NCAA Regional: Lipscomb vs. UAB Postgame Quotes
5/22/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 22, 2010
Lipscomb Quotes
Head Coach Kristin Ryman
Opening comment on this evening's game:
"I'm so proud of them. The way things started, realistically, we thought we had done enough. We tried to keep pounding away. I'm impressed the way UAB came back made it into a game late. I think our fatigue started showing late in the game and obviously into extra innings. I'm incredibly proud of the way we fought and never gave in even when we might have just turned it in and been done. These girls kept fighting and I'm proud for them."
On Kiihnl leaving the game and re-entering:
"Whitney knows herself enough to know when she's hit that wall. We all thought it was a good opportunity to put Alaina Jacobson in to close the door. Obviously things didn't work out as we planned. They hit Alaina well and got back into it. Obviously not the way you'd hope your pitching would go. We looked at her and said, `Whit, we need you to go back.' She looked at me and just grabbed her glove and went back out there and gutted it out."
On how much the team and pitcher Whitney Kiihnl has left after playing two games today:
"We're going to be realistic about it. We will use her [Kiihnl]. I don't know if it will be in a starting role. If it is we'll see how much she has in the tank and go as long as possible. Maybe in a relief role and get good innings out of someone else. We've got to re-hydrate them. Obviously that was a big key in this game and the entire day. It was a warm, humid day. Keeping them hydrated tonight and going into tomorrow is going to be huge."
Pitcher Whitney Kiihnl
On leaving the game and then re-entering:
"I asked to be taken out. My hand was sweating , I couldn't grip the ball, the towel wasn't helping and I was getting a little tired."
Shortstop Courtney Billington
On her 5-for-5 night:
"For me it's just about staying relaxed, not thinking too much, and just being confident in myself and my team."
On the pressure of being down in the last inning after leading the entire game:
"Definitely not the way you want the game to go. You have to stay strong and know the game is not over."
UAB Quotes
Head Coach Marla Townsend
Opening statement:
"It was the two teams having their first regional experience to take it down to the wire like that, and two teams that were pretty evenly matched. They are an outstanding ball club. I am so proud of my team and so proud to have experienced that. That is the epitome of what we have been talking about all season. We kept saying `We are writing a book.' The only way you want your book to end different is winning the last game at the World Series. The game we just played and the heart we put into the seventh inning, and even from the beginning, I consider a victory. That game had no losers."
On the injury starting pitcher Lauren Webster suffered in the first inning:
"This late in the season, we have seen a lot of games. There have been a lot of key players who have battled through a lot, and she is one of those players. She just landed wrong, and it irritated something. She will be okay. There are no tears. It was some muscle that attaches with the ribs, and she was having trouble breathing. Alisha Smith had thrown a lot the day before, so that is a credit to the staff we have. We could call on them at any time."
On what she can take away from this experience:
"When you put your heart and soul into a program, and you believe in your athletes, they don't disappoint. There may be highs and lows, but they are the people you think they are. I am so proud of them. For the two seniors, I told them they will remember this game, not for coming up one run short, but for digging deep. It was an incredible comeback, and that is what they will remember most."
On if this season put UAB softball on the national map:
"Right now, yes, but when you look at the leadership that has been established over the past years, the alumni and their support has so much to do with our success. We had a kid that just graduated two weeks ago and flew out last week to Washington state. She found out we were going to regionals, and flew back out here. That speaks for our alumni. This year, early on we lost two of our key hitters in January. These ladies stepped up. If you saw the youth we had out there on the field, I think it is going to be a stepping stone to get us closer to being recognized around the country. I want my teams to be defined as scrappy and never giving up, and that is so much what they did in their last game."
Sophomore Catcher Mandy Lowman
On the experience of playing in a back-and-forth game in the postseason:
"It was an experience, and we will definitely take it into next year. Hopefully we will be back and use what we learned this year to go further next year."
On what this year means for the UAB program:
"It has definitely been one to remember. Having our new field gave us a sense of pride that we wanted to protect. We knew coming into this season that we could be as good as we wanted to be. We suffered some injuries at the beginning, but people stepped up. We gained experience that we will use next year."
Sophomore Kayla Orr
On the experience of playing in a back-and-forth game in the postseason:
"It was awesome. We experienced every emotion possible from being down 5-1 in the seventh inning, so it was awesome."
On if she thought UAB was going to win once they took the lead:
"Both teams battled. I knew from the beginning that it was not going to be an easy game and we would have to battle until the end."
On what this year means for the UAB program:
"The year was awesome, from the very beginning to the very end. We didn't care who we were, we just knew we wanted to play ball. That's what we did until the very end."
