Story Courtesy Appalachian State sports information
Appalachian State 5, Western Carolina 4
Charlotte 5, Appalachian State 1
CHARLOTTE, NC - Appalachian State University softball finished as runner-up in the Holiday Inn First Pitch Classic hosted by Charlotte. The Mountaineers advanced to the title game after defeating Western Carolina, 5-4, in eight innings in the morning game before falling to Charlotte, 5-1, in the championship game. Appalachian went 3-2 in the three-day tournament to improve to 3-8 on the season.
Junior Lindsay Glover (Greensboro, N.C.) continued to lead ASU at the plate, going 4-for-6 on the day with two runs. Freshman Teri Fister (Summerfield, N.C.) picked up Appalachian’s win over Western Carolina, pitching two innings and giving up just one hit while striking out three.
For the second consecutive game, Appalachian had to rally for the victory, coming back from a 4-1 deficit to nip the Catamounts in eight innings. Appalachian scored first, getting a run in the bottom of the first as Brittany Gaston (Roswell, Ga.) scored on Glover’s single to right center. Gaston finished the game with two hits.
The Mountaineers held the 1-0 lead until WCU added two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings. Both the runs in the fifth came via Lauren Ross’ double. The Catamounts added two more on a two-run home run from Nikki Bost.
Facing a 4-1 deficit, Appalachian rallied for three runs in the bottom of the sixth. All three came on Kristyn Hurt’s (Siler City, N.C.) double that drove in Diana Cook (Concord, N.C.), Ashley Gaston (Roswell, Ga.) and Glover to tie the game. The Mountaineers held WCU scoreless over the next two innings before plating the winning run in the bottom of the eight inning.
In the eighth, the game went to the international tiebreaker with Ashely Gaston placed on second base. Gaston was advanced to third on Kasey Motsinger’s (Yadkinville, N.C.) sacrifice bunt. After recording an out, Stephanie Long (Durham, N.C.) stepped to the plate with game on the line for the second time in as many days and hit the ball to the second baseman who committed an error to allow the winning run to score from third. A day earlier against Drexel, Long recorded the game-winning hit.
After defeating the Catamounts, ASU advanced to face the host Charlotte 49ers in the championship game. The Mountaineers again scored first as Glover scored on Motsinger’s single to the pitcher. Charlotte would retaliate in the top of the second with four runs, forcing freshman Kayla Richardson (West Jefferson, N.C.) out of the game. Charlotte added an insurance run in the top of the third, and kept the Mountaineers off the scoreboard to win the tournament on its home field. The championship loss drops ASU to 3-8 on the season while the 49ers improved to 6-4.
Story Courtesy Georgia Southern sports information
COLUMBIA, SC - The Georgia Southern softball team dropped a pair of games at the Gamecock Invitational hosted by South Carolina. The Eagles lost 7-1 to tournament champion Fordham and 7-0 to the Gamecocks.
GSU drops to 5-12 on the season and turn its attention to a doubleheader with South Carolina State Thursday at 3 p.m.
Fordham 7, Georgia Southern 1
The Rams scored all of their runs in the third and fourth innings, putting four runs across in the third frame. Back-to-back bases-loaded infield singles made the score 2-0 and Allison Storc followed with a single to center to plate two more runners.
Georgia Southern answered with a run in the bottom of the inning when freshman Michelle Beasley (Metter, Ga.), pinch-running for junior Aurora Johnson (Macon, Ga.) who led off with a double, scored on a throwing error. The Eagles were unable to capitalize, leaving the bases loaded.
Fordham added three more in its next at-bat to complete the scoring. All three were unearned.
Junior Logan Free (Sandpoint, Idaho) took the loss, pitching 2.2 innings and allowing four earned runs, three hits and five walks.
South Carolina 7, Georgia Southern 0
The Gamecocks broke open a close 1-0 game with five runs in the sixth. USC took advantage of two walks, a hit batsman, an error and a wild pitch, and Ashton Payne had the key hit, a bases-clearing, two-out triple. All runs in the inning came with two away and were unearned.
GSU sophomore Melissa Laliberte (Cobourg, Ontario, Canada) went the distance and gave up eight hits, four walks and two earned runs. South Carolina starter Jessica Barnes tied her career high with 15 strikeouts.
Story Courtesy Chattanooga sports information
Chattanooga 5, UAB 4
Maine 1, Chattanooga 0
CHATTANOOGA, TN - The Lady Mocs built a 4-0 lead over the UAB Blazers in the final game of the Panera Bread Challenge at Frost Stadium Sunday, only to see that lead slip away in the top of the seventh.
After putting two runs on the board in the top of the sixth on a lead off homerun and back-to-back doubles to get to 4-2. The Blazers added two more in the seventh to tie the game at 4-4. With two outs, Krzan singled to left field and advanced to second on a wild pitch. JayCee Wood walked the next two to load the bases. Walker singled to third base on a sharply hit ball that ricocheted toward the UTC dugout allowing Krzan to score. Antonovich’s single to right field plated Rogers for the tying run.
Chattanooga battled back in the bottom of the seventh to get a split on the day and for the tournament. Ashleigh Bull led off the inning with a walk and freshman Carey Cooper was inserted as a pinch runner. Brittney Whittier attempted a sac bunt, but sent it right back to the pitcher who turned around and fired it to second to get Cooper out. Carrie Broome entered the game to run for Whittier. Ashlan Clarkson’s double to right center put runners at second and third with just one out.
Freshman Toni Hutchison struck out swinging for the second out of the inning. Alyssa Edwards notched her third hit of the game and had the game-winning RBI.
Edwards went 3-for-4 with two RBI and Clarkson was 3-for-4 and scored two runs. Hutchison and Amanda Hoiness each had one RBI and JayCee Wood earned her fifth win of the year improving to 5-3.
In a pitcher’s duel earlier in the day, the Lady Mocs fell 1-0 to Maine. Black Bears’ pitcher Bennis threw a one-hit shutout for the win striking out eight and walking just three.
Wood pitched an outstanding game giving up one unearned run on four hits, striking out seven and had no bases on balls. McKinney led off the inning for Maine with a double then advanced to second on a wild pitch and to third on a passed ball with two outs. Soule’s single plated her for the eventual game winner.
The Lady Mocs defeated the Miami Redhawks in an 8-0 run-rule victory before falling to Bowling Green 3-2 on Friday. Saturday saw Chattanooga win by another run-rule 8-0 margin over Belmont then fall 2-0 to Virginia.
Story Courtesy College of Charleston sports information
College of Charleston 4, North Florida 2
CHARLESTON, SC - Both Jayme Durand and Renee Francis homered to help the College of Charleston defeat the University of North Florida 4-2 at Patriots Point Field in the 2006 Cougar Classic softball tournament.
The Cougars even their record at 5-5 with the win as Amber Havnar picked up her third win of the season. Shannon Howard would earn her first save of the season as she came in the game in relief in the top of the seventh.
The Cougars scored four runs on six hits while committing an error in the victory. North Florida falls to 8-4 on the year after earning two runs on six hits.
Francis belted her third homerun of the season in the bottom of the second with a runner on to give the Cougars a 2-0 lead heading into the third. North Florida would score a run in the top half of the third to cut Charleston’s lead in half.
Durand launched her second homer of the season, a solo shot to center to move the lead back to two for the Cougars in the bottom of the fourth. Once again the Ospreys would pull within one in the next half inning as UNF scored a run on a single up the middle.
Charleston would add another run in the fifth to take the game 4-2.
College of Charleston 5, East Carolina 4
The Cougars survived a late run by the Pirates of East Carolina to take the final game of the 2006 Cougar Classic softball tournament 5-4 at Patriots Point Field.
CofC improves to 6-5 on the year with Shannon Howard (3-4) picking up the win. Amber Havnar earned the first save of her career in a relief appearance.
ECU falls 10-4 on the season with Brooke Swann getting the loss. Swann evens her season at 2-2.
Howard was two for three on the day at the plate with one run batted in and catcher Jayme Durand went 2-4 on offense while driving in two runs in the game.
Story Courtesy Furman sports information
Furman 6-9, St. Francis (PA) 5-4
Tennessee State 8, Furman 7
ATLANTA, GA - The Furman Lady Paladin softball team downed St. Francis (Pa.) 6-5, 9-4 and fell to Tennessee State 8-7 Sunday afternoon at the Georgia State Spring Showdown at Bob Heck Field in Atlanta, Ga.
Trailing the Red Flashes 5-3 with two outs in the top of the seventh in game one, Nelsen laced an RBI single to pull Furman within a run at 5-4. Junior Lynn Parmer followed with a single through the right side to plate Nelsen and Stephanie Cushing to lift the Lady Paladins to a 6-5 victory.
Nelsen, Parmer, Cushing and Joni Lockridge each collected two hits while Nelsen clubbed her first roundtripper of the season. Freshman Vanessa Williams tossed a complete game allowing four earned runs on eight hits to earn the win and improve to 2-2.
In Furman's second game versus St. Francis, the Lady Paladins exploded for six runs on five hits in the bottom half of the second to cruise past the Red Flashes 9-4. Freshman Amber Kiser keyed the six-run rally with a two-run single as the Lady Paladins sent 10 batters to the plate in the inning.
Lockridge went 3-for-4 for Furman while Kiser, Cushing and Nelsen each collected two hits. Williams (3-2) pitched four innings of relief allowing no earned runs on seven hits to claim her second win of the day.
Tennessee State edged Furman in the second game of the day with a walk-off solo homer in the bottom of the seventh.
Parmer paced the Lady Paladin attack going 3-for-3 with two RBI while Nelsen went 3-for-4 with three RBI and her second homer of the tournament. Blake Murray (1-4) suffered the loss after working three innings and allowing one earned run on three hits.