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By Times staff, school press releases
Posted: May 08, 2008 11:10 PM

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HCC tennis rallies for national title

TAMPA — In each of the past two years, Hillsborough Community College has finished second in the National Junior College Athletic Association women's tennis tournament, and entering Thursday's final day of competition in Tucson, Ariz., HCC coach Chad Berryhill feared his team would end up runnerup yet again.

HCC had lost six of eight individual matches Wednesday, falling a point behind top-ranked Tyler (Texas) JC with one singles and one doubles match left.

But HCC rallied, getting a straight-sets win against Tyler from No. 4 singles player Eva Samdrano, a sophomore from Wharton who is the only returning player from last year's team. That tied HCC with Tyler, putting the championship on the line for the No. 3 doubles team of Samdrano and freshman Katherine Laine of Friendswood, Texas. HCC's duo pulled out a 6-4, 6-1 victory, edging Tyler by one point to give HCC its first tennis national title.

"They're not as talented as last year's teams, but they showed they have a lot of heart," said Berryhill, who has two second-place finishes and a championship in three seasons at HCC. "They never let down the whole time."

Greg Auman, times staff writer

SAINT LEO

Men's golf

SAINT LEO UNIVERSITY MEN'S GOLFER MATT CORNUET FINISHES 43RD AT NCAA SOUTH REGION TOURNAMENT

Austin, Texas – Saint Leo University men's golfer Matt Cornuet (Jr., Sebring) finished in 43rd-place with a 54-hole total of 232 (81-79-72) at the 2008 NCAA South Region Tournament in Austin, Texas. The South/South Central Super Regional was hosted by St. Edward's University at Grey Rock Golf Club.

Cornuet had his best round of the tournament in the final day, finishing one-over-par at the par-71, 6,085-yard layout at Grey Rock on Wednesday.

West Florida (279-279-282=840) was the wire-to-wire winner of the event, claiming the South Region Championship with a four stroke win over Nova Southeastern University (284-280-280=844). Florida Southern College finished third with a 54-hole score of 856 (279-298-279).

Individually, West Florida's Kyle Scott (67-70=137) broke a second round tie with Florida Southern's Jude Eustaquio to win by two strokes for individual medalist honors.

Scott finished at nine-under-par 204 (67-70-67) with three consecutive rounds under par.

Softball

Lions Continue in Winner's Bracket With Shutout Win Over Argonauts

Miami Shores – The No. 24 Saint Leo University softball team (37-13) continued the 2008 NCAA South Region Softball Tournament with a 2-0 win over No. 7 seed West Florida (40-22) on Thursday afternoon in Miami Shores, Fla. The Lions will continue in the winner's bracket on Friday at 4:00 p.m. against the winner of the game between Rollins and Barry.

For the second consecutive contest, Ashley Urbanik (Jr., Riverview) went the distance and improved to 27-8 with the win. The right-hander struck out 12 batters and scattered three hits to record her 14th shutout of the year.

Tatiana Casis (Jr., Port St. Lucie) was 2-for-3 in the game and scored both of the runs for the Lions. Five other SLU players registered hits in the low-scoring game.

The Lions jumped on the board in the first, scoring what proved to be the game-winning run. Saint Leo manufactured its run after the first two batters of the inning were retired. Casis extended the inning with a double, and Urbanik followed with a single. An error by the UWF first baseman allowed Casis to score on the play.

Saint Leo plated an insurance run in the sixth, as Casis singled and Urbanik drew a walk with one out. Ally Maddox (Jr., Brandon) followed with a single and another error allowed Casis to score the second run of the contest.

FLORIDA

Softball

Lady Gators advance to the SEC semifinals

One swing of the bat from sophomore Francesca Enea (Woodland Hills, Calif.) in the sixth inning would be all it would take for the No. 1

Florida Softball team (60-2) to advance to the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals, as the Gators defeated Ole Miss (26-28), 1-0. The two teams were tied 0-0 with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Enea took a 1-1 count out of the park just grazing the fence in center field for the 1-0 Gator lead. The home run was Enea's 14th of the season.

The Florida defense took care of business in the top of the seventh. Amber Tramp was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Junior reliever Stacey Nelson (Los Alamitos, Calif.) struck out the following batter and forced Michelle May to line into an unassisted double play to junior Ali Gardiner (Waccabuc, N.Y.) to end the game.

Freshman Stephanie Brombacher (Pembroke Pines) pitched six innings, giving up only two hits and allowing only three runners on base to improve to 19-0 on the season. She struck out three Rebel batters.

Nelson pitched the final inning to earn her fifth save of the year. Becky Nye took the loss for Ole Miss to end her season with a 12-11 record.

Florida got the first hits of the game as Gardiner and Enea both lifted two-out hits in the bottom of the first. Gardiner dropped a base hit in right field, right next to the right foul line. Enea fouled off five pitches on a 1-2 count before ripping a base hit up the middle. Alise Doubt made a great diving catch for Ole Miss in left field to put out Bush and end the inning.

The Gators added a third two-out hit in the bottom of the second as junior Kristina Hilberth (Dunedin) slapped a base hit through the left side.

Ole Miss got its first runner on base in the top of the third as Brombacher walked Lauren Rowe to lead off the inning. Rowe stole second, but did not get any further as the Gator defense retired the next three batters.

Florida added a hit in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, freshman Megan Bush (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) knocked a base hit through the left side, giving the Gators their best chance of the day to plate a run.

Junior Danyell Hines (Bryan, Texas) came in to pinch run for her, but was caught stealing for the second out of the inning. The Rebels broke up Brombacher's no hitter with one out in the top of the fifth as May hit a deep infield single and just beat out Bush's throw to first.

Hilberth earned her second hit of the day as she dropped a bunt right in front of the pitcher's circle and beat out the throw to first with one out. She wouldn't get any further though as the next two batters were put out on a strikeout and a ground out to end the inning.

Doubt hit the first pitch offered her by Brombacher to left field for the Rebels second hit of the game. The Gators retired Doubt advancing to third on a fielder's choice play for Lauren Grill's at bat. Grill moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Alyssa McGovern for the second out of the inning. The threat was ended as Lisa Conchos popped up to Hilberth in foul territory.

Florida advances to the semifinals to face fourth-seeded Tennessee (47-13), who defeated fifth-seeded Georgia (43-22), 5-2 in the first game of the tournament. Friday night's first pitch is set for 6 p.m. ET.

The game will air live on WRUF AM 850 in Gainesville and on the web at www.WRUF.com and www.GatorZone.com. Live video and live stats are available on LSU's website at www.LSUSports.net.

Women's golf

No. 4 UF Women's Golf In Second Place After Day 1 of NCAA East Regional

ATHENS, Ga. – The fourth-ranked University of Florida women's golf team opened the NCAA East Regional in impression fashion Thursday as the Lady Gators fired a 2-over total of 290 to sit in sole possession of second place at the University of Georgia Golf Course. No. 2 seed Florida opened five shots back of top-ranked Duke, who posted a 3-under 285 as the only team in the field to sit in under-par figures. South Carolina is in third at 3-over 291, Furman is fourth at 4-over 292 and Louisville is fifth at 5-over 293.

"We had a tough start but we brought it back," UF head coach Jill Briles-Hinton said. "The wind picked up, we fought hard and then ended up a 2-over par. We are all playing for each other and that is what is great about it. We are in a good position to start."

The Lady Gators are one of four Southeastern Conference teams in the top 10. The top eight finishers on Saturday advance to the NCAA Championships. Host Georgia, the third seed, is in ninth place at 11-over 299. Senior Tiffany Chudy (Miramar) and redshirt junior Ornella Jouven (La Ciotat, France) guided Florida on the first day of competition with even-par 72s. Both are one of seven players in a tie for 10th place.

Louisville's Sara-Maude Juneau holds a one-shot lead on Duke's Amanda Blumenherst, the nation's No. 1 player, following a 5-under 67. Chudy's round featured three bogeys in her first four holes, but the senior responded admirably with a 3-under back nine scorecard that featured birdies on holes 10, 13 and 17. Her 72 marked the second-lowest round of her career at an NCAA regional in 10 rounds of play. Jouven's even-par scorecard matched the lowest round of her career in NCAA competition. Despite bogeys in two of her first three holes, the redshirt junior provided steady play the rest of the way that featured a 2-under 35 on her back nine. She tallied 13 pars and two birdies in her final 15 holes.

Freshmen Jessica Yadloczky (Casselberry) and Hannah Yun (Bradenton) posted 1-over rounds of 73 to sit within striking distance of the top five. They share 17th place with four other golfers and are only three shots back of the top five. Yadloczky had eight pars and a bogey on her front nine, and she drew even on her back nine thanks to birdies at the par-4 11th and the par-5 17th. One of four birdies in Yun's round came at the closing par-5 18th. The two were playing in their first career NCAA postseason competition. "I thought the wind came into play on hole 15 for Hannah when she took a tough number," Briles-Hinton said. "However, she was able to recover and finish par, par birdie. I was very proud of that."Redshirt freshman Nicole Schachner (Libertyville, Ill.) is one of several players in a tie for 87th place following a 10-over 82. Round two tee times get underway at 8 a.m. ET.

Florida, who played in the morning session on Thursday, will be one of 12 teams in Friday afternoon's pairings. The Lady Gators go off the No. 10 tee with Duke and Georgia beginning at 1:20 p.m. ET. Live scoring is available at www.Gatorzone.com and www.Golfstat.com.

FLORIDA STATE

Softball

Seminoles down Eagles with grand slam homer in bottom of ninth

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – In the first game of the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Softball Championships, third seed Florida State charged back from a 1-1 tie for the victory over sixth-seeded Boston College after a grand slam homer from 2008 All-ACC second team member Brittany Osmon sealed the deal in the ninth inning. The 5-1 win moves the Seminoles to game seven on Friday, May 9 against the winner of the Virginia Tech and Maryland match-up happening on Thursday.

Osmon, a senior from San Diego, Calif., cranked her seventh home run of the season and her first grand slam this year with one out against Boston College's Allison Gage. The south paw is now batting a .308 average and continues to lead the team with 45 RBI's.

"It felt really good, awesome actually," Osmon said. "The best part was watching Tiffany [McDonald] run down third base with me. After I made contact I knew it was going out and I was pretty happy."

Notching her 17 th win of the season was Tiffany McDonald , also named to the second team All-ACC, who needed just two strikeouts against Boston College to break the all-time strikeout record at Florida State. The senior did just that and more as she stuck out 13 Eagles to set the new record at 911, shattering the previous 899 set by Jessica van der Linden in 2004.

"It feels pretty good [to break the record]," McDonald said. "I feel honored to be in the top at Florida State with Jessica van der Linden. I know her personally and she's a great woman. Being able to break a record is awesome and then to help my team win the first game of the ACC Tournament is great; I couldn't ask for a better start."

Despite Boston College scoring first in the top of the fifth off a triple from Amanda Booth, FSU answered right back in the bottom of the inning as junior Michelle Snyder scored from second on a single to center by sophomore and All-ACC first team member Carly Wynn .

With the score tied at one apiece, it would be a pitcher's duel that would lead into extra innings with no more runners scoring in regulation. In the top of the eighth, it would be three up and three down for BC while the Seminoles would get into scoring position thanks to a single from Osmon who then advanced to third on a walked batter and fly out to right field. Despite those efforts, FSU would not cross home plate and the game would roll into inning number nine.

The Eagles would once again send three batters up to be sent back to the dugout as McDonald struck out two and the third grounded out to Kristie McConn at second. With the game time reaching just over two hours long, the Garnet and Gold took control in the bottom of the inning with McConn singling to center to get things started.

Boston College then intentionally walked heavy-hitter Wynn, who went 2-for-3 with one RBI, as All-ACC second teamer Whitney Buckmon used her speed as she laid down a bunt and reached first safely. With bases loaded, a pop-up to third from Jessica Gilmore put one out on the board and brought in Osmon who swung on the fifth pitch to clinch the win for FSU.

The Seminoles are now 37-25 as they head into day two of the ACC Tournament hosted by the University of Maryland. ACC Select will provide live video-streaming on accselect.com and live stats will also be available throughout on theacc.com and Seminoles.com.