UNCG Drops Two to Charlotte

GREENSBORO, NC ? The UNC Greensboro softball team dropped both games in a non-conference doubleheader with Charlotte Thursday afternoon at UNCG Softball Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Spartans 5-2 in game one and claimed the sweep with a 6-4 win in the nightcap.

 

The Spartans (17-16) took a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning behind two two-run home runs from Brittany Ausley and Lyndsey Wilson. The 49ers cut the UNCG lead to 4-2 in the top of the second inning. Ashley Kemmerer hit a double and came across the plate when centerfielder Evan Miller hit a single up the middle.

 

With the Spartans still holding a 4-2 advantage heading into the top of the sixth inning, Charlotte took advantage of several UNCG miscues to get back in the ballgame. Leftfielder Emily Forbes got things started with a single and Kaycie Jones got on base on an error by Jennifer Bonilla, which advanced Forbes to second base. Hannah Angel walked the next batter to load the bases and Sarah Malene hit a two-run double to tie the game at 4-4.

 

Charlotte added two more runs in the inning ontwo more UNCG errors to take a 6-4 advantage. UNCG had several chances to tie the game up but couldn’t pull off the come-from-behind win.

 

Hannah Angel (4-5) suffered the loss. She allowed six runs on six hits over the distance. She walked three and had two strikeouts.

 

In the early game, Charlotte took the early 2-1 in the first inning. Evan Miller hit a leadoff single to put one runner on base and the 49ers were able to put another runner on base with a Spartan miscue in the outfield, which scored Miller. They added another run with a RBI single from Becky Matthews.

 

UNCG responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Jennifer Bonilla hit a leadoff single through the right side to put one runner on base and Charlotte pitcher Kristen Bowen walked Kara Clouser to put to runners on base. Freshman Whitney Sirois sent both around the bases with a two-run double to tie game at 2-2.

 

The teams remained scoreless for the next two innings but Charlotte had a big fifth inning in which they tallied three runs. The inning started when Amber Harrell walked Kristi Killough. Becky Matthews followed with a single which moved Killough to second base. Cee Brooks hit a home run in the next at bat which plated all three runners.

 

The Spartans had several hits in the next two innings but couldn’t put anymore runs on the board.

 

Amber Harrell was saddled with the loss. She allowed five runs on 10 hits over the distance. Clouser led the Spartans from the plate by going 2-for-2 with one run scored. Mary Greenway, Adriane Audley, Bonilla and Sirois all had one hit in the loss.

 

The Spartans are next in action March 22 when they head to Greenville, NC to take on East Carolina in a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch is set for 3 pm.

 

 

 

Catamounts Split Doubleheader With Aggies

CULLOWHEE, N.C. ? Western Carolina University softball (7-15) split its doubleheader with North Carolina A&T (10-17) on Thursday at the Catamount Complex. The Catamounts dropped the first game 5-2 but came back with a vengeance in game two defeating the Aggies 8-3 in the nightcap.

 

Western Carolina was one hit shy of tying its season-high with 15 hits in the second game against North Carolina A&T, as the club had 16 hits against Marshall on February 23.

 

Sophomore Savannah Filley was productive on both sides of the plate as she made her fourth appearance on the mound and picked up her second win of the season, improving to 2-4 on the year. She tossed 5.1 innings allowing three runs on seven hits. The Crossville, Tennessee native also hit her second homerun of the season, a three-run blast, to spark a four-run first inning for the team.

 

Sophomore Lauren Ross came into the game for Filley in the sixth inning and tossed 1.2 innings of scoreless ball to pick up the save. It was her first save of the year.

 

Jamie Swank led off the four-run first inning explosion when her double to centerfield scored Serena Smith.

 

North Carolina A&T got a run back with one swing of the bat when Lillian Bullock hit a solo homerun for the Aggies first score of the game.

 

Western Carolina tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the second inning. Smith led off the inning with a double and she scored off and RBI single by Stephanie Beatty. Back-to-back singles by Filley and Beth Hauser loaded the bases and an RBI single by Mollie Fowler plated Beatty.

 

The Aggies would come back in the top of the third and add a run thanks to an RBI single by Jessie Larson.

 

A triple by Hauser set up Western Carolina’s seventh run of the game in the fourth inning. She scored thanks to a sacrifice fly by Tatum Hargett.

 

Both teams scored a run in the sixth inning. North Carolina A&T picked up a run off a Western Carolina error. Western Carolina also scored off an error after Beatty doubled and then scored when Hargett singled to the outfield and the ball was booted.

 

Hauser and Smith each had three hits in the game and Smith also scored two runs.

 

North Carolina A&T shut out Western Carolina for six innings before the Catamounts rallied to score two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning in the first game. With one out, Smith reached off an Aggies error and a two out RBI single by Filley scored Smith. Hauser’s RBI single scored Filley for the second run of the game.

 

The Aggies scored two runs in the third, two in the fifth and on run in the seventh. Catamount pitcher Mendy McKenzie made her 11th start of the season and takes the loss. She falls to 3-8 on the season going seven innings allowing five runs on eight hits and striking out five.

 

Western Carolina continues its home stand by hosting the Second Annual Best Western Catamount Classic. All 10 games of the three-day event will be played at WCU's on-campus Catamount Softball Complex. Inaugural tournament champion, UNC Wilmington, returns to defend their 2006 crown and will be joined by a repeat visit from the Detroit Titans. The Radford Highlanders from the Big South will join the host Catamounts, who were the tourney runners-up to the Seahawks in '06, to round out the four-team field.

 

This year's tournament features a different look as each team is guaranteed to play five games. After playing each other through Friday and Saturday's round-robin format, the teams will be seeded for Saturday night's contests with the top seed facing the fourth, and two versus three. A true one-through-four finishing order will be determined with consolation and championship games to be played on Sunday.