Story Courtesy Appalachian State sports information
Chattanooga 3-4, Appalachian State 2-12
BOONE, NC - Appalachian State University softball belted out a school record 18 hits in a 12-4 victory to earn a split with Chattanooga in a Southern Conference doubleheader Sunday afternoon. The Mocs won the first game, 3-2, to take the series.
The split moves ASU’s record to 24-26 overall and 9-9 in the Southern Conference. Chattanooga now stands at 29-30 and 7-8 in league play.
The Mountaineers used a 10-run fourth inning to break open the second game with Brittany Gaston (Roswell, Ga.) going 2-for-2 with three RBI in the fourth inning alone. Gaston finished the game 3-for-5 with three runs and three RBI. Tara Tembey went 2-for-2 with a home run in the loss.
Tembey’s two-run shot in the first inning game the Mocs an early 2-0 lead. Appalachian added a run in the bottom of the third inning before blowing the game open in the fourth inning with 10 runs on nine hits. Chattanooga staved off the eight-run mercy rule by adding two runs in the top of the fifth inning to make the score 11-4. However, Appalachian ended the game with a run in the sixth inning on Diana Cook’s (Concord, N.C.) RBI single that scored Natalie Willis (Cherryville, N.C.).
Teri Fister (Summerfield, N.C.) earned the win in relief for ASU, improving her record to 4-5 on the season. Yancy Moose (Hamptonville, N.C.) struck out five batters in two innings of scoreless relief to preserve the win. Ashley Frizzell took the loss for the Mocs, falling to 15-18.
The first game began with three innings of scoreless action before each team plated a run in the fourth inning. Chattanooga added two runs in the top of the sixth inning on a single from Ashleigh Bull and a sacrifice fly from Toni Hutchison to take a 3-1 lead.
The Mountaineers cut into the lead with a run via Kasey Motsinger’s (Yadkinville, N.C.) sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the sixth inning. Appalachian threatened the UTC lead in the bottom of the seventh, putting the first two batters on base with no outs. Unfortunately for the Apps, the next three batters flied out to end the threat and give UTC the 3-2 win.
JayCee Wood picked up the win for UTC to improve to 14-12. Keri Blackwelder took the loss, falling to 7-10.
Story Courtesy Georgia Southern sports information
Georgia Southern 5, Elon 4
STATESBORO, GA - A three-run fifth inning by Georgia Southern, aided by three Elon errors, proved to be the difference, overcoming five miscues of its own in a 5-4 softball victory Sunday afternoon at Eagle Field.
The Eagles improve to 24-28 and 6-8 in the Southern Conference, and win the weekend series 2-1. Elon drops to 20-24, 8-7.
“We talked this morning about whether or not they wanted to be a part of what we saw yesterday in game one or game two,” said GSU head coach Natalie Poole, whose team shut out Elon 6-0 in the nightcap of Saturday’s doubleheader. “They definitely thought game two was better - that’s how they wanted to approach today’s game.”
Four of GSU’s errors came in the final two innings, yet starter Logan Free (Sandpoint, Idaho) gave up just one run to barely hang on to the lead. The Phoenix left five runners on base in the last two frames.
“I thought that we were aggressive, but we struggled at times defensively, which hurt,” added Poole. “But we were able to fight through it.”
With the score even at 2-2 after four innings, Elon retook the lead with back-to-back two-out hits from junior Laurin Smith (Graham, N.C.) and freshman Brandi Jones (Wilmington, N.C.).
In the wild GSU half of the fifth, senior Sam Steiner (Loxley, Ala.) and freshman Carrie Mixon (Statesboro, Ga.) each had RBI singles, but the Eagles failed to capitalize any further by leaving the bases loaded.
Elon had the bases full in the sixth without the benefit of a hit thanks to two errors and a walk, but Free escaped with a strikeout.
In Elon’s half of the seventh, Smith led off with a walk, but was standing on second with two outs after a strikeout and a groundout. Consecutive errors cut the lead in half and the Phoenix had the tying run on second. But the rally was squashed as Free ended the game with a groundout.
Free, who threw a three-hit shutout Saturday in game two, walked four and gave up six hits, while striking out five. The win gives her an 11-9 record.
“She struggled a little bit more than yesterday but she didn’t give up a lot of big hits. I was just hoping I could keep her out there.”
Sophomore Samantha Schroeder (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) took the loss in relief. In two innings of work she allowed three earned runs and two hits.
Story Courtesy UNC Greensboro sports information
Western Carolina 5-4, UNC Greensboro 4-0
GREENSBORO, NC ? Western Carolina won both games of a Southern Conference softball doubleheader over UNC Greensboro on Sunday to complete a three-game weekend sweep at UNCG Softball Stadium. The Catamounts took both ends of the twinbill by scores of 5-4 and 4-0.
UNCG (18-33, 3-12 SoCon) started the first game by pushing across a run in the opening inning for a 1-0 lead. Krista Judge singled up the middle on the first pitch of the game and stole second to get herself into scoring position. Judge then advanced to third on an Adriane Audley sacrifice and scored on a Jennifer Bonilla single through the left side.
The Catamounts swung the lead in their favor in the second with two unearned runs to take a 2-1 advantage. With the bases loaded and two outs, Samm Keppel bounced a routine grounder to second for what seemed to be the final out of the inning. However, Lyndsay Mouse’s throw to Audley, who was covering second base, was wide of the bag and allowed two runners to cross home plate and give the visitors the lead.
The starting pitchers for both teams then took over for the next couple innings. Western’s Mendy McKenzie set down nine straight Spartan hitters while, UNCG’s Hannah Angel only allowed a walk during the third and fourth innings.
The fifth inning was a different story though, as Ashley Adams blasted her team-leading 19th homer of the season, a two-run shot, to give the Catamounts a 4-1 lead.
The bottom of the frame started nicely for UNCG as Kara Clouser lined a double on the first pitch she saw all the way to the centerfield wall. Oakes followed with an infield single to set up runners on first and second for the Spartans with no outs. Heather Branche was called upon to lay down a bunt, but her attempt lined right to the first baseman, who promptly tossed over to first base to double up Oakes. With Judge batting, Clouser went to third on a wild pitch and scored when Judge singled softly to second base to cut the Spartan deficit to 4-2.
Audley then laced a single to right field. On the throw back into the infield, Adams’ attempt to throw out Audley at first base was not handled by Western first baseman Lauren Ross, which allowed Judge to score all the way from first base to make it a 4-3 ballgame. Bonilla then singled advancing Audley to third, but Kelly Allen grounded out to end the threat.
Each team then pushed across another run in the sixth to maintain Western’s slim lead, now at 5-4. The Spartans put together one last rally in the seventh as Bonilla singled up the middle for her third hit of the game. Koury Duncan came on to pinch run for the all-conference first baseman and would move to second on a sacrifice by Allen. With the game-tying run at second and only one out, Mouse and Stephanie Talarek were unable to get Duncan home as the score was stuck at 5-4 in favor of Western.
McKenzie was just good enough to run her record to 20-5 on the season. She was touched up for four runs (three earned) on 12 Spartan base hits. She struck out six and walked one in a 100 pitch performance.
Similar to Saturday’s game, the UNCG defense was not kind to its starting pitcher as Angel fell to 5-14 on the year. The freshman allowed five runs, but only one was earned, on six hits over the distance. She also struck out five and walked five Catamount hitters. Judge and Bonilla each went 3-for-4 for UNCG with Judge driving in two and scoring twice.
Adams was 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs for the Cats.
The nightcap was not nearly as thrilling as starter Jenny Jackson notched her third shutout of the season by allowing only five hits and striking out three hitters to run her season record to 12-4.
A pair of Catamount homers, a solo shot by Stephanie Beatty in the second and a three-run blast by Allyson McCubbins in the fourth, was all they would need to maintain their grip on first place in the conference.
The Spartans best chance to score came in the first when Audley singled, Bonilla walked and Mouse reached on an error to load the bases with two outs, but Talarek grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.
UNCG starter Danielle Byrne, who already had two complete game victories to her credit this week, suffered the loss to fall to 4-6 on the campaign. She allowed four runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings of work.
McCubbins was 3-for-4 with her 11th longball of the year, while Savannah Filley and Beatty each had two hits for the Catamounts.
Story Courtesy College of Charleston sports information
College of Charleston 6, Furman 5
CHARLESTON, SC - Izmena Cabrera’s single down the right field line in the bottom of the 13th allowing Jessica Lyness to score from second base giving the College of Charleston a 6-5 victory over Southern Conference rival Furman in softball action Sunday at Patriots Point Field.
The Cougars improve to 26-25 overall and 11-4 in the SoCon. Amber Havnar (13-12) was credited with the win in relief. The Paladins fall to 25-33 overall and 6-12 in the SoCon. Furman’s Blake Murray was credited with the loss as she was also pitching in relief.
The Cougars scored six runs on 10 hits while committing one error on the day as Furman scored five runs on 14 hits committing one error as well.
Charleston scored a run in each of the first three innings allowing just one run in the second to take a 3-1 lead into the seventh. Furman’s Stephanie Cushing doubled in the top of the seventh scoring two runs to tie the game at three runs apiece.
Both school’s scored two runs in the 10th inning making the score 5-5. It was in the bottom of the 13th that Cabrera singled to score Lyness who was placed on second base due to the international tie-breaker rule.
Cabrera was three-for-seven at the plate today including a double and two runs batted in. Shondra Schlichenmayer was three-for-six with one RBI and Kolby Schooley was two-for-five with one RBI as well.