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DECATUR, Ala.-  The University of Indianapolis softball team dropped a pair of contests at the final day of the Charger Chillout Saturday hosted by Alabama-Huntsville Sunday.  The fifth-ranked Greyhounds went 2-4 for the three-day tournament, including losses to two ranked teams.

SUNDAY RECAP
#20 Wayne State 3, UIndy 1
Augusta State 5, UIndy 0

The Greyhounds looked to rebound after their loss to West Alabama on Saturday, but it wasn't meant to be as Indianapolis dropped their final two games of the Charger Chillout to No. 20 Wayne State and Augusta State on Sunday.

Runners left on base would be the downfall for the Greyhounds in the opener, as UIndy would strand 12 on the base paths in the 3-1 loss to the Warriors.

Indianapolis starter Megan Russell looked to improve to 3-0 on the season and worked out of a jam in the top of the third as Wayne State threatened to crack the scoreboard first.  The first three Warrior hitters reached on singles, but a fielder's choice and a 6-2-3 double play ended the threat and kept the game scoreless.

UIndy would get its best chances in the fourth and fifth frames.  Russell tried to help her own cause by doubling to start the fourth, but the Greyhounds could not push a run across after Nikki Wilson walked and Brooke Johnson was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two down.

The Greyhounds would fill the bases once again in the fifth after Jennifer DeMotte tripled, Russell was intentionally walked, and Ashley Boxley was struck by an errant pitch.  However, Wayne State starter Casey Hanes got a ground out to end the inning.

The Warriors broke through in the top of the sixth, getting three runs on  four hits and taking a 3-0 lead into the game's final frame.

The Greyhounds would crack the scoreboard in the seventh as a Carmen Martinez single brought DeMotte around to score with just one out, but the rally would fall short, and UIndy would strand three more, falling by a final score of 3-1.

Russell dropped to 2-1 on the season after allowing three runs on 11 hits and striking out five in her seven innings in the circle.

Augusta State was the opponent for Indianapolis in their final game of the event as the Hounds looked to earn a split and leave Alabama with a .500 record.

The Jaguars had other plans and would get on the board in a big way in the fourth, plating four runs on five hits capped by a two-run blast from Sara DeMuth.

Audry Ernst entered the game in the fourth in relief of Russell who started her second game of the day for UIndy.  Ernst finished the game with four strikeouts and allowed a single hit in her two and one-third innings of work.

Boxley led the Greyhound offense, going 2-for-3 at the plate, while Jamie Keltz recorded the only other Indianapolis hit in one of her three at bats.

Augusta State starter Emily Corish finished with seven strikeouts and walked only one on her way to the pitching victory for the Jaguars.

With the losses, the Hounds drop to 2-4 on the season and will return to the diamond on Saturday (Feb. 27) when they return to Alabama for a pair of games with North Alabama.  UIndy will then battle the nation's top-ranked team in Alabama-Huntsville on Sunday (Feb. 28) in Florence, Ala.


SATURDAY RECAP
UIndy 6, Ferris State 4
West Alabama 3, UIndy 0

UIndy split another pair of games on Saturday to push its record to 2-2 on the second day of the Charger Chillout, earning a 6-4 win over Ferris State in the opener, before falling to West Alabama in game two, 3-0.

In game one, the Hounds got on the board first, plating a run in the bottom of the first, before exploding for four more in second on a grand slam from Megan Russell.

Ferris State countered with four runs of their own in the top of the third, with three of them coming on a bases-clearing double by Rachel Mueller.  The Bulldogs added another run following a UIndy error to close the Greyhound lead to 5-4 through three.

Both pitchers settled into game after the third, as the only other tally of the ballgame came in the bottom of the sixth when Kelsey Rummel walked and then later scored on a Jennifer DeMotte double.

Russell shut down the Ferris State offense for the rest of the contest, earning her second victory in as many starts, allowing just one Bulldog hit after the third and striking out seven.

DeMotte took to the circle for game two against West Alabama and limited the Tigers to three hits and a single earned run, but it wasn't enough as UWA starter Katie Ford silence the Greyhound offense and struck out eight UIndy hitters to earn the win.

Indianapolis had its best chance in the top of the first, as the first two UIndy batters in Jamie Keltz and Carmen Martinez both reached to open the game, but would remain stranded on the basepaths.

West Alabama broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth on a solo homerun from Valisha Fincher and would add a pair of insurance runs in the sixth for the final 3-0 margin.


FRIDAY RECAP
UIndy 4, West Georgia 1
#2 North Georgia 10, UIndy 0 (5 inn.)

The Greyhounds opened their season with a win at the Charger Chillout behind a strong pitching effort from Megan Russell.  Russell tossed a complete game three-hitter in picking up her first win of the 2010 season.

Jamie Keltz opened the game and the season with a bang, blasting a solo homerun over the left field fence to give the Hounds an early 1-0 lead in the season's first at bat.

Indianapolis added another run in the first after a Brooke Johnson single scored Carmen Martinez to push the UIndy advantage to 2-0.

Neither squad could muster a run for the next four frames, but the Greyhound struck again in the top of the sixth, taking advantage of a pair of miscues by West Georgia. 

Chrissy Stephens opened the inning by reaching on a catcher's interference call, followed by a Kelsey Rummel walk, and a UWG error that allowed Jennifer DeMotte to reach, loading the bases for Martinez.  Martinez doubled to bring in Stephens and Rummel, pushing the Indy lead to 4-0.

The Wolves plated their lone run in the bottom of the inning and threatened to score more, but Russell forced a ground ball with the bases loaded to end the inning and West Georgia comeback hopes, giving the Hounds a 4-1 victory.

In the Friday nightcap, the fifth-ranked Hounds squared off against the second-ranked Saints of North Georgia.  NGCSU needed just five innings to best UIndy, earning a 10-0 victory.

The Saints struck early and often, taking a 5-0 lead after the first two innings and chasing UIndy starter Kaitlyn Bolanowski after two and two-thirds.

Rummel managed the lone hit for Indianapolis, a lead-off single in the top of third, as North Georgia starter Sarah Phillips struck out seven and walked two in her five innings of work.

The Saints would tack on two more runs in the fourth and fifth off UIndy reliever Meagan Gutierrez for the game's final 10-0 tally.