while four other players added two hits apiece. Julie Burt struck out four and allowed one unearned run in the win. [GAME 2 BOXSCORE]

April 12, at Shawnee State
Rookie righthander Natalie Fox won her fifth straight decision as Cedarville split an American Mideast Conference doubleheader at Shawnee State. The host Bears won the opener, 5-1, and the Jackets took game two, 6-2. Fox allowed one earned run on four hits with two strikeouts in pushing her record to 7-3. CU scored the first six runs of the nightcap as Sarah Tsermengas went 2-for-3 with two RBI's. Debbie Krick pounded her first career home run and scored twice while Denaye Hilty drove in two runs. [GAME 2 BOXSCORE] In the first game, Shawnee State jumped out to a 5-0 lead after three innings and Cedarville scraped only three hits together. Annie Stafford singled and scored in the seventh on an RBI single by Christa Stanford. Fox recorded the other single. [GAME 1 BOXSCORE]

April 10, at Urbana
The Lady Jackets pounded out 16 hits in a 10-1 victory at Urbana to gain a split in a doubleheader featuring two of the top teams in the American Mideast Conference. The Blue Knights won the first game, 4-3. Cedarville bolted to a 6-0 lead after their first two at bats and never looked back in the contest halted after five innings due to the eight-run mercy rule. Seven different CU players had two or more hits with Sarah Tsermengas and Debbie Krick each going 3-for-3. Tara Munson, Annie Stafford, Ashley Smith, Natalie Fox, and Denaye Hilty added two hits each. Fox won her sixth straight pitching decision. [GAME 1 BOXSCORE] In the opener, four Lady Jacket errors led to four unearned runs. Tsermengas and Munson paced the offense with two hits apiece and Krick scored twice. [GAME 2 BOXSCORE]

April 8, WILMINGTON
Strong pitching carried the Lady Jackets to a 1-0 and 2-1 sweep over Wilmington in a non-conference doubleheader as CU extended their winning streak to six straight. Julie Burt fanned eight Quaker batters en route to the win and Denaye Hilty notched the save as the two combined on a four-hit shutout in the first game. Cedarville scored its run when Hilty opened the fifth inning with a double and later scored on Ginger Keithley's sacrifice fly. [GAME 1 BOXSCORE] In the nightcap, rookie righthander Natalie Fox was three outs away from a perfect game and one strike away from a no-hitter before settling for a 2-1 victory. After retiring the first 18 batters in a row, Fox hit Wilmington's leadoff hitter in the seventh inning and then allowed the run to score on a clean two-out single to center field. She struck out a career-high 15 and did not walk a batter while becoming the 8th pitcher in school history to hurl a one-hitter. CU pushed across two unearned runs in the sixth when Debbie Krick and Ashley Smith reached on errors, and Sarah Tsermengas delivered a two-run single. [GAME 2 BOXSCORE]

April 6, SETON HILL
Cedarville erased a four-run deficit in the second game to complete an American Mideast Conference sweep over Seton Hill, 6-1 and 10-5. The Lady Jackets were staring at a 5-1 deficit before striking for five runs in the second inning to take the lead for good. Sarah Tsermengas went 4-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored and two RBI's to lead CU's 17-hit attack. Ashley Smith and Christa Stanford were each 3-for-4 while Ginger Keithley, Debbie Krick, and Patty Wilson added two hits apiece. Denaye Hilty pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings to get the win in relief. [GAME 2 BOXSCORE] Cedarville spotted the Spirit the first run of the opener before taking control with a three-run third inning. Tara Munson was 3-for-3 with a double, two runs scored, and two RBI's. Annie Stafford produced two hits and rookie righthander Natalie Fox fanned a career-high 10 batters allowing just two hits and an unearned run. [GAME 1 BOXSCORE]

April 5, SAINT VINCENT
The Lady Jackets extended their American Mideast Conference winning streak to three straight after sweeping Saint Vincent, 5-2 and 8-0. Cedarville needed only four hits to win the opener. The big blow was a two-out two-run triple by Sarah Tsermengas which gave the hosts a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning. Natalie Fox came on in relief of Julie Burt to get the win on the mound. The freshman righthander allowed one hit in four innings with two strikeouts. [GAME 1 BOXSCORE] The Jackets took the nightcap which was stopped after five innings due to the eight-run mercy rule. Denaye Hilty was the winning pitcher. She struck out six and also went 2-for-2 at the plate with two RBI's. Ginger Keithley and Annie Stafford added two hits each while Ashley Smith scored twice. [GAME 2 BOXSCORE]

April 2, at Denison
Denison swept a non-conference doubleheader from the Lady Jackets by scores of 3-0 and 4-2. Cedarville mustered just three hits in the opener. Annie Stafford was 2-for-3 with a triple while Ginger Keithley added a single. [GAME 1 BOXSCORE] The Jackets took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning of the nightcap before the Big Red struck for four runs. Tara Munson was 2-for-4 with a triple for CU and Debbie Krick added a double. [GAME 2 BOXSCORE]

April 1, MALONE
Christa Stanford had two hits and drove in the go ahead run to give Cedarville a 3-2 win over Malone and a split of their American Mideast Conference doubleheader. The visiting Pioneers rallied for five runs in their final at bat to win the opener, 5-2. The Jackets entered the bottom half of the sixth inning of the nightcap tied 2-2 and Sarah Tsermengas stroked a one-out double. Tana Adams, who came in as a pinch runner, moved to third on pinch hitter Kailin Acheson's ground out, and then scored on Stanford's two-out hit to right. Freshman righthander Natalie Fox struck out seven without a walk while squaring her record at 2-2. [GAME 2 BOXSCORE] CU appeared to be in good shape in the first game upon taking a 2-0 lead into the seventh inning. Malone quickly tied the contest and then scored three unearned runs to claim the win. Ginger Keithley was 3-for-4 with two runs scored to lead the Cedarville offense. Ashley Smith was 2-for-3 with two RBI's. [GAME 1 BOXSCORE]

March 23, Redlands (Sun West CA Tournament)
Cedarville ended their stay at the Sun West Tournament with a 1-0 win over Redlands. The Jackets manufactured a run in the second inning for the win. Annie Stafford had a leadoff walk, she moved to second on a sacrifice from Christa Stanford, and then scored one out later on a single by Sarah Tsermengas. Freshman Natalie Fox hurled a three-hitter with eight strikeouts and two walks. [GAME BOXSCORE]

March 23, Plattsburgh State (Sun West CA Tournament)
The Lady Jackets dropped a 5-1 decision to Plattsburgh State in a rematch at the Sun West Tournament. Ashley Smith led off the game with her second homer of the season for Cedarville's only run of the contest. Plattsburgh answered with three runs in their half of the first to take the lead for good. Annie Stafford was 2-for-3 at the plate. [GAME BOXSCORE]

March 22, Grace (Sun West CA Tournament)
Cedarville rolled to a 5-0 win over Grace at the Sun West Tournament. The Jackeets held a slim 1-0 lead until Christa Stanford drilled a three-run homer in the fourth inning. Ashley Smith was 2-for-2 with a double and a run scored. Julie Burt pitched a complete-game, six-hitter with three strikeouts and no walks. [GAME BOXSCORE]

March 22, Wisconsin-LaCrosse (Sun West CA Tournament)
Cedarville struggled offensively in a 5-0 loss to Wisconsin-LaCrosse at the Sun West Tournament. The Jackets managed only two hits on singles from the bats of Annie Stafford and Debbie Krick. The Eagles broke the game open with a three-run fifth inning. [GAME BOXSCORE]

March 21, at The Master's
The Master's swept a non-conference doubleheader from the Lady Jackets by scores of 7-3 and 8-2. Cedarville outhit the Mustangs 15-7 in the opener but stranded 12 runners on base. Christa Stanford and Sarah Tsermengas had three hits each while Ashley Smith, Ginger Keithley, Denaye Hilty, and Annie Stafford added two hits apiece. [GAME 1 BOXSCORE] In the nightcap, CU received three hits off of the bat of Smith and a single from Stafford for their only offense of the game. The Jackets plated a run in the top of the first, but Master's, who was playing its 34th game of the season, scored eight unanswered runs over the next five innings to take command. [GAME 2 BOXSCORE]

March 19, Plattsburgh State (Sun West CA Tournament)
The Lady Jackets committed seven costly errors while suffering a 6-3 loss to Plattsburgh State in the second game of the Sun West Tournament. All nine runs scored in the game were unearned. Cedarville trailed 4-0 before scoring their three runs in the top of the fifth inning. Tara Munson delivered a two-run single and later scored on a wild pitch. Annie Stafford and Patty Wilson also had singles in the game as CU managed three hits total. [GAME BOXSCORE]

March 19, Whitworth (Sun West CA Tournament)
Ashley Smith went 3-for-4 at the plate with a grand slam to lead the Lady Jackets to a 14-5 win over Whitworth in the first game of the Sun West Tournament. The sophomore shortstop became just the sixth player to hit a home run with the bases loaded in Cedarville's 18-year softball history. Denaye Hilty, who was the winning pitcher, contributed offensively with a double and three RBI's. Sarah Tsermengas had two hits including a double and two RBI's while Annie Stafford added two hits. After spotting Whitworth a 2-0 lead, CU responded with eight runs in the second inning and six more in the third. [GAME BOXSCORE]