Campbell 9, Elon 3
Elon 5, UNC Wilmington 4
ROCK HILL, S.C. - The Elon softball team fell to Campbell 9-3 before downing UNC Wilmington 5-4 in the Winthrop/adidas Invitational on Saturday afternoon.
In the second game of the day, down 3-2, Elon used a three-run sixth innings to take the lead. Jaimie Rao singled to left field and Brandi Jones knocked a base hit up the middle before Patti Weber doubled down the right field line to score Rao and tie the game 3-3. Paige Goss then knocked a grounder to the second baseman, but the throw to home was late as Jones crossed home plate to give Elon a 4-3 lead. Tracey Dahlen then hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield, scoring Weber and putting the Phoenix up 5-3.
The Seahawks scored a run in the bottom of the sixth inning on an RBI single from Meghan Murray to cut the lead to one at 5-4, but could not get any closer.
Elon (11-10) started the scoring early in the game, posting two runs in the top of the first inning when Laurin Smith blasted a two-run homer out of right centerfield to give the Phoenix a 2-0 lead.
UNC Wilmington knotted the game with two runs in the bottom of the third inning. Brittany Wilkins singled through the right side before Murray homered out of right field to put the score at 2-2.
The Seahawks took the lead when Carley Hughes led off with a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth to go up 3-2.
Meredith Gay (1-0) picked up the win after throwing 5.1 innings and giving up four runs on eight hits while striking out eight. Melanie Helterbran tallied her first save of the season after tossing 1.2 innings and giving up no runs on two hits. Jess Luckett suffered the loss after throwing seven innings and giving up five runs on seven hits while retiring four batters.
Rao went 2-for-4 from the plate with one run scored while Dahlen, Smith, Jones, Weber and Ashlee Crewe each posted one hit. Smith recorded two RBI and Dahlen, Goss and Weber each posted one.
Murray went 2-for-3 from the plate with one run and three RBI while Hughes was 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI and Wilkins went 2-for-3 with one run scored.
In the first game of the day, Elon put two runs on the board in the top of the first inning. Goss and Dahlen each posted singles to get on base before Smith flied out to advance them to second and third. Helterbran singled to centerfield to send both runners home and give Elon a 2-0 advantage.
But Campbell responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Jessica Huffman knocked a solo home run to lead off the inning to cut the Elon lead to one 2-1. Elon then walked the bases loaded before Karlie Love was hit by a pitch to send Megan Paul home and tie the game 2-2. Hilary Wheatley then drew another walk to take the lead 3-2.
In the bottom of the sixth, with the bases loaded, Ashley Jones earned a walk to send Shayla Cullum home to extend the Campbell lead to two at 4-2. Cassie Webb then singled to left field to score Amanda Littlejohn, putting Campbell ahead 5-2.
Campbell put four more runs on the board to take a 9-2 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning on a solo homer and a three-run home run.
In the bottom half of the seventh, Weber knocked a solo home run out of left field to cut the lead to six at 9-3.
Lauren Caviness (7-7) picked up the win after throwing a complete game and giving up three runs on nine hits while striking out eight batters. Carol Lilley (4-4) suffered the loss for the Phoenix. She tossed the first two outs of the game and gave up three runs on one hit while striking out one batter and walking four. Samantha Schroeder tossed 4.2 innings and gave up six runs on nine hits while retiring one batter.
Cullum, Littlejohn and Love each posted two hits for the Fighting Camels. Love tallied four RBI while Cullum, Littlejohn and Courtney Quinn each notched two runs.
Goss led Elon from the plate, going 3-for-4 with one run and Helterbran went 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Elon returns to action on Sunday, March 11 in an 11 a.m. game with UNC Greensboro.
Furman 2, St. Bonaventure 1
Akron 6, Furman 1
Rock Hill, S.C. ? Stephanie Cushing went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and Lana Mackey fanned eight batters to lift Furman to a thriller 2-1 extra innings victory over St. Bonaventure Saturday evening at the Winthrop/adidas Invitational. Akron downed Furman 6-1 in Saturday’s first game.
Tied at 1-1 in the top of the eight, Abby Robertson put down a sacrifice bunt to advance designated runner Amber Kiser to third. Cushing followed with a line drive through the right side to plate the eventual game-winning run.
After Mackey struck out the first batter in the bottom of the eighth, the freshman got leadoff hitter Katie Pazda to ground into a 6-3-5 double play to end the game.
St. Bonaventure took a 1-0 lead in the second when Caitlin Grattan singled and scored on a Lady Paladin error. Furman (9-11-1) answered to tie the game in the top of the third. Kiser laced a ground-rule double down the left field line and moved to third on Robertson’s first of two sacrifice bunts. Cushing followed with a squeeze bunt down the first base line to reach safely and score Kiser.
Mackey improved to 5-4 in the circle tossing a two-hit, complete game.
The Perry, Ga., native allowed no earned runs while issuing just one base on balls in eight innings. Sherri Thompson suffered the loss for the Bonnies allowing two runs on five hits in eight innings.
In game one, Katrina Moffett blasted a first-inning grand slam to lead the Zips to a 6-1 win over Furman.
Akron starter Lindsay Bodeker made the lead stand up holding Furman to just one hit while fanning four in five innings of work.
Megan Jaudon belted a solo homer, her third of the season, in the seventh inning to break up the shutout bid. Blake Murray (4-7) allowed four runs on five hits in one inning to take the loss. Vanessa Williams pitched five innings of relief surrendering just one earned run for the Lady Paladins.
Furman returns to action when it visits the Charlotte 49ers for a doubleheader on March 17.
UNC Greensboro 4, Towson 3
Gardner-Webb 2, UNC Greensboro 0
ROCK HILL, SC ? The UNC Greensboro softball team split in second day action at the adidas Invitational hosted by Winthrop. The Spartans pulled out a
4-3 extra inning win over Towson in game one but fell to Gardner-Webb 2-0 to take a split on the afternoon.
UNCG (16-13) picked up their third consecutive victory with their 4-3 win over Towson in game one. Towson got on the board first with a run in the bottom of the first inning with a run by Jen Hastings. UNCG pitcher Hannah Angel walked Hastings who advanced to second with a Towson single in the next at bat. She came across home plate with a RBI double to give the Tiger the early 1-0 advantage.
UNCG rallied in the top of the fourth with a run by Leslie Furness. Furness reached with a single to right center. Oakes, who pinch ran for Furness, advanced on a stolen base and came across home plate when Kara Clouser hit an RBI double. The Spartans added two more runs in the fifth inning to take a 3-1 lead.
Senior outfielder Heather Branche started the inning with a leadoff single to left center which was followed by a single up the middle by Brittany Ausley. Branche advanced to third on a stolen base and came around the bases when Jennifer Bonilla hit a single up the middle. UNCG picked up another run when Ausley came home on a single by Furness, her second hit of the game.
Towson managed to tie the game up with a two-run double to left center which sent the game into extra innings. Furness, who was placed on second base per international tie-breaker rules, scored the game-winning run when Lyndsay Mouse hit a single up the middle.
Hannah Angel picked up the win after allowing three runs on nine hits in 8.0 innings pitched. She had 10 strikeouts and walked two.
In the late game, UNCG couldn’t muster any offense and only had three hits in the game. The teams were scoreless heading into the sixth inning but Gardner-Webb managed to get on the board. They took a 1-0 lead with a leadoff double and sent a runner around the bases with a sacrifice fly in the next at bat.
The Bulldogs scored what proved to be the game-winning run in the seventh inning. Garnder-Webb again had a leadoff double to start the inning and a miscue by Harrell moved the runner to third base. The Bulldogs scored on a base hit in the next at bat which snapped UNCG’s three-game win streak.
Amber Harrell, who entered the game in relief of starter Vanessa Oakes, suffered the loss for the Spartans after allowing two runs in one inning pitched.
UNCG concludes action at the adidas Invitational on Sunday. Single elimination play begins at 9 am with the championship game set to start at
1 pm.
College of Charleston 17, SC State 0
ROCK HILL, S.C. ? The College of Charleston’s Shannon Howard gave up one hit to South Carolina State in the Cougars’ 17-0 win in softball action on Day 2 of the Winthrop/adidas Tournament in Rock Hill, S.C.
Howard (3-6) notched her third win of the season as she also struck out four and walked two in three innings of work. Katie Sansouci finished the five-inning game, walking one and striking out two.
Amber Shifflett paced Charleston’s (12-12) offense on 4-for-4 hitting with two RBI and three runs scored. Jennifer Golden was 3-for-4 and batted in three runners with a run scored.
Janae Palmer took the loss for the Bulldogs as she gave up 16 hits, walked three and struck at two in four innings of work.
The College of Charleston will play Ohio again at 4 p.m. today. The Cougars lost to the Bobcats on Friday, 11-7.
Chattanooga 8, Villanova 0 (6)
Clearwater, Fla. ? The Lady Mocs (15-13) shut out Villanova 8-0 Saturday afternoon in six innings to win Pool B and advance to gold bracket play.
Chattanooga had nine hits and no errors and were walked eight times, including three runs scored off of walks.
Freshman pitcher Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) pitched her fourth shutout of the season with seven strikeouts on 20 batters faced and three assists. She improves her record to 10-4 on the season.
Senior left fielder Jeannie Cochran (Maryville, Tenn.) reached on a walk before advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore center fielder Ashley Cuticchia (Rising Fawn, Ga). Cochran scored on a senior first baseman Alyssa Edwards (Geneva, N.Y.) single up the middle to put the Lady Mocs up 1-0 after one.
The second inning started off in the same fashion. Senior second baseman Brittney Whittier (Scottsdale, Ariz.) walked to lead off before sophomore Toni Hutchison (Madison, Tenn.) sent her to second on a single to the shortstop. But both runners were left on at the end of two with the score still sitting at 1-0.
Junior right fielder Tara Tembey (Folsom, Calif.) stole the show in the third inning with her two-out triple sending Cuticchia home to make the score 2-0. Cuticchia reached on a single to left field before advancing to second on an error. Freshman shortstop Tia Blosser (Knoxville, Tenn.) sent Cuticchia to third on her sacrifice bunt before Tembey’s hit.
Whittier picked up her first RBI of the day sending Tembey home on a single up the middle to make the score after three 3-0.
The team picked up its second double play of the year on a popped up bunt to the pitcher and a throw to Whittier at first to record the first two outs of the fourth. Loudermilk threw her fifth strikeout of the game to retire the inning.
The Lady Mocs continued to get the lead off batter on base in the bottom of the fourth with freshman catcher Lynleigh Hurndon (McDonough, Ga.) reaching on a hit to the right side. She advanced to second on Cochran’s ground out but was caught stealing third to end the inning with the score still sitting at 3-0.
Chattanooga chalked up another double play on a ground out to the second baseman before turning a throw to first to garner the first two outs before a foul ball to Hutchison ended the inning.
Leading off in the bottom of the sixth, Whittier hit a single to right field to make the team perfect for getting the lead off batters on base each of the six innings. Hutchison sent Whittier to second on her single to right field before both runners advanced on a wild pitch.
Hurndon reached on a walk before freshman pinch runner Nicole D’Apice (Knoxville, Tenn.) came in the game. All three runners advanced on another wild pitch scoring Whittier to make the score 4-0 with one out.
The Lady Mocs scored another run after Cutcchia reached on a walk to load the bases and Blosser walked scoring Hutchison. D’Apice scored on Edwards’ walk, Cuticchia scored on Tembey’s walk and Edwards scored on a Whittier single up the middle making the score 8-0 and giving the team its seventh RBI of the game.
The Lady Mocs sealed the No. 1 seed in Pool B with the win and will face off against the No. 2 seed from Pool C at 4:00 p.m.
Central Michigan 3, Chattanooga 2
Clearwater, Fla. ? Freshman shortstop Tia Blosser (Knoxville, Tenn.) went two-for-two to lead the Lady Mocs (15-14), but the team fell to the Central Michigan Chippewas 3-2.
The game ended Chattanooga’s run in the USF adidas Invitational, finishing 4-2 overall.
Blosser had the first hit of the game with two outs in the bottom of the first but was left on base at the end of the inning.
Western Michigan got on the board first with a run by Katie Greenman, sent home by Amy Hudson’s single down the left line making the score 1-0 in the middle of the third.
Sophomore third baseman Toni Hutchison (Madison, Tenn.) hit a lead off single to get on base before being sent to second on a single by sophomore designated player Laci Upchurch (Madison, Tenn.).
Senior left fielder Jeannie Cochran (Maryville, Tenn.) reached on a fielder’s choice with Hutchison out at third and Upchurch advancing to second. Both runners advanced on sophomore center fielder Ashley Cuticchia’s (Rising Fawn, Ga.) ground out before both scoring on Blosser’s right field single to make the score 2-1 going into the top of the fourth.
The score held through two innings before Central Michigan’s Lindsey Calme hit a two-out home run over the center field fence tying the score 2-2 in the top of the sixth.
Cuticchia led off with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Blosser but was left on second as the inning closed out.
Freshman pitcher Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) came in relief in the top of the seventh striking out one batter and assisting in a ground out.
Tracy Kaatz scored on a controversial RBI single by Suzie Giroux after being advanced to second on an illegal pitch making the score 3-2 going into the bottom of the seventh.
The Lady Mocs will take on Florida International at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, March 16 in the Speedline Invitational.
Syracuse 13, Appalachian State 6
March 10, 2007 - TALLAHASSE, Fla. - Syracuse University scored 10 runs in the final three innings to earn a 13-6 win over Appalachian State softball in the final game of pool play at the Florida State Invitational.
Appalachian scored six runs off of 12 hits with three players, Danielle Peters, Lindsay Glover and Natalie Willis having multi-hit outings. Peters and Willis each scored two runs as well.
Heather Kim went 4-for-5 with two runs and five RBI for the Orange (4-15).
SU scored two runs in the first inning off of Kim’s two-run home run. ASU (3-17) answered with two runs of its own in the bottom of the second. Glover’s two-out double brought Peters and Willis in after the inning was extended by an error by the third baseman.
Both squads scored a run in the fourth inning with ASU’s coming off Glover’s single to center field. Syracuse then added three runs in both the fifth and sixth innings. The Orange got three-straight RBI singles in the fifth to score three runs while two RBI singles did the damage in the sixth inning to take a 9-3 lead.
The Apps tried to cut into the deficit with a three-run sixth inning as they took advantage of three Syracuse errors. However, the Orange responded with four runs in the top of the fourth to thwart any ASU hopes for a comeback.
Appalachian finished fifth in its pool at the Invitational and will face the other pool’s fifth place team at a time to be determined.
Florida State 4, Appalachian State 2
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - No. 25 Florida State scored three runs in the top of the sixth inning to come from behind to defeat Appalachian State University softball, 4-2.
Yuruby Alicart’s two-run home run in the sixth proved to be the difference as she finished the game 2-for-4 and drove in three of the Seminoles’ runs. Lindsay Glover was 2-for-3 with a run for Appalachian.
Florida State (15-7) scored first in the top of the first inning off of Alicart’s infield single that drove in Veronica Wootson. The Mountaineers (3-16) scored two runs in the bottom of the third as Natalie Willis and Glover moved themselves into scoring position with a pair of steals to be driven in by Meagan Squartino’s single to right field and Kasey Motsinger’s sacrifice fly in foul territory down the left field line.
ASU starting pitcher Yancy Moose continued to baffle the Seminoles, allowing just one baserunner after the first inning until FSU caught on in the top of the sixth when the first two batters singled. The second single, from LaShaun Davis, brought Veronica Wootson in to score from second to tie the game. A sacrifice bunt moved Davis to third base, however, that didn’t matter as the next batter, Alicart, homered to left field for what proved to be the game-winning hit. Keri Blackwelder relieved Moose in the circle and pitched 1.2 hitless innings to keep the Seminoles from adding to their lead.
The Mountaineers will continue play at the Florida State Invitational this evening against Syracuse at 4 p.m.
Georgia 6, Western Carolina 0
Western Carolina 8, Florida A&M 0
Syracuse 11, Western Carolina 3 (6)
Tallahassee, Fla. - Western Carolina dropped two of three games in softball action Saturday at the 2007 Florida State Invitational. The Catamounts opened the day with a 6-0 loss to the 20th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs before rallying to blank the Florida A&M Rattlers, 8-0. With a third-place finish in Pool B, Western fell 11-3 in six innings to Syracuse in the night cap in bracket play.
Western will continue play on Sunday morning at 9:30 am against Georgia State. A Catamount win would put WCU in the Noon game to wrap-up play.
Syracuse plated three runs in the home half of the first and second innings to race out to a 6-0 lead, capitalizing on 10 hits while stranding five. But Western sliced the deficit in half in the top of the fifth inning. Sophomore Stephanie Beatty delivered a one-out single and moved to second when junior Savannah Filley singled on the infield to put to on for sophomore Beth Hauser who belted her second home run of the tournament, a three-run shot to straight away center field.
The rally was short-lived, though, as Syracuse ended the game with a five-spot in the home half of the sixth, capitalizing on three hits and a trio of Catamount errors to win 11-3.
Beatty led WCU with a perfect 3-for-3 showing at the plate while Filley was 1-for-1 with a pair of walks. Hauser finished 1-for-3 with the long ball and three RBI. McKenzie suffered her second loss of the day, lasting just two thirds of an inning and allowing three earned runs on four hits. Filley tossed four and a third innings, surrendering six earned runs on 12 hits.
In the first game of the day, Western collected five hits but could not scratch the scoreboard, falling to the nationally-ranked Bulldogs, 6-0. McKenzie was saddled with the loss after allowing four runs, three earned, in three and a third innings pitched with three walks. The Clemmons, N.C., native also led the Catamounts at the plate with a 2-for-4 performance. Smith, Filley and freshman Tatum Hargett also recorded hits for WCU.
After battling through two scoreless frames, Georgia scored at least one run in the third, fourth, fifth and six innings for the final margin. WCU's best opportunity came in the top of the third as back-to-back singles by McKenzie and freshman Serena Smith put two on, with Hauser loading the bases after being hit by a pitch. However, the Catamounts stranded the bases loaded with an inning-ending strikeout.
Sandwiched between the two tough losses for Western was an 8-0 victory over the Florida A&M Rattlers in the afternoon session. The victory was WCU's second of the tournament, coupled with the win over Buffalo from Friday afternoon.
Play from the Florida State Invitational concludes on Sunday.