Page 10
The Compass
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( SPORTS
Viking softballers
take fifth in CIAA
By Robin Sawyer
The Lady Vikings season
came to an end last weekend
with a 4-3 loss to North Caro
lina Central in the consolation
final of the CIAA Tournament.
While ECSU led the first five
and two-thirds innings, the
Lady Vikings had to settle for
a fifth place finish in the con
ference tourney held in
Winston-Salem.
ECSU opened the tourna
ment with a Friday morning
game against Fayetteville
State University. The Lady Vi
kings were ousted from the
winner’s bracket after one
game, losing 7-6 to FSU.
In their second game Fri
day, the Lady Vikings took on
Virginia Union, and ECSU
came away with a 7-3 win.
In the nightcap Friday
night, ECSU played St. Paul’s.
In their third game of the day,
the Lady Vikings won 5-3 to ad
vance to Saturday competi
tion.
Saturday morning ECSU
played St. Augustine and was
eliminated from title conten
tion. Leading 1-0 through six
and third innings, the Lady Vi
kings were turned back 6-1
when they gave up six runs in
one inning.
The two wins Friday, how
ever, were enough to qualify
ECSU for the consolation final
to determine final standings.
While the Lady Vikings led the
first five and a third, innings,
NCCU came up with a big in
ning in the fifth to take the 4-3
win and third place in the tour
nament, while ECSU came
away with fifth place.
ECSU’s pitcher, Jeana Gor
don, was selected to the AU-
CIAA Tournament first team
for her performance on the
mound for the Lady Vikings.
Gordon also led the team of
fensively for the season with a
.630 average.
Second baseman Eliza
Stokes, the team’s only senior,
had a .508 average for the sea
son, while third baseman Ka
ren Woody compiled a .507 av
erage.
ECSU coach James Hog-
gard said that he is “looking
forward to next season” and
hopes that he can “pick up a
couple of pitchers and outfield
ers to round out the team.”
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i
Lady Viking pitcher Dee Soriano delivers a strike a 3-2 record. At the plate Soriano hit a steady .420 to ;
to the opposing team’s batter. Soriano pitched the aid in the Viking offensive attack.
first haft of the 1988 season for ECSU and compiled
Photo by Richard Mctatire
■0' :■ -
m
4,
Lady Viking Angela Bobbit makes a diving
catch in a home game early in the 1988 season.
Bobbit was an offensive leader for ECSU’s
women’s softball team, hitting .500 for the year.
The ECSU Lady Vikings watch intently, hoping that a fly ball will not be
caught.The women’s softball team placed fifth in the conference tourna
ment last weekend in Winston-Salem.
m
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Viking racqueteers sa
they need scholarship
m -mm
Practice shot
Senior Melvin Hodges activates a topspin forehand while practicing before the Vi
kings trip to the CIAA Tournament in Raleigh. Hodges is one of four seniors on the
ECSU tennis team. Photo by Richard Mclntlre
The ECSU men’s tennis
team completed the 1988 sea
son with a record of 2-8 and a
fourth place finish in the CIAA
Northern Division.
Coach Eugene O’Neal said
he attributes the disappointing
record to several different fac
tors including inexperience.
“We had less experience this
year than we had last year,”
said last year’s captain, Mel
vin Hodges.
According to O’Neal, the Vi
king racqueteers lost two of
last year’s players who were
expected to return — one
transferred and one was ineli
gible.
“We’re not able to recruit
like we want,” said O’Neal,
referring to the fact that he is
not able to give scholarships to
tennis players, while most of
the teams ECSU must play are
atleast partially scholarship-
funded.
In the CIAA Tournament
held last weekend in Raleigh,
ECSU placed fourth in the
Northern Division, although
they did not win a match in the
event. O’Neal was quick to
point out that his team was,
however, forced to play on
clay, a surface in which most
of his players were unfamiliar
with
Hampton and Livingstone
were the tournament’s top two
finishers, apparently unaf
fected by the clay surface said
O’Neal.
O’Neal added that Hamp
ton’s team is composed of
scholarship players from Ni
geria, Pakistan, and Brazil.
Johnson C. Smith and Liv
ingstone College are also re
cruiting players from abroad
of such caliber that non
scholarship teams are unable
to compete against them.
“More money has to be put
into the program,” said
O’Neal, adding that schol
arships might help make
ECSU “more of a contender.”
Four members of the rac-
' I '.I
queteers will be graduatii
this semester — Mike Chaml
lee, Robert Goodman (ca
tain), Melvin Hodges, ail
Douglas Howard, while Ai
thony Nixon, Richard J. Mcli
tire, and Hayes Robbins wi
return for the 1989 season.
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ViMng racqueteers Anthony Nixon (right) and Mel
Hodges practice their net game. ECSU’s tennis t-
had a 2 and 8 record this year. Photo by Richard«
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