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Eagles dominate St. John's in opener
Softball web
Georgia Southern pitcher Sarah Purvis hurls a pitch on the way to 14 strikeouts against St. John's in the season opener on Friday at Eagle Field. (FRANK FORTUNE/GSU Athletics) - photo by FRANK FORTUNE/GSU Athletics

Eagle Round Robin Tournament
Today through Sunday
Eagle Field
Friday's Game
5 p.m.

    Georgia Southern 5, St. Johns 1
Saturday's Games
10 a.m.

    Tennessee Tech vs. Akron
Noon
    St. John's vs. Tennessee Tech
2 p.m.
    Georgia Southern vs. Akron
4 p.m.
    St. John's vs. Georgia Southern
Sunday's Games
9:30 a.m.

    Akron vs. Tennessee Tech
11:30 a.m.
    Akron vs. St. John's
1:30 p.m.
    Tennessee Tech vs. Georgia Southern

    Georgia Southern softball opened the 2013 season on a winning note with a 5-1 victory over St. John’s in the opener of the 2013 Eagle Round Robin.
    Starting pitcher Sarah Purvis took a no-hitter through five and two-thirds and struck out 14 batters en route to the victory.
    “I was really proud of the team,” said GSU coach Annie Smith. “We came out strong and had some great at bats. We did a nice job on defense and Sarah Purvis pitched a great game.”
    Georgia Southern began defense of its 2012 Southern Conference Championship with a pair of runs in the first inning off a two RBI single by Andrea Tarashuk to left field. The Eagles added more runs in the second and third innings to extend the lead to 4-0. Lexi Allen doubled home a run in the second, while a fielder’s choice pop up in the second allowed Tabby Douberley to score in the third frame.
    The story of the game, however, was the pitching performance of Purvis. She fanned 14 batters and carried a no-hitter through five and two-thirds of an inning. The no-hitter came to an end on a line drive to third base. Her shutout bid came to an end in the bottom of the seventh as St. John’s Jackie Reed hit a home run to left field.
    Purivs’ strikeout total tied her for seventh place on the single-game strikeout chart, three back of Aimee Littlejohn’s 2002 school record. It was the fourth time in Purvis’ career that the junior struck out 14 or more batters.
    Georgia Southern’s fifth run of the evening came in the top of the seventh as Kourtny Thomas pushed Douberley across for her second score of the evening.
    The Eagles are back in action twice on Saturday as play in the Eagle Round Robin continues at Eagle Field. Georgia Southern faces Akron at 2 p.m. before playing St. John’s again at 4 p.m.