Softball Completes Sweep of the Chanticleers in Final Day of Action at CCU
CONWAY, S.C. - Appalachian?s bats exploded for seven runs in the top of the fourth inning to give the softball team a 9-3 victory over Coastal Carolina in the final day of three-way triple-headers at CCU. Earlier in the morning, ASU fell to Kennesaw State, 8-1.
The Mountaineers finished the weekend 2-2, with both wins coming against CCU and both losses to KSU. The weekend split gives ASU a 6-19 record on the young season.
Danielle Peters continued to lead the Apps at the top of the order, going 5-for-7 with two runs, a double and two steals from the leadoff position on the day.
CCU scored two quick runs in the bottom of the first inning on a single up the middle. The Chants remained ahead 2-0 until the top of the fourth inning when ASU scored seven runs on five hits.
ASU scored its first two runs on a fielder?s choice and wild pitch followed by Ashley Gaston?s double to left field that scored Meagan Squartino and Kristyn Hurt. A Natalie Willis double brought Gaston into score. After a successful steal, Willis scored on a wild pitch. ASU capped its scoring with Brittany Gaston?s triple down the right-field line to drive in Peters.
CCU answered with a home run in the bottom half of the frame, but that was the last damage they did as ASU added two insurance runs in the top of the sixth inning on Brittany Gaston?s fielder?s choice and Kasey Motsinger?s double to center field.
Yancy Moose earned the win for ASU giving up three runs and four hits in 4.2 innings.
Earlier in the morning, ASU fell to Kennesaw State for the second time in as many days, 8-1.
ASU lead 1-0 through three innings with Brittany Gaston?s double scoring Peters from first base. However, that advantage wouldn?t hold up as the Owls responded with eight runs in the next three innings to cruise to the win.
Peters finished the first game going 3-for-4 while Hurt was 2-for-3 in the loss.
Kayla Richardson took the loss for ASU, pitching the first three innings scoreless before allowing the eventual game-winning run on base in the fourth inning.
Georgia Southern Picks Up a Non-Conference Win Over Minnesota
SACRAMENTO, Calif. --- Freshman Jenny Side’s (Loganville, Ga.) two-run home run in the top of the 11th inning helped Georgia Southern to a 3-1 victory over Minnesota in the final day of the Capital Classic hosted by Sacramento State.
GSU improves to 11-17 on the season and returns to action Thursday in a non-conference doubleheader at South Carolina State. Minnesota falls to 12-12.
The game remained scoreless through seven innings of regulation play. Both teams failed to capitalize on opportunities in the sixth. The Eagles put runners on first and third with no outs, but a strikeout and a double play ended the threat. In the bottom half, the Gophers loaded the bases with one down, but also was unable to score.
Sophomore Robyne Siliga (Oceanside, Calif.) broke the tie with a fielder’s choice in the eighth to score freshman Nina Iduate (Norcross, Ga.), but Katie Meyer singled home Megan Higginbotham to knot the score at 1-1.
In the ninth, Georgia Southern left two runners in scoring position and Minnesota left the bases loaded.
After an uneventful 10th, Siliga, who began the inning at second, was sacrificed to third by senior Maria Laurato (New Orleans, La.). Side followed and hit a 2-0 pitch deep over the fence in left-center for her team-leading fourth homer of the season.
Senior A.J. Street (Lilburn, Ga.) retired the Gophers in order in the 11th to snap the Eagles’ seven-game losing streak. She went distance, allowing no earned runs and six hits to move to 2-4 on the season. Rene Konderlik came out of the bullpen, pitched six innings and gave up four hits and one earned run. She drops to 3-5.
Softball Falls to Cornell 2-1
DELAND, Fla.- The Elon softball squad fell to Cornell 2-1 on Sunday afternoon at Patricia Wilson Field in the final day of the Stetson Tournament.
With the win, Cornell moves to 12-0 while Elon falls to 13-14.
The game saw four scoreless frames before Elon got on the board in the top of the fifth inning. Paige Goss doubled before a single from Tracey Dahlen plated Goss and gave Elon the 1-0 lead.
But the Big Red responded in the bottom of the sixth inning with two runs. A single by Jenna Campagnolo scored Alyson Intihar before an RBI single from Sarah Ruben plated Campagnolo to give Cornell the 2-1 lead.
Melanie Helterbran (7-4) suffered the loss for Elon after tossing six innings and giving up two runs (one earned) on eight hits while striking out 11 batters. Haley Mirrer (5-0) earned the win for Cornell after throwing a complete game and giving up one run on five hits while retiring five batters.
Dahlen led Elon from the plate, going 2-for-3 with one RBI. Goss, Debbie Zeigler and Patti Weber each recorded a hit for the Phoenix.
Campagnolo was 3-for-3 from the plate with one run and one RBI for the Big Red.
Elon returns to action in on Tuesday, March 20 in a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Jacksonville.
Catamounts Win Best Western Catamount Classic
CULLOWHEE, N.C. ? Western Carolina softball (10-17) won the Second Annual Best Western Catamount Classic with a 6-3 victory over Radford (21-14) Sunday at Catamount Complex. The club advanced to the championship game against the Highlanders by defeating UNC-Wilmington 11-3 in the first game of the day.
Catamount sophomore Stephanie Beatty was named the 2007 Tournament MVP. In five games she had a .500 batting average with eight hits, four doubles, one homerun and six RBI. Fellow sophomores Mendy McKenzie and Lauren Ross were named to the All-Tournament team.
Western Carolina went 3-2 in the tournament with a team batting average of .343.
Radford took the early lead in the championship game with a run in the bottom of the second. Cassie Rhodes hit a homerun over the left field wall for the early advantage.
A triple by Nikki Bost in the fourth inning set up the tying run for the Catamounts. Beatty’s sacrifice fly to right field scored Bost to tie the game at one.
Radford posted two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to retake the lead. Pitcher Ashley Taylor hit a two RBI double to help her cause on the mound.
Western Carolina came back in the top of the fifth inning to notch four runs on four hits. Back-to-back singles by Tatum Hargett and Jamie Swank put runners on first and second and a perfect sacrifice bunt by Ross moved Hargett and Swank to second and third. With two outs, McKenzie slapped the ball up the middle between first and second to score Hargett and Swank. Bost drew a walk to extend the inning and Beatty hit a shot to centerfield for the two RBI double.
Ross helped the Catamounts add to their lead in the top of the seventh with a solo homerun over the centerfield wall. It was her second long ball of the day, as she hit a three-run bomb against UNC-Wilmington, and her third of the season.
McKenzie earned the win on the mound going the distance in the game. She allowed three runs on four hits and struck out seven. She improves to 5-9 on the season.
Western Carolina advanced to the championship game of the Best Western Catamount Classic for the second consecutive year with an 11-3 victory over UNC-Wilmington. The Catamounts defeated the Seahawks in five innings.
The shortened game was thanks to a three-run effort in the bottom of the fifth. Hargett singled to centerfield to start the inning and after Swank struck out looking, Ross drew a walked to place runners on first and second. Danielle Reese hit a two RBI double which plated Hargett and Ross and then advanced to third off a UNC-Wilmington error. Mollie Fowler came in as a pinch hitter and delivered a single to place runners at first and third. Bost ended the game with a sacrifice fly to centerfield which allowed Reese to score.
UNC-Wilmington opened the game scoring two runs in the top of the first. A two RBI double by Lisa White scored the pair of runs for the Seahawks.
Western Carolina tied the game in the bottom of the first inning. Bost drew a one out walk and Beatty reached on a fielder’s choice and Bost got to second off an error by the Seahawks. Savannah Filley’s double to left field scored Bost and Beatty to tie the game.
The Seahawks took the lead in the top of the third inning after Krista Searle drew a walk and scored off a Catamount error.
The Catamounts exploded for six runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Beatty led off the inning with a solo homerun, her second of the season. Filley came up and hit her second double of the game and Beth Hauser and Hargett drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. Swank’s single to left centerfield scored Filley and Hauser. Ross followed with a three-run homerun.
Ross picked up the win on the mound improving to 3-4 on the season. She tied her season-high with eight strikeouts in the game, allowing just three hits and two earned runs.
Western Carolina travels to Gardner-Webb on Wednesday in non-conference action. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. in Boiling Springs, N.C.
TIDE TURNS IN DAY THREE AT SPEEDLINE INVITATIONAL AS LADY MOCS FALL TO INDIANA
Tampa, Fla. ? Junior right fielder Tara Tembey (Folsom, Calif.) went two-for-three including a lead off triple in the bottom of the seventh, but the Lady Mocs fell 7-1 to the Indiana Hoosiers Sunday morning.
Chattanooga (17-16) only tallied four hits but also committed three errors, including one that resulted in a run.
Freshman pitcher Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) was charged with the loss with her record now standing at 10-7.
Indiana struck first with lead off batter Julia Hamilton getting a hit, advancing to second on a wild pitch and scoring on an error to put the Hoosiers up 1-0 after one.
Loudermilk collected her fourth strikeout of the game in the top of the second before throwing a ground out and a foul pop up to the catcher to close out the second holding the score at 1-0.
Tembey earned the first hit for the Lady Mocs followed by a single by freshman catcher Brittany Eason (Chattanooga, Tenn.). Senior second baseman Brittney Whittier (Scottsdale, Ariz.) advanced both runners on a sacrifice bunt before they were left on second and third as the inning closed with the score still 1-0.
The Hoosiers picked up three more runs in the top of the fifth with lead off batter Julie DiNallo being hit by a pitch before advancing to second on a Hamilton single up the middle. Jennilee Huddleston sent both runners home on her two-out home run over the left field fence with Indiana taking a 4-0 lead.
Loudermilk struck out three of four batters faced in the top of the sixth allowing one hit by DiNallo.
Chattanooga continued to be held scoreless going six up and six down in the fourth and fifth going back to the top of the order in the sixth. Sophomore center fielder Ashley Cuticchia (Rising Fawn, Ga.) picked up a hit but Chattanooga was still held scoreless after six.
Huddleston picked up her second home run of the season scoring two runs to put the Hoosiers up 6-0 before Tory Yamaguchi, the designated player, hit a home run on the next at bat increasing the margin to 7-0 with no outs.
The Lady Mocs return home to host non-conference opponent Marshall on Tuesday in a doubleheader beginning at 4:00 p.m.