Sea Gulls drop NCAA Regional opener
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The No. 14 Salisbury University softball team managed only four hits Thursday afternoon as it dropped its opening game 5-4 to No. 16 Emory in nine innings in the NCAA Division III Regional at Monarch Stadium on the campus of Methodist College.

Sophomore Stacy Davis went all nine innings on the mound as she gave up 10 hits, allowed only three runs (one earned) and walked one. The loss drops Davis to 17-3 on the year.

Salisbury (36-8) got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning as senior Nicole Fuqua doubled home sophomore Stacey Malarkey to give SU the early 1-0 advantage.

Emory (29-6) quickly answered in the top half of the second inning as an error by Salisbury’s first basemen Ali Ritter prolonged the inning which allowed the Eagles to score a run.

The Eagles struck again in the fifth inning as a lead off single by Alyson Moler resulted in the game’s third run after Emory used small-ball to get her around the base path.

The Sea Gulls knotted the score at two in the sixth inning as one of four Eagle errors on the afternoon allowed Fuqua score the tying run.

The seventh inning saw fireworks as Emory scored two runs to take a 4-2 lead. Junior Kirsten Wells came for Davis and faced only three batters as she gave up two hits, two runs and one walk to yield the lead to the Eagles.

The Sea Gulls answered the Eagle threat in the bottom of the seventh as Kurisha Hoffman scored the first run of the inning. Kelly Waskewicz knocked in Hoffman on a two-base error by the leftfielder and a throwing error by the Emory shortstop. Waskewicz scored on the next batter as Wells singled her home. The Sea Gulls left a runner stranded on second base as the inning came to a close when Fuqua popped out to the shortstop. SU’s four starting freshmen went 0-for-16 at the plate.

The Eagles tacked on the game winning run in the ninth inning to secure the win.

Salisbury will play LaGrange, who lost to top-seed Methodist 1-0, on Friday, May 11 at 10 a.m. in an elimination game.