Story Courtesy College of Charleston sports information
College of Charleston 4-5, UNC Greensboro 3-3
MT. PLEASANT, SC - The College of Charleston defeated UNC Greensboro 4-3 and 5-3 in a doubleheader Saturday at Patriots Point Field in Southern Conference softball action clinching the number two seed in the SoCon Tournament with the two victories.
CofC improved to 28-28 overall and 13-7 in the SoCon while Greensboro fell to 19-39 on the year with a SoCon record of 4-16. Amber Havnar (14-13) and Shannon Howard (14-15) each earned wins for the Cougars as Vanessa Oakes (9-16) and Hannah Angel (6-17) were credited with the losses for the Spartans.
Charleston took game one of the doubleheader after earning four runs on seven hits with no errors while UNCG scored three runs on 11 hits committing one error in the game. Game two saw the Cougars score five runs on 11 hits while committing two errors in the game as the Spartans scored three runs on three hits committing one error.
With the doubleheader sweep CofC is assured of being the second seed in the SoCon Tournament beginning on May 10th. The worst possible record the Cougars could finish with in conference play would be 13-8 and the best possible record that third place Georgia Southern could finish with is 13-8. Charleston owns the tiebreaker with the Eagles as the CofC defeated GSU twice to take the series earlier in the season.
Izmena Cabrera finished four-for-seven from the plate driving in two runs from the leadoff position. Jennifer Golden was also four-for-seven from the plate with one run batted in. Jayme Durand was 2-4 on the day while driving in three runs for the Cougars.
Howard pitched a three-hitter in game two giving up only two earned runs and striking out five Spartan batters.
Story Courtesy Elon sports information
Elon 9-0, Appalachian State 5-2
ELON, NC - The Elon softball team posted 10 hits and nine runs in game one to take a 9-5 victory before falling 2-0 to Appalachian State in the second game in Southern Conference softball action on Saturday at East Field.
Nicole Ellis guided the Phoenix in the first game, going three-for-three from the plate and recording a career-high four RBI.
Elon got on the board in the bottom of the second inning. Rebecca Rijavec led off the inning with a triple to right field and Jaimie Rao was hit by a pitch before stealing second base. Ellis knocked a deep single to shortstop to plate Rijavec and put Elon ahead 1-0. On the next hit, an infield grounder by Patti Weber, the Mountaineers’ attemptto get Ellis out at second failed, leaving Ellis on second and allowing Rao to go home to give Elon a 2-0 advantage.
Appalachian State took the lead in the top of the third inning when Lindsay Glover took a first pitch ball over the left field fence for a three-run homer, giving ASU a 3-2 lead. Brittany Gaston and Kari Blackwelder reached on singles before Glover’s blast. The next batter, Kristyn Hurt smacked a solo home run out of left field to put the Mountainners ahead 4-2.
Elon responded in the bottom half of the inning to knot the game at 4-4. Debbie Zeigler singled and Rijavec was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second before a routine grounder by Rao advanced the runners to second and third. Ellis then doubled down the right field line to score pitch runner Courtney Milligan and Rijavec to tie the game.
Elon took the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Brittney Waters led off with a single, Paige Goss walked and Tracey Dahlen singled to load the bases. Zeigler then knocked a deep sacrifice fly to right field to score Waters and put Elon up at 5-4. With runners on second and third, Laurin Smith singled through the left side to plate Goss and Dahlen. Rijavec and Rao each drew walks to load the bases before Ellis knocked a sacrifice fly to left field to send Smith home and give the Phoenix an 8-4 lead.
ASU put up a run in the top of fifth when Glover drew a walk and Hurt doubled to left centerfield to score her and cut the lead to three, 8-5.
Elon added another run in the bottom of the sixth when Rao took a 2-2 pitch out of left field to give Elon the 9-5 lead.
Melanie Helterbran (3-3) earned the win for Elon after tossing four and one-third innings in relief and giving up one run on six hits while retiring four batters. Starter Samantha Schroeder gave up four runs on seven hits in two and two-thirds innings of work.
Yancy Moose (9-8) suffered the loss for the Mountaineers after hurling three innings and giving up six runs on five hits while striking out four. Teri Fister tossed one-third of an inning in relief, giving up two runs on two hits and Kayla Richardson three two and two-thirds inning, giving up one run on three hits.
Dahlen was two-for-four for Elon with one run while Smith posted two RBI and Rijavec and Rao each tallied two runs.
Hurt paced the Mountaineers from the plate, going three-for-four with two RBI and one run. Glover posted two hits on three at-bats and recorded three RBI and two runs while Kasey Motsinger went three-for-four.
Game two remained scoreless until the top of the fourth inning when Appalachian State put a run on the board that would prove to be enough for the victory. Hurt singled to right centerfield before Motsinger laid down a sacrifice bunt to move her to second. Blackwelder then doubled to right centerfield to put runners on second and third before Ashley Gaston singled down the right field line to score pinch runner Stephanie Long and give ASU the 1-0 lead.
The Mountaineers (27-27, 10-10) added an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning. Natalie Willis singled to lead off the inning and stole second before a ground out by Mary Lutz moved her to third. Brittany Gaston then knock a grounder to the third baseman, but a throwing error allowed Willis to score from third and put Appalachian State up 2-0.
Blackwelder (9-10) tallied the win for the Mountaineers after tossing seven innings and giving up no runs on nine hits and retiring seven batters. Carol Lilley (4-9) suffered the loss for Elon. She threw a complete game and gave up two runs (one earned) on seven hits while striking out three.
Hurt led the Mountaineers’ offense with two hits on three at-bats. Brittany Gaston, Motsinger, Blackwelder, Ashley Gaston and Willis all posted a hit for ASU.
Waters led the Phoenix from the plate, going three-for-three while Rao was two-for-two and Smith posted two hits on four at-bats. Goss and Zeigler tallied a hit each for Elon.
Story Courtesy Furman sports information
Chattanooga 3-4, Furman 2-3
GREENVILLE, SC - Chattanooga edged Furman 3-2 in 11 innings in game one and used a four-run fifth inning to top the Lady Paladins 4-3 in game two to record a doubeheader sweep in Southern Conference softball action Saturday at Pepsi Stadium.
Brittney Whittier singled up the middle to plate Alyssa Edwards in the top of the 11th inning to push the Lady Mocs past Furman in game one. Pitcher Ashley Frizzell retired Jessica Mathis and Amber Kiser to strand Abby Robertson on third to clinch the victory.
Chattanooga opened the scoring in the first when Ashley Cuticchia doubled to right-center scored on Ashleigh Bull's single.
Furman began its rally with two outs and nobody on base in the bottom of the seventh. Mathis singled through the left side and Kiser eached on an infield single to give the Lady Paladins runners at first and second. Joni Lockridge popped up a Frizzell pitch to shallow right, but Whittier could not handle the ball allowing Mathis to score.
After exchanging runs in the tenth inning, Edwards started the 11th on second base and moved to third on a wild pitch. Furman starter Blake Murray got Toni Hutchison to ground out before Whittier's eventua game-winning hit.
Frizzell held Furman to no earned runs on 10 hits while striking out four and walking four in 11 innings of work. Murray (5-16) allowed just one earned run on eight hits while fanning five in 11 innings. Bull and Whittier each collected two hits for Chattanooga. Kiser led the Lady Paladins going 4-for-6.
In game two, the Lady Mocs used five hits and a base on balls to plate four fifth inning runs to down Furman 4-3.
Whittier started the rally with a one-out homer to left field to give Chattanooga a 1-0 lead. After a fly out to center, Amanda Hoiness reached on a bunt single and Jeannie Cochran singled to give the Lady Mocs runners on the corners with two out. Following a walk to load the bases, Ashlan Clarkson singled to drive in a run and Bull laced a two-run single to center to cap the inning.
Furman answered with three runs in the bottom of the frame. Mathis started the inning with a single and Kiser followed with an RBI triple and scored on a Lockridge groundout. Stephanie Cushing drew a walk and Megan Jaudon lined a double off of the right-centerfield wall put two runners in scoring position. Amber Nelsen plated a run with a sacrifice fly, but Frizzell retired Danielle Franklin to end the inning.
Frizzell worked six innings of relief allowing three runs on seven hits to improve to 20-18. Mathis (4-7) surrendered four runs on eight hits over five innings to suffer the loss.
Clarkson paced the Lady Mocs going 3-for-4 while Kiser went 3-for-4 with a triple for the Lady Paladins.
Story Courtesy Georgia Southern sports information
STATESBORO, GA - Georgia Southern freshman Carrie Mixon (Statesboro, Ga.) hit a two-out double in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a scoreless tie in game one to lead the Eagles to a split with Western Carolina Saturday afternoon at Eagle Field.
Mixon’s double was the only run in the Eagles’ 1-0 victory. The Catamounts came back to win game two 6-2. GSU moves to 27-32 overall and 11-9 in the Southern Conference; WCU is now 41-17, 16-3.
Georgia Southern 1, Western Carolina 0
Senior Sam Steiner (Loxley, Ala.) led off the decisive inning with an infield single and was sacrificed to second. After a strikeout, Mixon lined a double to left-center, easily scoring Steiner.
GSU starting pitcher Melissa Laliberte (Cobourg, Ontario, Canada) was saved by her defense in the early going, thanks to diving catches by junior Aurora Johnson (Macon, Ga.), sophomore Aubrey Thweatt (Georgia, Vt.) and senior Shanita Black (Fayetteville, N.C.).
Laliberte constantly pitched out of trouble, getting just one 1-2-3 inning through six while leaving the bases loaded twice. Laliberte retired the side in order in the seventh to improve to 11-10.
Mendy McKenzie was the tough-luck loser, allowing seven hits and the one run with six strikeouts, falling to 22-6.
Johnson was the only player to record a multi-hit game, going 3-for-3 at the plate.
Western Carolina 6, Georgia Southern 2
Neither team was able to score until Western Carolina put three runs on the board in the fourth. The Catamounts used a run-scoring single by Savannah Filley and a two-run homer by Jenny Jackson to take the lead.
The Eagles answered with two runs in their half of the fourth, loading the bases with one out. Junior Maria Laurato (New Orleans, La.) singled in two runners to cut the margin to 3-2. Jackson escaped further damage by inducing an inning-ending double play.
Western Carolina extended its lead with an unearned run in the fifth and two more runs in the sixth.
Jackson moves to 15-4 on the season by striking out three and walking none. Junior Logan Free (Sandpoint, Idaho) took the loss, dropping to 12-12. She gave up five hits and six runs.
Jackson helped her own cause with a 2-for-3 day at the plate with two runs batted in. GSU junior Heather Smith (Williamson, Ga.) and Laurato each went 2-for-3 as well.