Catamount Softball Splits Final Two at Rebel Games; Defeats La Salle, 2-1
Orlando, Fla. ? Western Carolina used two runs in the top of the sixth inning to down the La Salle Explorers, 2-1, in the first of back-to-back games Tuesday morning in the 2007 Spring Rebel Games. In the second game, a seventh-inning balk allowed Lehigh to take a 1-0 victory over the Catamounts.
WCU (4-10) finished 2-2 in four games at the large collegiate tournament which spans most of the month of March and encompasses teams from all three NCAA Divisions and NAIA schools.
After surrendering a run to La Salle in the bottom of the fifth inning off two singles and an infield RBI, Western (4-10) claimed the lead for good in the top of the sixth. Sophomore Beth Hauser singled and raced home on a double to left center by junior transfer Jamie Swank, who advanced to third on a throw home. The next batter, freshman Tatum Hargett, plated the go ahead run with an RBI single to right center for the 2-1 margin.
Sophomore pitcher Mendy McKenzie earned her second win of the season after going the distance, scattering five hits and allowing just one run while striking out six Explorers.
In the first game, sophomore Lauren Ross was the hard-luck loser, as Lehigh scored one unearned run on a balk in the top of the seventh inning. The Mountain Hawks took advantage of a base hit and a wild pitch to move the runner into scoring position before the pitching error occurred on a cross-up between the hurler and rookie catcher, Danielle Reese. Overall, Ross tossed seven solid innings, walking two and striking out a pair in the defeat.
In the home half of the final inning, WCU managed to load the bases but could not manage the tying run.
On the day, Hargett led WCU by going 3-for-5 with a walk and an RBI while Hauser was 3-for-5 with a run scored. McKenzie helped her own cause in the first game, going 2-for-3 at the plate with a walk.
Western Carolina returns to action this weekend in the Florida State Invitational in Tallahassee, Fla. The Catamounts face Buffalo and Southern Illinois this Friday beginning at 1:30 pm, and are scheduled to face the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday at 11:00 am before bracket play that afternoon.
Longwood Sweeps UNCG Softball Team
FARMVILLE, VA ? UNC Greensboro dropped both games in a non-conference doubleheader with Longwood Tuesday afternoon at Lancer Field. The Lancers defeated the Spartans 7-3 in game one and took the series sweep with a 3-2 win in game two.
UNCG (12-10) took the early 1-0 lead in the top of the first in game one.
Leftfielder Brittany Ausley singled to left and scored on an error by the Longwood third baseman to give UNCG the advantage. The Lancers quickly answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning. After a Ryan Washington walk, Kaitlyn McKeown hit a two-out home run to left center for the 2-1 lead.
The Spartans responded with a run in the top of the second. Lyndsey Wilson singled and moved to second on a stolen base. After Lyndsay Mouse walked and Kara Clouser singled to bring Wilson to third, Ausley sent a sacrifice fly to left to allow Wilson to score and tie the game at 2-2.
Longwood (7-2) put together a big four-run inning in the fifth to give the Lancer a 6-2 advantage. Washington hit a two-run homer to highlight the inning. The Lancers added another run in the sixth on a run-scoring single by Washington for the 7-2 lead.
UNCG freshman Laura Olenderski scored an unearned run in the seventh, but the Spartans weren’t able to pull off the come back in game one.
Amber Harrell (3-5) took the loss after allowing seven runs on nine hits in six innings of work. Ausley finished 3-for-3 with a run and a RBI to pace an eight-hit attack for UNCG.
In the nightcap, the Spartans took a 1-0 lead in the third on a RBI single by senior Adriane Audley. The lead was short lived, however, as the Lancers scored twice in the bottom of the third for the 2-1 lead.
UNCG trailed 3-1 heading to the seventh when Ausley got the Spartans within one on a RBI single up the middle. Later in the inning, the Spartans had two runners in scoring position with two outs, but Longwood starter Rachel Mills struck out Audley to secure the win.
Senior Vanessa Oakes (4-2) was saddled with the loss allowing three runs on eight hits over the distance. She walked one and struck out five batters.
CHATTANOOGA CAPTURES WIN IN GAME TWO IN SPLIT AGAINST JACKSONVILLE STATE
Chattanooga, Tenn. ? Sophomore designated player Rachel Norris (Ringgold, Ga.) led Chattanooga (11-12) to victory 5-2 in game two of Tuesday night’s doubleheader against Jacksonville State.
In Norris’ first start of the season, she added to her perfect stats line going three-for-three with a single, double and home run.
Junior pitcher Heather Woods (Rocky Face, Ga.) captured her first win of the season, improving her record to 1-3. And freshman pitcher Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) recorded the first save of the season in her two pitched innings in relief.
In game two, the Gamecocks jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Rachel Fleming scored the first run after reaching on a walk before Nikki Prier drove her home on base hit.
But the Lady Mocs answered back in the bottom of the second led by Norris’ double to left center to send junior Tara Tembey (Folsom, Calif.) home after reaching on a walk. Junior right fielder Ashlan Clarkson (Chickamauga, Ga.) drove in Norris on a first-pitch double to put Chattanooga up 2-1.
The Gamecocks tied up the score in the top of the third off of another Fleming run to tie the score at 2-2. Prier recorded her third RBI on the day with her single to drive in Fleming.
The Lady Mocs recorded the first double play of the season off of a Prier line drive to senior second baseman Brittney Whittier (Scottsdale, Ariz.) who turned the throw to third base and freshman shortstop Tia Blosser (Knoxville, Tenn.).
Tembey reached on a double to left center to get the bats going in the bottom of the fourth before Norris hit her home run over the center field fence to put the Lady Mocs up 4-2.
The bottom of the sixth proved to be another strong inning for Chattanooga getting hits from freshman catcher Brittany Eason (Chattanooga, Tenn.), Norris and sophomore center fielder Ashley Cuticchia (Rising Fawn, Ga.) with Eason earning the run.
Loudermilk struck two batters out in the top of the seventh, including the third out, to secure the win for Chattanooga.
Jacksonville State was led by Fleming and Prier with two hits each. Prier also had two RBIs to lead the Gamecocks.
The Lady Mocs fell to Jacksonville State 2-1 in game one allowing one home run, four hits and one error.
Tembey went three-for-three in game one and had one putout.
Chattanooga came out swinging in the first, getting hits from senior left fielder Jeannie Cochran (Maryville, Tenn.) and Tembey.
Cochran reached second on a throwing error and advanced to third on a Cuticchia ground out.
Blosser picked up her sixth RBI of the season sending Cochran home to make the score 1-0 in the bottom of the first. The Lady Mocs left three stranded on base with Tembey on first, senior first baseman Alyssa Edwards (Geneva, N.Y.) on second and Blosser on third as the inning retired.
Loudermilk continued to chalk up the strikeouts as she retired three straight batters in the top of the second making it five at that point in the game.
Cochran picked up another base hit in the bottom of the third and stole second, but was left on at the end of the inning.
Jacksonville State picked up a run in the top of the third. Fleming scored after getting on base with a hit through the left side and scored on a sacrifice fly to center field by Prier to tie the score 1-1.
The Gamecocks’ Chrissy O’Neal hit a leadoff home run in the top of the fourth to put Jacksonville State up 2-1, but Loudermilk threw three straight strikeouts to close out the inning.
Loudermilk recorded 11 strikeouts in her fourth loss of the season. Her record after the first game stands at 7-4.
Fleming had two hits on three at bats with one run to lead Jacksonville State in the first game.
The Lady Mocs head to Clearwater, Fla., to participate in the USF adidas Tournament beginning Thursday. Chattanooga faces Long Island University at 4:00 p.m. and Mercer at 6:00 p.m. on the first day.
Mountaineers Nearly Upend No. 1 Tennessee
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Appalachian State University softball nearly upset No. 1 Tennessee in game one of Tuesday’s doubleheader before falling 1- 0. The Volunteers got the better of the Mountaineers again in the nightcap with a 7-1 win to remain undefeated this season.
The Mountaineers (3-13) could only muster two hits against Tennessee’s pitchers, however, Ashley Gaston (Roswell, Ga./Roswell) tagged the UT pitcher for a solo home run in the second game of the doubleheader.
UT’s Lindsay Schutzler went 2-for-3 in the second game with four RBI and a three-run home run.
Yancy Moose (Hamptonville, N.C./Starmount) was the hard-luck loser in the first game, giving up just one run on three hits and striking out four batters. Monica Abbott, the NCAA career wins leader, picked up the one-hit shutout victory.
Lindsay Glover (Greensboro, N.C./Northwest Guilford) was ASU’s only baserunner with a hit and a walk in the loss. Her walk also ended Monica Abbott’s streak of 11 perfect innings. She led off the top of the seventh inning with a single through the left side, however, the next three batters struck out to leave her stranded.
Tennessee (22-0) scored the game’s lone run in the bottom of the fourth inning when the first three batters successfully reached base.
Danielle Pieroni drove in the Vols’ run with a single through the left side to bring in Lillian Hammond. The Mountaineers got out of the jam, with two forceouts at home plate, followed by an unassisted put out at third base to end the Tennessee threat and leave the bases loaded.
Moose only allowed one base runner, who was quickly erased on a double play, in the final two innings.
The Vols scored first in the nightcap when Schutzler single to single allowed India Chiles to score in the bottom of the third inning.
Gaston’s home run to left field in the top of the fifth inning tied the contest at 1-1. However, the Vols’ bats exploded in the bottom half of the frame with six runs, five of them coming via Shutzler’s three-run shot and a two-run home run from Anita Manuma.
Kayla Richardson (West Jefferson, N.C./Ashe County) suffered the loss, giving up six runs, (three earned) and eight hits. Megan Rhodes started for UT but was relieved by Abbott after Gaston’s home run.
Abbott shut down the Apps with 2.1 hitless innings of work to pick up her 16th win of the season and extend her scoreless innings streak to
82.2 innings.
The Mountaineers will return to action this weekend at the Florida State Invitational in Tallahassee, Fla. ASU will open up pool play in the tourney on Friday, March 9 against Georgia State at 11 a.m. The Mountaineers will then take on Maine at 4 p.m.
Cougars Sweep Providence
An 8-7 come-from-behind win in extra innings in Game 2 and an 11-3 win in Game 1 gave the College of Charleston its first home doubleheader win of the season over Providence College on Wednesday afternoon at Patriots Point Field in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
The Cougars, who will resume tournament play this weekend at the Winthrop/adidas Tournament in Rock Hill, S.C., improved to 11-10 on the season, and the Friars evened their record 4-4.
Freshman Katie Sansouci (3-1), who entered the game in the top of the fourth with Charleston down 5-3, outlasted Providence for the win as she gave up four hits and two runs ? one in fifth and one in the eighth ? to earn the win in Game 2. She walked two and struck out three in 5 1/3 innings of work.
The Friars got with the board first after Rachel Bartholomew hit an RBI-double to centerfield to score Jenna Garcia who reached on a single to right field before going to second on a sac bunt from Katie Ross.
The Cougars would answer with two runs as Kristie Shifflett’s RBI-triple to centerfield to score Amber Shifflett and Shannon Howard’s RBI-single to score K. Shifflett before being tagged out at second.
Charleston added another run in the second when Katie Pesature scored off of Brittany Small’s RBI-triple for the 3-1 lead.
Neither team scored until Providence scored four unearned runs in the fourth inning on a pair of miscues from Howard and shortstop Terri Mesko. The Friars scored a run in the fifth after Katelyn Revens, who reached on an infield single, scored on a pass ball.
After being down 6-4, the College of Charleston rallied back by adding a run in the sixth after Small was walked with bases loaded to score K. Shifflett who reached on an infield single. The Cougars would knot the game, 6-6, with two runs in the bottom of seventh to send the game to extra innings on two RBI-doubles to centerfield from Kristie Shifflett and Jennifer Golden.
The game remained tied ? 7-7 ? through eight innings as the Friars scored a run on a Garcia RBI-double to score Ross before the Cougars answered with a run to score Pesature off an RBI-single from Small.
Sansouci staved off the middle of the order for the Friars, before Charleston’s Izmena Cabrera scored off a sac fly to center from K. Shifflett.
Small led the Cougar offense as she hit 2-for-2 and added three RBI. K. Shifflett followed as she went 3-for-4 at the plate and batted in three runs. A. Shifflett was 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
The Friars were led by Garcia who was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. Julie Fowler (0-2) got the loss.
In Game 1, the College of Charleston jumped on board early as the Cougars scored five runs off of five hits in the second inning. The Cougars would another run in the fourth for the 6-0 lead, before Providence tallied a run in the fifth.
Charleston added a pair of runs in the fifth, before answering the Friars’ two runs in the sixth with three runs for the run-rule win.
K. Shifflett and Cabrera led the Cougar offense as the pair hit 2-for-4 at the plate. Shifflett had four RBI, and Cabrera scored three runs with two RBI.
Terri Mesko improved to 6-3 as she gave up seven hits and three runs in six innings of work. She struck out eight and walked five.
Providence was paced by Bartholomew who hit 2-for-4 with an RBI. Sara Surosky fell to 1-2 on the season after giving up five runs on five hits in 1 2/3 innings of work.