LADY MOCS DEFEAT AKRON 3-2 IN DAY TWO OF PANERA BREAD CHALLENGE
Chattanooga, Tenn. ? Senior Alyssa Edwards (Geneva, N.Y.) hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the third to seal the Chattanooga Lady Mocs’ third win in the Panera Bread Challenge Saturday afternoon over Akron 3-2.
Edwards also went two-for-three, her second multi-hit game in a row, and all three of the team’s RBIs.
Chattanooga (6-6) continues its winning streak of four in a row and now is tied with Miami (Ohio) for the Panera Bread Challenge title.
Freshman pitcher Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) improved her record to 3-2, her third win in a row closing the game on a strikeout, her fourth of the game.
The Lady Mocs capitalized on two Zips errors in the first inning to get leadoff hitter Jeannie Cochran (Maryville, Tenn.) on base before scoring on Edward’s first hit of the game.
The Zips answered back in the top of the second with Cali Stratton reaching first on an error and scoring fly ball out to centerfield.
Akron’s Stratton scored the team’s second run of the game in the top of the seventh advancing to home on an error with another in scoring position.
The Zips were led by Katrina Moffett and Deanna McCauley with two hits each and Moffett with a RBI.
The Lady Mocs’ second game of day two in the Panera Bread Challenge is against the Maine Black Bears starting at 4:45 p.m. at Frost Stadium.
Eagles Sweep Day One of Eagle Classic
STATESBORO, Ga. ?Georgia Southern picked up two wins, defeating Savannah State 19-1 and Lipscomb 5-4, on the first day of the GSU Eagle Classic at Eagle Field.
Georgia Southern 19, Savannah State 1
Georgia Southern tallied 19 runs on 17 hits to defeat Savannah State 19-1 and pick up its fourth win of the season in game two of the GSU Eagle Invitational Saturday afternoon.
The Eagles put together four runs in the top of the first on three Tiger errors and an RBI single by Maria Laurato. A sacrifice fly by Katie Smith scored Jenny Side for the fourth run.
Elizabeth Branan led off the second with a double to left field and scored on an error by Savannah State. Side added to the Georgia Southern lead, knocking a three-run homerun down the left field line that plated Heather Smith and Nina Iduate.
Jordyn Nail and Branan both doubled and scored in the third. Lindsey Hopkins would also score to give the Eagles an 11-0 advantage.
Georgia Southern scored five runs in the fourth inning, loading the bases with the first three batters. Hopkins hit an RBI single through the left side, and Iduate drove in two runs with a
single up the middle. Robyne Siliga doubled to
left center, bringing Hopkins in to score.
The Eagles took a 19-0 lead in the fifth on singles from Laurato, Branan, Hopkins, Iduate and Samantha Russo.
Savannah State attempted a late rally, putting a run on the board in the bottom of the fifth, when Danielle Williams hit an RBI single through the right side that scored Krystal Palmer, but the lead was too much to overcome.
Mandi Stophlet (1-0) picked up her first win of the season, striking out four and giving up only two hits. Palmer (0-5) gave up 17 Eagle hits and walked five batters in the loss.
Hopkins tallied four hits for the Eagles, scoring four runs and driving in two RBI. Branan went
3-for-3 from the plate with two doubles.
Georgia Southern 5, Lipscomb 4 (8 innings)
Georgia Southern put up a run in the bottom of the first as Lindsey Hopkins scored on a balk by Christen Campbell.
Heather Smith knocked an RBI single to right center field in the third that plated Nina Iduate. The lead would have been more as Lipscomb left fielder Julia Davidson reached over the fence to take a homerun away from Robyne Siliga and record the third out of the inning.
The Lady Bisons cut the lead in half in the fourth on an RBI single from Christen Campbell.
Lipscomb took the lead in the fifth after back-to-back singles from Lauren Dortwegt and Leigh Little. A two-run homerun by Kellie Sirus put the Lady Bisons up 4-2.
The Eagles rallied in the seventh, as Ashley Bluestein scored on a sacrifice fly by Elizabeth Branan. Hopkins singled to centerfield to drive in Michelle Beasley for the tying run.
Georgia Southern posted the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly from Maria Laurato that plated Smith.
A.J. Street (1-2) gave up only one hit in her four innings of work to pick up the win. Christen Campbell (4-1) took the loss for the Lady Bisons.
Lipscomb’s Sirus was the only batter for either team with a multiple-hit game as she went 2-for-4.
Play will resume Sunday morning as the Eagles battle Lipscomb at 11 a.m.
Catamount Softball Drops Pair on Saturday at Charlotte First Pitch Classic
Charlotte, N.C. ? The Western Carolina Catamount softball team dropped two games in tournament play on Saturday at the Phillips Complex in the Charlotte First Pitch Classic. In game one, WCU and Drexel combined for 24 hits with the Dragons scoring a combined 11 runs in the third and fourth inning to win, 13-8. WCU committed five errors in the second game en route to a 8-2 defeat at the hands of conference-foe, UNC Greensboro.
WCU stranded a combined 18 base runners in the two games, 12 versus Drexel and six against the Spartans.
Sophomore Stephanie Beatty led Western (2-8) with a 3-for-6 showing in the two games with a double and driving in a pair. Freshman Tatum Hargett also hit .500 (1-for-2), while her classmate, Serena Smith, and sophomore Beth Hauser each went 3-for-7. Smith belted her first career home run against UNCG, with Hauser legging out a two-bagger against Drexel. Beatty and Hauser were joined by Lauren Ross with two RBI, with Mendy McKenzie scoring three runs, all in game one.
After two scoreless innings in Saturday’s opener, Western pushed across four runs in the top of the third inning to grab a 4-0 lead. McKenzie opened the frame with a single through the left side and moved into scoring position at third after back-to-back wild pitches that were a part of Smith drawing a walk. Smith stole second in front of Beatty who doubled to right to score McKenzie. Consecutive free passes to Savannah Filley and Ross drove in Smith, prompting a Dragon pitching change. Two batters later, Hauser delivered a two-run double to left to plate the final two runs of the frame.
Western’s advantage was short lived, though, as Drexel answered with six runs on seven hits in the bottom of the third in an inning that began harmless enough with a single and a sacrifice bunt for the first out. The Dragons scored each run with two gone in the inning, with a Catamount error keeping things alive and chasing WCU starter, Ross.
The Catamounts tied the game at six with a two-spot in the top of the fourth, but a five-run home half of the inning pushed Drexel ahead for good, propelling the Dragons to the win.
Ross was credited with 3.2 innings pitched, allowing six runs ? only one of which was earned ? with a pair of walks and strikeouts. McKenzie, who was saddled with the loss, only recorded one out in the fourth but faced eight batters in the frame to do so. The Clemmons, N.C., native allowed five runs, four earned, on three hits with four walks and a strikeout. Filley also saw action in the circle, fanning one in two innings of work while allowing two runs on one hit and a pair of walks.
In the afternoon game, Western jumped on top in the top of the first inning as Smith blasted her first collegiate home run to center field. Yet, the Spartans answered in the home half with consecutive doubles off WCU starter, Filley, to knot the game at one apiece.
The Catamounts again surged ahead in the top of the third as Beatty advanced the runners, Sam Stepp and Smith, to third and second, respectively, with Stepp touching the dish on a wild pitch. That was all that Western could muster, though, as UNCG managed at least one run in each of the next four innings, aided by at least one WCU error in each of those frames, to pull away for the 8-2 win.
Filley suffered her third defeat of the season, allowing five runs ? three of which were earned ? on seven hits in 3.1 innings of work. McKenzie threw the final 2.2 innings, striking out three while scattering three runs on five hits.
Western wraps up play at the Charlotte First Pitch Classic on Sunday. Check Charlotte49ers.com for more information.
Cougars Fall to Kennesaw State, Liberty
KENNESAW, Ga. - The College of Charleston softball team got off to a rough start as they fell 10-2 to host Kennesaw State in six innings and 3-2 to Liberty on Saturday afternoon at the Kennesaw State Invitational in Kennesaw, Ga.
The Cougars (5-8) will play Liberty at noon on Sunday, followed by a 2 p.m. game with Kennesaw State. The games were moved to the new times because of inclement weather forecasted for the area.
Charleston led for 2 ? innings after Amber Shifflett, who was walked, scored a run on Shannon Howard's RBI-single to left field in the first inning to give the Cougars the 1-0 lead.
An RBI-single from Megan Gant scored Keri McKee who walked for the Owls' first run of the game in the third inning, before Amanda Keasler hit a two-out grand slam to give Kennesaw State the 5-0 lead. The Owls (10-4) would add two more runs as McKee was walked with bases loaded to score Amanda Malcolm. Klair Wells, who walked, scored the final run of the inning, on Jennifer Nolan's RBI-single.
Keasler's walk-off homer in the sixth sealed the win for the Owls as she scored Kelsey Kulk who walked to leadoff the inning.
Keasler was 4-for-4 at the plate with two runs and six RBI. Brittany Matthews improved to 3-2 as she gave up four hits and struck out seven.
Jennifer Golden led the Cougars on 2-for-2 hitting, followed by Katie Pesature who was 1-for-2 and Howard who was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Katie Sansouci gave up five hits and six runs to even her record at 1-1, before Howard stepped in for relief. Howard gave up six hits and four runs, before striking out one.
Against Liberty, Charleston and the Flame went scoreless through two complete innings, before the Cougars scored two runs in the top of the third after Izmena Cabrera singled through the left side to leadoff the inning. Shifflett was walked, before Kristie Shifflett grounded out to allow Cabrera and A. Shifflett to advance bases. Cabrera would steal home, and A. Shifflett would score as Golden tried to steal second with one out.
Neither team scored until Dawn Jeffs' walk-off home plated three runs to give Liberty (2-2) the win.
Cabrera was 2-for-3 at the plate with a run scored, and A. Shifflett was 1-for-2 at the plate with a run scored. Terri Mesko, who gave up eight hits and struck out 10, fell to 3-3 on the season.
Jeffs led the Flames on 3-for-4 hitting, with a run scored and three RBI.