Helterbran, Elon Shutout Cougars, 10-0
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Melanie Helterbran weaved a four-hit shutout to give Elon a 10-0 win over the College of Charleston in the final game of the Southern Conference softball series on Sunday afternoon at Patriots Point in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
Helterbran (10-4) fanned one and walked five in six innings. At the plate, she went 3-for-4, including a homer, and batted in three to lead the Phoenix (18-14, 3-0 SoCon) offense.
Patti Weber also went 3-for-4 and scored a run. Debbie Zeigler scored three runs on 2-for-3 hitting and batted in two, followed by Paige Goss who scored two runs on 2-for-4 hitting.
Jaimie Rao and Jaymie Shanahan each had a hit. Shanahan had two RBI, and Rao batted in one.
Izmena Cabrera, Jennifer Golden, Shannon Howard and Britttany Small each had a hit for the Cougars (14-17, 0-3 SoCon).
Terri Mesko (7-7) gave up five hits, struck out two and walk one in two innings of work for the loss.
The College of Charleston travels to Boone, N.C., to face Appalachian State in a three-game SoCon series Mar. 31.
Western Carolina Gets Win in Series, 7-3
CULLOWHEE, N.C. ? Western Carolina softball defeated Appalachian State 7-3 in the final contest of the three-game Southern Conference series with the Mountaineers on Sunday at Catamount Complex. Western Carolina improves to 12-20 on the season and 1-2 in the Southern Conference. Appalachian State is now 8-20 overall and 2-1 in the conference.
Hurler Lauren Ross got the start on the mound and earned her fifth win of the season, improving to 5-5. She tossed 5.2 innings allowing nine hits, recording four strikeouts and none of the Mountaineer runs were earned. Savannah Filley pitched 1.1 innings of scoreless ball to get her first save of the season.
Western Carolina’s Mendy McKenzie drew a walk to start the bottom of the first inning. With one out, Stephanie Beatty hit a ground ball to the second baseman and it looked like McKenzie would be out but the Appalachian State shortstop dropped the ball and McKenzie was safe. As McKenzie attempted to run to third the ball was thrown over the third baseman’s head and McKenzie was safe. During the play, Beatty reached first and then advanced to second. With two outs, Ross helped her cause by hitting a two RBI single to plate McKenzie and Beatty.
Ross looked to breeze through Appalachian’s half of the second inning, forcing a ground out and a strike out. It appeared she would do just that when Kristyn Hurt popped Ross’ offering up in the infield, however the ball dropped between two Catamount players to allow Hurt to reach first. Ross walked Meagan Squartino and a single up the middle by Ashley Gaston loaded the bases. With a 3-2 count, Ross got Natalie Willis to swing at an outside pitch to end the Mountaineer threat.
Appalachian State threatened to score again in the top of the third inning. Back-to-back singles put runners on first and second with no outs. There were two outs after a liner to right field and a fly out to centerfield. Ross walked Diana Cook to load the bases for the Mountaineers for the second inning in a row. Working the count to 3-2, Ross got Hurt to hit a dribbler to the pitcher for the out.
Nikki Bost led off the third inning with a walk. Beatty strolled to the plate and sent Appalachian State pitcher Kayla Richardson’s offering over the left field wall for the two-run blast. Still with no outs, Filley drew a walk which forced the Mountaineer coaching staff to replace Richardson with Yancy Moose. Ross welcomed Moose to the game by launching a rocket over the centerfield wall for the two RBI homerun. Ross now has five homeruns on the season. A pair of singles by Mollie Fowler and Beth Hauser and a hits batsman loaded the bases for Western Carolina but Moose forced three consecutive outs to end the inning.
Appalachian State got on the scoreboard in the top of the sixth inning. An RBI single by Willis and a two RBI single by Danielle Peters plated three runs for the Mountaineers. Ross was replaced Filley on the mound who forced Brittany Gaston to pop up the second baseman for the final out of the inning.
Beatty got one run back in the bottom sixth inning with one swing. She took the first pitch by Moose over the left center field wall for her second homerun of the game. Beatty ties the school record for homeruns in a game with three other Catamount players.
Hauser returned to the starting lineup on Sunday and went 3-for-4 in the game.
Western Carolina returns to action on Wednesday when the club travels to Orangeburg, S.C. to take on South Carolina State. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.
Miscues Help UNC Greensboro Edge Furman Softball, 9-3
Greenville, S.C. ? UNC Greensboro took advantage of seven Furman errors to score six unearned runs and salvage the final game of a three-game Southern Conference softball series with a 9-3 victory over the Lady Paladins Sunday afternoon at Pepsi Stadium.
The win improves the Spartans to 18-20 overall and 1-2 in the Southern Conference. Furman, who swept Saturday’s SoCon opening doubleheader, moves to 12-15-1 overall and 2-1 in league play.
With the game tied 3-3 entering the seventh, leadoff hitter Mary Greenway opened the frame for the Spartans reaching on a throwing error by second baseman Meredith Mielke. Brittany Ausley followed with a bloop single into right-center field and both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch.
Adriane Audley delivered an RBI single to center to plate Greenway and advanced to second base on the throw to home plate. Kara Clouser placed a bloop single down the right field line to up the lead to 5-3 and Jennifer Bonilla drew a base on balls to load the bases with nobody out.
Furman reliever Blake Murray fanned Lyndsey Wilson, but walked pinch hitter Vanessa Oakes on four pitches to force in the third run of the inning. Following a pop out to short, Lyndsay Mouse reached on a Stephanie Cushing error and two runs scored when first baseman Christina Campoli misplayed Brandi Schnute’s grounder to first as UNCG extended its lead to 9-3.
UNCG took a 1-0 lead in the second with the help of two Furman errors and a walk. Furman answered to take a 2-1 lead on RBI singles from Danielle Franklin in the second inning and Megan Jaudon in the third.
Audley tied the game at 2-2 in the fifth with a two-out, RBI single to left-center. The Spartans regained the lead in the sixth inning capitalizing on Furman’s miscues once again. Bonilla reached on an error by Cushing to start the inning and Wilson gave UNCG a 3-2 lead with a triple to right-center.
In the sixth, Brythe Blankenship reached base after being hit by a pitch and Lana Mackey lined a one-out double to right-center to tie the game.
Amber Harrell earned the win for UNCG to improve to 6-11 on the season.
The freshman tossed three innings of relief allowing one run on two hits.
Audley went 2-for-4 with two RBI and Bonille collected two hits and scored two runs for the Spartans.
Murray suffered the loss in relief to fall to 6-8. She allowed six runs, just two earned, on three hits in two innings.
Furman returns to action with a three-game SoCon series at Georgia Southern next weekend. The series opens with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday.
SOFTBALL TAKES SERIES WITH 2-0 SHUTOUT OVER GEORGIA SOUTHERN
Chattanooga, Tenn. ? Junior second baseman Tara Tembey’s (Folsom, Calif.) solo home run led the Chattanooga to a 2-0 shutout over Georgia Southern Sunday afternoon to take the conference opening series.
Chattanooga (20-18, 2-1 SoCon) had three hits and capitalized on three errors by the Eagles.
Senior pitcher Ashley Frizzell (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) threw out five straight strikes to start off the game before striking out the first batter of the game on the seventh pitch. The inning continued similarly with a quick three up, three down.
Frizzell had eight strikeouts in her eighth win of the season, third shutout, improving her record to 8-7.
Chattanooga started off the offensive attack getting good looks at the ball. Lead off batter, senior left fielder Jeannie Cochran (Maryville, Tenn.) took 14 pitches before fouling up to the third baseman.
Sophomore center fielder Ashley Cuticchia (Rising Fawn, Ga.) reached on a walk, but was out at second on a ground hit by freshman catcher Brittany Eason (Chattanooga, Tenn.), who reached on a fielder’s choice.
Georgia Southern’s Robyne Siliga reached first on a walk to start the second inning and advanced to second on a hit by Katie Smith, but both runners were left on base as the inning retired.
Tembey hit a lead off home run in the bottom of the second to put the Lady Mocs on the board first with a score of 1-0.
Back on defense in the third, Chattanooga gave up one hit to Lindsey Hopkins, who stole second, but Frizzell chalked up two strikeouts and Tembey made a hard diving catch to record the third out leaving the Eagles still scoreless after three.
Cochran reached first on a hit in the bottom of the third before advancing to second on a throwing error by the catcher. Cochran scored on freshman shortstop Tia Blosser’s (Knoxville, Tenn.) single to the right side before Blosser was thrown out at second with the score standing at 2-0 going into the fourth.
Georgia Southern had five hits on the day by Hopkins, Nina Iduate, Side, K. Smith and Elizabeth Branan.
The Lady Mocs host non-conference opponent Birmingham-Southern on Wednesday evening in a doubleheader beginning at 5:00 p.m.