UNC Greensboro 4, Charleston Southern 0
UNC Greensboro 2, Providence 0
ROCK HILL, SC ? The UNC Greensboro softball team took home two shutout victories in the opening day of the adidas Invitational hosted by Winthrop.
The Spartans defeated Charleston Southern 4-0 in game one and took a 2-0 victory over Providence in the late game.
UNCG (15-12) opened a 1-0 lead in game one with a score by Heather Branche.
Branche, who walked to lead off the inning, came around the bases when Brittany Ausley hit her team-leading eighth double of the season to give the Spartans the early advantage.
The teams remained scoreless until the top of the fifth inning. Senior third baseman Kara Clouser led off the inning with a double which gave UNCG a base runner. The Spartans continued their heavy hitting in the next at bat when Lyndsey Wilson hit a single up the middle which drove Clouser home and extended the UNCG lead to 2-0.
The Spartans sealed the victory in the seventh inning with back-to-back home runs by Wilson and Branche who both connected for their first home runs of the season.
Senior Vanessa Oakes (7-2) picked up her second consecutive win after allowing no runs on four hits in 7.0 innings of work. The reigning Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week has only allowed 27 runs in 63 innings pitched this season.
The Spartans, who picked up their seventh shutout victory of the season with their win over Providence, continued to out hit their opponents, picking up nine hits in their 2-0 win over the Friars.
UNCG and Providence battled back and forth through the games first four innings but it was the Spartans that struck first in the fifth inning. Mary Greenway led off with a single through the left side and advanced when she stole second base. First baseman Jennifer Bonilla was able to move Greenway to third base with a groundout to the Friar second baseman.
Adriane Audley drove Greenway across home plate with an RBI double, her 22 RBI of the season.
Providence couldn’t muster any offense and the Spartans sealed the game with a run in the sixth inning. Lyndsay Mouse had a leadoff double and advanced to third on a stolen base. She was able to cross home plate on a wild pitch which gave UNCG the 2-0 victory.
Amber Harrell (4-7) worked 7.0 innings and allowed no runs on two hits. The shutout is Harrell’s second collegiate shutout in as many weeks. The McDonough, GA native also pitched a shutout last weekend against Bucknell at the Elon Softball Tournament.
The Spartans continue action at the adidas Invitational on Saturday. UNCG takes on Towson at Noon and concludes the day against Gardner-Webb at 6 pm.
Chattanooga 1, NC State 0
Clearwater, Fla. ? Freshman pitcher Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) pitched her third shut out, second of the USF adidas Invitational, Friday afternoon in Chattanooga’s 1-0 win over No. 24 North Carolina State.
The win also was Chattanooga head coach Frank Reed’s 700th career win and the team’s third extra innings win.
Loudermilk had seven strikeouts and only walked two batters improving her record to 9-4.
The Lady Mocs (14-12) had four hits and were walked twice. Freshman shortstop Tia Blosser (Knoxville, Tenn.) recorded six putouts off of infield pop ups.
After two innings it was six up and six down for the Wolfpack. Junior right fielder Tara Tembey (Folsom, Calif.), after recording two putouts in the game, reached first on a walk becoming the first base runner in the game for either team.
Sophomore third baseman Toni Hutchison (Madison, Tenn.) had the first hit for the Lady Mocs sending senior second baseman Brittney Whittier (Scottsdale, Ariz.) to second after reaching on a fielder’s choice. But at the end of two, the score was still 0-0 leaving two stranded on the bases.
Senior left fielder Jeannie Cochran (Maryville, Tenn.) earned the second hit for the Lady Mocs in the bottom of the third before stealing second, her 14th stolen base of the season. Blosser walked. But both were left on base at the end of the third.
The Lady Mocs had another quick three outs behind Loudermilk’s pitching with two pop ups and one ground out in the top of the fourth before another near repeat with two strikeouts and one ground out but allowing one walk.
The Wolfpack got their first hit in the top of the sixth after Heather Gelbard reached on a throwing error, advancing on the team’s first hit by Blair Harkey’s hit up the right side before both runners advanced on a passed ball. But both were left on base after a fly ball to center field ended the inning for NC State.
Blosser reached again in the bottom of the sixth, getting the team’s third hit on a bunt down the right line. Senior first baseman Alyssa Edwards (Geneva, N.Y.) reached on a fielder’s choice with Blosser out at second, the second out of the inning.
Tembey hit a double to center field trying to send Edwards home, but a throw from center to shortstop to the catcher threw Edwards out with the score remaining 0-0 after six.
After getting the lead off batter out in the top of the seventh, Abbie Sims sent a hard hit to third base before stealing second. But back-to-back outs left Sims on base leading into the bottom of the inning.
Chattanooga was held to three straight outs in the bottom of the seventh, pushing the game into extra innings. But the team held Lisa Nentwig, the runner placed on second, by recording two strikeouts and catching the lead off bunt to go into the bottom of the eighth.
Freshman catcher Lynleigh Hurndon (McDonough, Ga.) was placed on second to start the bottom of the inning before junior Ashlan Clarkson (Chickamauga, Ga.) came in the game to pinch run.
Sophomore designated player Laci Upchurch (Madison, Tenn.) advanced Clarkson on a sacrifice bunt before Clarkson scored on a error.
The Lady Mocs take on Michigan State at 6:00 p.m. Friday evening to conclude day two at the USF adidas Invitational.
Radford 10, Furman 2 (5)
Rock Hill, S.C. ? Radford banged 10 runs on 13 hits in six innings to down Furman 10-2 in the opening game of the Winthrop/adidas Invitational Friday morning at the Eagle Softball Complex in Rock Hill, S.C.
The Highlanders (11-12) started quickly using four hits and two Lady Paladin errors to plate three runs in the top half of the first inning. Sarah Himan, 3-for-4 with three RBI on the day, delivered a two-run single to key the inning.
Furman (8-9-1) answered with a run of its on in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly off of the bat of Stephanie Cushing, but Radford scored single runs in the second and third to up the margin to 5-1. Cushing delivered again in the bottom of the third. Abby Robertson reached base with two outs on an error and Cushing lined a single down the leftfield line to drive in her 23rd run of the season.
Radford put the game away in the top half of the fifth. Alex Roderick opened the frame with a solo homer to left-center and Amanda Davidson followed with a towering blast to centerfield to give the Highlanders a 7-2 lead. Three more hits in the sixth inning led to three more runs as Radford forced the eight-run mercy rule.
Murray (4-6) suffered the loss for Furman allowing five runs, three earned, on six hits in three innings. Cushing went 1-for-2 with a two RBI while Megan Jaudon went 2-for-2 with a base on balls for the Lady Paladins.
Ashley Taylor notched her second win of the season over Furman. She limited the Lady Paladins to just one earned run on three hits in five innings to improve to 5-7. Cassie Rhodes, Hope Creasy and Davidson each collected two hits for Radford.
Furman returns to action in pool play at 4 p.m. when it faces Pittsburgh.
Winthrop 2, College of Charleston 1
ROCK HILL, S.C. ? The College of Charleston softball team opened up the Winthrop/adidas Tournament with a 2-1 loss to host Winthrop Friday morning in Rock Hill, S.C.
The Cougars’ lone run came in the bottom of the sixth when Kristie Shifflett belted her fourth home run of the season. Charleston is now 11-11.
Winthrop scored runs in the third and fourth innings off of doubles to left center by Jenny Scrymgeour and Lauren Blaser. The Eagles improved to 17-8 on the season.
Megan Evans, who improved to 10-4 with the win, pitched a complete game as she gave up five hits, struck out nine and walked three.
Charleston’s Terri Mesko fell to 6-4 as she gave up three hits, stuck out seven and walked one.
The College of Charleston will continue tournament, taking on Ohio University at 4 p.m. today.
Michigan State 7, Chattanooga 1
Clearwater, Fla. ? Errors plagued the Lady Mocs in the team’s 7-1 loss to Michigan State Friday evening.
Chattanooga (14-13) is now tied for first place in Pool B with a 3-1 record in the tournament.
Michigan State struck first in the top of the third with Nikki Nicosia scoring on a Dayna Feenstra sacrifice fly to center field to make the score 1-0.
Sophomore third baseman Toni Hutchison (Madison, Tenn.) got the bats going in the bottom of the third with a single down the left side before advancing to second on junior designated player Ashlan Clarkson’s (Chickamauga, Ga.) single to right field.
Senior left fielder Jeannie Cochran (Maryville, Tenn.) advanced both runners on her sacrifice bunt before sophomore center fielder Ashley Cuticchia (Rising Fawn, Ga.) sent Hutchison home with her RBI single to the right side tying the score at 1-1.
The Spartans took the lead again in the top of the fifth with Jessica LeFevere scoring, N. Nicosia scoring and Kara Weigle scoring off of one hit and two errors making the score 4-1.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Lady Mocs worked their way on base with Clarkson walking and Cochran beating the throw to first base on a ground ball to the shortstop. Cuticchia advanced the runners with her ground out to second. But the runners we left at the end of the inning with the score still 4-1 going into the sixth.
Junior pitcher Heather Woods (Rocky Face, Ga.) made her seventh appearance of the season, coming in relief in the top of the sixth and striking out two batters in that inning.
The Spartans scored three more runs in the top of the seventh on a double by Traci Nicosia making the score 7-1.
The Lady Mocs close out round robin play in their pool on Saturday afternoon against Villanova at 1:00 p.m. before starting bracket play Saturday afternoon.
Pittsburgh 4, Furman 0
Rock Hill, S.C. ? Pittsburgh pushed across four unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth to edge Furman 4-0 in softball action Friday afternoon at the Winthrop/adidas Invitational in Rock Hill, S.C.
With the victory, the Panthers improve to 6-11 while the Lady Paladins fall to 8-10-1 on the season.
Jess Dignon got the Pitt offense started reaching first on a one-out error in the sixth. Joey Scarf was hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second. Pinch hitter Mary Hecker laced a liner at shortstop Stephanie Cushing who could not make the catch allowing the Panthers to load the bases.
Kelly Stiles put Pitt on the board with a two-run double to the centerfield wall plating Dignon and Scarf. After a strike out, Sheena Hellon lined a double down the left field line to up the lead to 4-0.
Meghan Bostick (3-2) earned the victory for the Panthers tossing a three-hit shutout. Bostick fanned eight Lady Paladins and surrendered just three walks. Hellon led the Pitt offense going 2-for-4.
Lana Mackey suffered the loss for Furman to fall to 4-4 on the season.
The freshman allowed no earned runs on only five hits while fanning six.
Mackey issued five walks in six innings of work. Brythe Blankenship paced the struggling Furman offense going 1-for-2 with a walk.
Furman continues pool play on Saturday facing Akron at noon and St.
Bonaventure at 6 p.m.
Albany 5, Elon 4 (8)
Elon 4, NC A&T 2
ROCK HILL, S.C. - The Elon softball team split in the first day of the Winthrop/adidas Invitational on Friday afternoon. Elon fell to Albany 5-4 in eight innings before earning a 4-2 win over North Carolina A&T.
In the first game, Elon got on the board in the bottom of the third inning. Tracey Dahlen reached on a double to left field before Laurin Smith knocked a homer out of left field to give the Phoenix a 2-0 lead.
Albany responded with two runs in the top of the fourth inning. With runners on first and second, a single by Kat Smith scored Michelle Connors to cut the lead to one at 2-1. Leanne Tillman followed with a double to right field to plate Meagan Butsch and knot the game, 2-2.
Elon (10-9) regained the lead in the bottom of the inning when Brandi Jones blasted a solo home run out of left field go put Elon ahead 3-2. The Phoenix extended the lead to two when Debbie Zeigler knocked a home run out of left centerfield in the bottom of the fifth to go up 4-2.
But Albany tallied two runs in the top of the seventh to knot the game, 4-4. With runners on second and third, Kelly Ogden knocked a grounder to the Elon shortstop. But an error allowed her to reach first and send Michelle Pechacek home to cut the lead to one at 4-3. A sacrifice fly by Butsch plated Amber Maisonet to tie the game at four. Elon loaded the bases in the bottom of the frame but was unable to get anyone home, sending the game to extra innings.
In the top of the eighth, with a runner on third, Tillman hit a sac-fly to right field to plate Smith and give Albany a 5-4 advantage. Elon was unable to put a run up in the bottom of the inning, giving Albany the victory.
Melanie Helterbran (6-3) suffered the loss for the Phoenix after tossing eight innings and giving up give runs (four earned) on five hits while striking out one batter. Casey Halloran (1-3) picked up the win after throwing eight innings and giving up four runs on seven hits while retiring 11 batters.
Paige Goss, Dahlen, Zeigler, Helterbran, Jones and Smith each tallied a hit for the Phoenix.
In the second game of the day, North Carolina A&T started the scoring in the top of the third. With a runner on second, Jessie Larson knocked an RBI single to give the Lady Aggies a 1-0 lead. A&T added another run in the top of the fifth when Lillian Bullock notched a solo homer to give her squad a 2-0 edge.
Elon responded with three runs in the bottom half of the fifth. With the bases loaded, Goss knocked a grounder to third base, but the throw to home was late, allowing two runners to score and tying the game 2-2. With runners still on second and third, Dahlen grounded out to second base, letting Patti Weber cross home plate to give Elon a 3-2 lead.
Elon added another run in the bottom of the sixth when an RBI double by Jaimie Rao plate Smith to give Elon a 4-2 lead.
Carol Lilley (4-3) picked up the win for the Phoenix. She tossed a complete game and gave up two runs (one earned) on eight hits while striking out seven batters. Sasha Philpot (6-4) suffered the loss after throwing six innings and giving up four runs (three earned) on three hits while striking out three.
Rao notched two hits, one run and one RBI for the Phoenix while Zeigler tallied Elon's other hit. Goss posted two RBI and Dahlen tallied one.
Elon returns to action on Saturday, March 10 in the second day of the Winthrop/adidas Invitational.
Western Carolina 8, Buffalo 5
Southern Illinois 12, Western Carolina 0 (5)
Tallahassee, Fla. ? Western Carolina used two, four-run innings and a complete-game pitching effort from sophomore Mendy McKenzie to take its opener at the Florida State Invitational, 8-5, over Buffalo on Friday afternoon. In the second game, the Catamounts were blanked by the 18th-ranked Southern Illinois Salukis, 12-0, in five innings to give WCU a split on the day.
The loss to SIU marks Western’s first-ever game against a nationally-ranked opponent in the program’s two-year history. The Catamounts (5-11) will face its second top 25 team on Saturday when it squares off against the 21st-ranked Georgia Bulldogs at 11:00 am. Play will continue at 1:30 pm against Florida A&M before bracket pairings are determined.
McKenzie allowed five earned runs while scattering nine hits and striking out five to secure her third victory of the season.
Trailing 2-0 after the Bulls (1-12) took the initial lead, scoring a duo of runs in the bottom of the second Western got hot in the top of the third. McKenzie helped her own cause with her lone hit of the game, leading off with a double to left center. The next batter, freshman Serena Smith, scored McKenzie with an RBI double, also to left center field. With one out and two on, sophomore Beth Hauser delivered a three-run home run to right field to put WCU ahead, 4-2.
Buffalo plated one run in the home portion of the fifth to cut the deficit to one, 4-3, before another four-spot in the top of the seventh pushed Western ahead by five. Back-to-back singles by Smith and sophomore Stephanie Beatty, followed by a walk by junior Savannah Filley loaded the bases with no outs. Two batters later, junior transfer Jamie Swank grounded out to short for the second out of the frame, scoring Smith from third. Two Bull errors that allowed freshmen Tatum Hargett and Danielle Reese to reach base also allowed three runs ? two by Hargett and three by Reese ? to touch the plate.
Things were kept interesting in the bottom of the seventh, though, as a lead off single was followed by a one-out walk and a two-out hit batsman loaded the bases for Buffalo. McKenzie struck out UB right fielder Samantha Gaetano swinging, but a dropped third strike allowed her to reach and a run to score. A passed ball during the next at bat plated a second run for the Bulls, moving runners to second and third with a walk again loading the bases. However, McKenzie pitched out of the jam, inducing an infield pop-up to short to end the threat and the game.
Smith continued her hot hitting, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and one driven in. The Mooresville, N.C., native added a stolen base on the afternoon. Hauser led the team with three RBI, all coming on her three-run homer which was her first of the season.
Buffalo’s Sharon Barr suffered her fifth loss of the season, allowing eight earned runs on nine hits with two walks and one strikeout in seven innings.
In the second game, Western never got on track offensively, falling to the 18th-ranked Southern Illinois Salukis 12-0 in five innings. Sophomore hurler Lauren Ross suffered the defeat, falling to 2-3 on the season.
Ohio 11, College of Charleston 7
ROCK HILL, S.C. ? Eight miscues by the College of Charleston softball team gave Ohio an 11-7 win on the first day of the Winthrop/adidas Tournament in Rock Hill, S.C.
Jennifer Golden plated a run on a fielding error by Ohio’s Alicia Catlette to give Charleston (11-12) the 1-0 lead in the fourth inning, but the Bobcats answered with three runs of their own in the fifth on Cougar miscues to give Ohio a 3-1 lead.
CofC retook the lead in the bottom of the fourth with four runs. Izmena Cabrera hit a three-run homer to plate Terri Mesko and Kolby Schooley ? both of whom walked to start the inning. After Kristie Shifflett was hit by a pitch, Shannon Howard singled to right center, followed by another hit batsman as Katie Pesature took first. Golden’s RBI-walk would score Shifflett for the final run of the inning to give the Cougars a 5-3 lead.
Four Charleston miscues in the top of the sixth would net five runs ? four unearned ? for the Bobcats, and Ohio (7-8) never trailed again. The Cougars would score two more runs as Schooley hit her second career homer run in less than a week and Amber Shifflett scored on a wild pitch after reaching on a fielder’s choice, stealing second and advancing to third on walk.
Three runs on three hits in the seventh gave Ohio the 11-7 lead to seal the win.
Schooley paced the Cougars on 2-for-2 hitting as she scored two runs and batted in one runner.
Kristen Salvatore led the Bobcat on 3-for-5 hitting with three runs scored and an RBI.
Michelle Sauter took the win as she gave up four hits, stuck out three and walked four in 6 1/3 innings of work.
Katie Sansouci took the loss as she gave up four hits and walked two in two innings.
The Cougars will play South Carolina State at 10 a.m. on Saturday, followed by Ohio at 4 p.m.