Story Courtesy UNC Greensboro sports information
#22 UNC 6-11, UNC Greensboro 0-0
GREENSBORO, NC ? No. 22 North Carolina took both games of a doubleheader over UNC Greensboro in a non-conference softball clash Tuesday evening at UNCG Softball Stadium.
UNC (39-11) won game one 6-0, before winning the nightcap by the score of 11-0 in five innings.
Tar Heel starter Crystal Cox set a career high with 16 strikeouts in the first game to improve her record to 21-5 on the season.
North Carolina scored on a sacrifice fly in the second inning by Alyssa Francona to take a 1-0 lead. The Heels would then add single runs in the second and third innings to lead 3-0. Francona then put the game out of reach when she singled to left field to plate two more runs for the visitors in the fifth.
Jennifer Bonilla and Vanessa Oakes each picked up a double to highlight the Spartan offense in game one. Hannah Angel (5-11) suffered the loss after allowing six runs (four earned) on five hits over the distance. She also walked five and struck out seven Tar Heel batters.
Francona had three RBIs for UNC, while Breanna Brown scored two runs and added a single.
The second game featured a pitching dual for the first three innings, before North Carolina exploded for 11 runs, all unearned, in the top half of the fourth inning. The Tar Heels sent 15 batters to the plate and scored their runs on four hits, four walks, three hit batsmen and two Spartan errors that loomed very large in the inning.
Amber Johnson started the nightcap for UNC and had a no-hitter going until Kara Clouser lined a single up the middle with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning. It marked the second time in the last three UNCG games that Clouser broke up a no-hit bid. On Sunday at Chattanooga, Clouser also struck with two outs in the fifth against UTC’s Ashley Frizzell.
Johnson (7-2) picked up the win with nine strikeouts for the Tar Heels. Oakes (9-9) took the loss after allowing 10 unearned runs on four hits and struck out four batters in 3.2 innings of work. Danielle Byrne gave up the other unearned run in 1.1 innings.
Cassie Palmer was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, while Ashley Oxendine, Jennifer Jacobs and Anna Evans each scored two runs for the Tar Heels
Story Courtesy Elon sports information
Coastal Carolina 5-6, Elon 4-3
ELON, NC - Kelly Feely knocked three home runs and Christine Doyle earned two saves to lead the Coastal Carolina Lady Chanticleers to a doubleheader sweep of the Elon Phoenix in non-conference action on Tuesday afternoon at East Field. With the two wins, Coastal Carolina head coach Jess Dannelly picked up his 600th career win.
The Lady Chants took game one 5-4 before downing Elon 6-3 in the second game.
In the first game, Coastal Carolina got on the board in the top of the third inning when Glynn Tolleson drew a walk before Meagen Johnson knocked a home run to put the Lady Chanticleers up 2-0. With her 14th home run of the year, Johnson moves to second on CCU’s single-season home run list.
The Lady Chants added three more runs in the top of the fifth inning. With runners on first and second, Feely blasted her first home run of the day over the left field fence, scoring Tolleson and Johnson to put Coastal Carolina ahead 5-0 and give the Lady Chanticleers the eventual game winning run.
The Phoenix rallied in the bottom of the sixth inning to cut the lead to one at 5-4. Paige Goss drew a walk and Tracey Dahlen laid down a sacrifice bunt to move her to second base before Debbie Zeigler knocked a double to left field to score Goss. Laurin Smith then blasted a home run to straight-away centerfield to cut the lead to two at 5-3. Rebecca Rijavec doubled to left centerfield and advanced to third on a wild pitch before scoring on a pass ball and cutting the lead to one at 5-4. Coastal Carolina pitcher Meagen Johnson forced Brandi Jones to ground out to short stop to end the Phoenix scoring threat.
In the bottom of the seventh, Nicole Ellis notched a single to reach first base. Ellis was out at second base as Goss reached on a fielder’s choice. But Elon was unable to bring the runner to home plate, falling 5-4.
Johnson (7-3) notched the win for the Lady Chanticleers after tossing six and one-third innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on seven hits and retiring six batters. Doyle threw two-thirds of an inning in relief and gave up no runs on no hits while striking out one.
Melanie Helterbran (0-1) suffered the loss in her first collegiate start after hurling a complete game and giving up five runs on four hits and fanning six batters.
Feely led the Lady Chants going two-for-three from the plate with one run scored and three RBI. Johnson was one-for-three with two runs and two RBI.
Elon had seven players record one hit a piece while Smith paced the team with two RBI and Zeigler posted another RBI.
In game two, the Lady Chants put two runs up in the top of the first inning. Johnson singled to left centerfield before Feely knocked her second home run of the day to put Coastal Carolina ahead 2-0.
In the top of the third, with runners on second and third, Brittany Nelson singled up the middle to plate Tolleson. Kristina Sheppard then knocked an RBI single through the right side to score Johnson and give the Lady Chanticleers a 4-0 edge.
Elon responded in the bottom of the inning when Laurin Smith notched an RBI double to right centerfield to plate Dahlen and cut the lead to three at 4-1.
In the bottom of the fourth, Rijavec led off with a single to centerfield before a sacrifice bunt by Patti Weber moved her to second. Nicole Ellis singled through the right side to plate Rijavec and put the Phoenix within two at 4-2.
The Lady Chanticleers added two more runs in the top of the fifth inning when Feely knocked a two-run homer to right centerfield to tally her third home run of the day and the second of the game and put CCU ahead 6-2.
In the bottom of the seventh, Elon loaded the bases with no outs on singles by Ellis, Brittney Waters and Dahlen. A fielder’s choice by Zeigler kept the bases loaded, but the Lady Chants notched the force out at home plate to keep the Phoenix from scoring. Smith then reached base on a fielder’s choice that saw pinch runner Courtney Milligan get out at second base, but score Waters from third base to cut the lead to three at 6-3. CCU relief pitcher Christine Doyle then retired the next batter to end the scoring threat and the game.
Nelson (5-5) picked up the win for the Lady Chants after tossing six innings and giving up three runs on 10 hits and striking out seven batters. Doyle picked up her second save of the day after throwing the final inning and giving up no runs on no hits and retiring one batter.
Samantha Schroeder (5-6) tallied the loss for the Phoenix. She gave up four runs on six hits and struck out two batters in three innings of work. Carol Lilley tossed four innings in relief and gave up two runs on two hits and fanned three batters.
Feely paced Coastal Carolina (26-19) with two hits on three at-bats along with two runs and four RBI. Johnson went two-for-three from the plate with two runs scored.
Ellis went two-for-three with one RBI for Elon while Rijavec was two-for-three with one run scored. Waters tallied two hits on three at-bats while recording one run scored. Smith paced the team with two RBI.
Story Courtesy Georgia Southern sports information
Georgia Tech 8, Georgia Southern 0
STATESBORO, GA - After being held hitless through three innings, Georgia Tech exploded for five runs in the fourth inning, aided by five stolen bases, en route to an 8-0 win over Georgia Southern Tuesday afternoon at Glenn Field.
Junior Logan Free (Sandpoint, Idaho) took a no-hitter into the fourth inning before Tech (34-14) broke through with three hits and three runs. Free walked Amy Hosier with one out, who then stole second. An infield single by Caitlin Lever put runners on the corners, ending the no-hit bid. Another stolen base moved Lever up a base and Blair Shimandle broke the tie with a groundball in between home plate and the mound as Hosier beat the throw home.
Singles by Kristina Hull and Stephanie Butler brought home two more runs to chase Free. Sophomore Melissa Laliberte (Cobourg, Ontario, Canada) struck out the first batter she faced but Aileen Morales laced a pitch off the right-field fence for two more runs.
“Walks affected us a little bit, but they were able to punch a few small hits here and there,” said GSU head coach Natalie Poole.
The Jackets ended the game with three in the bottom of the fifth. Savannah Brown led off with a homer to left and Shimandle and Christine Sheridan each recorded RBI singles.
The Eagles had two hits in the top of the first inning but managed only two after that.
“We came out aggressive, which is what we told them we needed to do,” added Poole. “I think we made a few base-running mistakes which would have kept us in the inning longer. But we weren’t able to make the adjustments at the plate.”