ABINGTON, PA. (April 17, 2008) – Jasmine Baxter (Washington, D.C./McKinley Tech) slugged an inside-the-park home run to help the Lincoln University of Pennsylvania softball team tie a school record for runs scored during a pair of losses to Penn State-Abington Thursday afternoon.
Baxter and Jordean Matthews (Pleasantville/Pleasantville, NJ) had two hits during a 29-5 defeat (BOXSCORE) in the first game. Matthews had Lincoln's only hit in the nightcap of a 22-1 setback (BOXSCORE). The five runs tie a team record for most runs in a single game. Lincoln scored five runs against Saint Paul's on March 29.
Baxter opened the game with a line drive rocket that bounced in front of the right field fence and scooted away from the rightfielder. Baxter zoomed around the bases like she was being chased en route to scoring and giving the Lions an early, 1-0 advantage. It was the second time this season Lincoln scored first. Also, for Baxter, it was the first home run in Lincoln softball history. She leads the team with four runs batted in after her huge afternoon
Baxter was in the middle of Lincoln's three-run second inning surge. She delivered a two-run double that scored Shanisse Conway (Westhampton Beach, CA/Westhampton Beach) and Capri Burnett (Philadelphia, PA/Roxborough). Following Baxter's hit, Lincoln trailed, 5-4, with no outs in the top of the second inning. Unfortunately for the Lions, the threat quickly ended when PSU-Abington turned a line drive out into a triple play.
Matthews had a solid afternoon. In the opener, she made a pair of spectacular catches at second base. She also stole a base and scored on Renee King (Washington, D.C./Calvin Coolidge)'s fielder's choice. Matthews ripped a RBI double that scored Tanina Cook (Landover, MD/Charles H. Flowers) in the third inning to pull Lincoln to within, 8-5.
In the second game, Matthews' recorded Lincoln's only hit when she used her blazing speed to beat out a grounder and hurry the defense into a two-base error that scored Sherell Harwell (Deptford, NJ/Gloucester County Tech) in the fourth inning.
Lincoln is scheduled to finish its inaugural softball season Thursday afternoon at Gallaudet University in a doubleheader beginning at 3:00 p.m. The game could be moved, so stay tuned to www.lulions.com for more information.
--LU--
