Story Courtesy Appalachian State sports information
ETSU 5, Appalachian State 1
ETSU 11, Appalachian State 6
BOONE, NC ? Appalachian State University softball couldn’t overcome costly errors and a career afternoon from East Tennessee State’s Stephanie Gaynord, as the Buccaneers swept a pair of games from ASU in non-conference action Thursday afternoon. The Mountaineers fell in game one, 5-1, and 11-6 in an error-riddled second game. The losses drop ASU to 14-17 on the season while ETSU improves to 13-22.
Appalachian committed a season-high six errors in the second game and the pitching staff couldn’t find an answer for Gaynord, who went 3-for-4 with two home runs, a double and six RBI to lead the Bucs to the sweep. Appalachian’s lineup showed some firepower of its own as Kasey Motsinger (Yadkinville, N.C.) and Keri Blackwelder (Stanfield, N.C.) hit back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the fourth. It was the third home run of the season for both and Motsinger’s second in three games. a
Both teams plated a run in the first inning of the second game before ETSU added four runs in the second inning to take a commanding, 5-1, lead. Three of the runs came via Gaynord’s home run down the right-field line. The Bucs added two more in the third inning, both unearned. The Mountaineers posted a run in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI single from Lindsay Glover (Greensboro, N.C.) that brought Ashley Gaston (Roswell, Ga.) in to score.
ETSU tacked on another run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly from Mary Catherine Vercoe before the Mountaineers countered with the back-to-back home runs to cut the lead to four, 8-4, after four innings of play. Following the two home runs, Vercoe replaced starter Brittney Lehrschall and picked up the win to improve to 5-8. ETSU recorded three insurance runs in the final three innings to build up a lead that survived a small ASU rally in the bottom half of the seventh inning.
Appalachian opened the last frame with two singles from Natalie Willis (Cherryville, N.C.) and Brittany Gaston (Roswell, Ga.). Both scored on a error committed by the second baseman. However, Courtney Jenkins entered the game in relief for ETSU and struck out the next two batters to preserve the win. Teri Fister (Summerfield, N.C.) took the loss for ASU, bowing out in the second inning and falling to 3-4 on the season.
The Bucs jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first game, opening the first inning with back-to-back doubles, followed by a wild pitch that brought home another run. Amanda Haverman closed out the scoring in the first inning with an RBI double. ASU starter Keri Blackwelder (Stanfield, N.C.) failed to make it out of the first inning, suffering the loss to fall to 6-7 on the season.
Appalachian got its lone run in the bottom of the first on Motsinger’s RBI single that scored Willis. Appalachian could only muster three hits over the next six innings as Jenkins picked up the complete-game victory to improve to 4-9. ETSU added runs in the fourth and fifth innings courtesy of a home run from Jessica Lonsinger and an RBI single from Vercoe, respectively.
Story Courtesy UNC Greensboro sports information
UNC Greensboro 3, Longwood 0
Longwood 3, UNC Greensboro 2
GREENSBORO, NC ? Hannah Angel pitched a two-hit complete game shutout to give UNC Greensboro a 3-0 win in game one of a non-conference doubleheader with Longwood on Thursday afternoon at UNCG Softball Stadium. The Lancers then held on for a 3-2 win in the nightcap.
Angel, the native of Eastbend, NC, posted her first collegiate shutout and eighth complete game by giving up just a single to the lead off batter in the first inning and a one-out double in the fifth. Angel also walked two and stuck out four hitters.
Freshman Leslie Furness continued her clutch hitting of late with a two-run single up the middle that scored Kelly Allen and Lyndsay Mouse to give UNCG (13-18) a 2-0 lead in the fourth.
Junior Adriane Audley later homered to centerfield in the fifth to add an insurance run for the Spartans. The homer was Audley’s third of the season and second in the last four games.
Mallory Gordon accounted for the Longwood double in the fifth, while Caitlin Hooe had a single in the first. Rachel Mills got the loss after allowing two runs on five hits in 3.0 plus innings of work.
In the second game, Longwood (14-18) broke a 1-1 tie with two runs in the top half of the fifth. Kori Bonner led off the frame with a walk and Hooe followed with a double to the gap in left-centerfield. On the play, UNCG’s Krista Judge bobbled the ball, which allowed Bonnor to score all the way from first base. Hooe scored one batter later on a RBI fielder’s choice by Danielle Skapura that made it 3-1 in favor of the Lancers.
The score remained that way until Furness led off the bottom of the seventh with a solo blast to left that got UNCG to within one run, but Mills retired the next three hitters in order to end the game.
Ryan Washington gave Longwood a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the third, but that lead was short lived as Judge singled to left, scoring Heather Branche to tie the game 1-1 in the bottom of the frame.
Mills (11-15) allowed two runs on five hits over 7.0 innings to garner the win in the nightcap. Washington led the way with two hits and an RBI, while Bonnor scored two runs for the Lancers.
Danielle Byrne started and got a no decision after allowing only one run in 4.0 innings of work. Angel (5-8) suffered the loss by allowing two runs on two hits in 3.0 innings of relief work.
Furness went 2-for-3 with a run and RBI, while Branche was 1-for-2 with a run scored. Audley and Judge each added a hit for the Spartans, who had their three-game winning stretch snapped.