March 25, 2011
Final Stats
FAYETTEVILLE, NC - Don't look now, but the Fayetteville State Lady Broncos are almost whole again.
A team that has battled significant injuries to key players throughout the season, welcomed two of those players back to the starting lineup on Friday - just in time for the start of the CIAA Southern Division season.
LaTonia Gatling (Jr., Suffolk, VA) had three hits in two games while Demarius Pankey (Sr., Laurinburg, NC) blasted a home run as the Lady Broncos swept a doubleheader from Johnson C. Smith for the first time in four seasons under coach Miguel Justiniano, better known as "Coach Who." Fayetteville State won by the scores of 9-1 in five innings and then 11-3 in six innings.
"It's a great way to start divisional play," said Coach Who, "especially because Johnson C. Smith always seems to give us a hard time. But we're getting healthy at the right time, and it was big for us to get Gatling and Pankey back."
While the two starters are key contributors at the plate, they are also two of the team's best defensive players. And with them back in the lineup, it enabled Coach Who to move other players back to positions in which they are more comfortable.
And the changes made a dramatic impression. Fayetteville State (13-24, 6-3) caught four runners in rundowns and completed the plays, and also had two outfield assists to keep the Golden Bulls (5-18, 5-8) from any chances at big innings.
Olivia Peavey (So. Siler City, NC) won both ends of the doubleheader, allowing just two hits and one unearned run while fanning nine in five innings to earn the victory in the first game. She then worked 3 1-3 effective innings to start Game 2 before Misty Huber (Jr., Orlando, FL) came on to scatter five hits, work out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the fifth and pitch 2 2-3 innings to earn her second save of the season.
Peavey, who evened her record at 9-9, helped her own cause with four hits and four RBI on the day while Tiffany Locklear (Fr., Maxton, NC) had three hits and four RBI between the two games. Ashley Wlezen (So., Charlotte, NC) had two hits and three runs driven in during Game 1, then had another run-scoring hit in the second game. Huber and Jessica Randolph (Fr., Pinetops, NC) also had an RBI each while April Branch (Sr., Watha, NC) had two hits and drove in two runs in Game 1.
Fayetteville State jumped out to large leads early in both games, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning of the first game before building a 5-1 lead through two innings in the second game.
JCSU managed to come close to the Lady Broncos just once, trimming Game 2's deficit to just two runs, 5-3, after the top of the fourth inning.
But Fayetteville State responded quickly, scoring two runs in the bottom half of the frame before ending the game in the sixth without the Golden Bulls recording an out to close out the game by the eight-run mercy rule.
"We've had trouble closing out teams," said Coach Who. "That's something we haven't done and we've been working on it. We didn't let up today, and that's a good thing to see."
Kawehi Chan had three hits in the second game while Samantha Smith and Britney Warren had two apiece.
Fayetteville State travels to play Livingstone on Tuesday before returning home to host St. Augustine's on April 6.
