Virginia Tech Completes Doubleheader Sweep Of Furman, 7-1
Blacksburg, Va. ? Heather Lowry limited Furman to one run on four hits to lead Virginia Tech to a 7-1 victory and doubleheader sweep of Furman Wednesday afternoon at Tech Softball Park.
Callie Rohodes put the Hokies on the board in the bottom of the first.
She reached on an infield single and stole second before moving to third on Erin Ota’s grounder to second. Caroline Stolle lifted a sacrifice fly to center to plate the game’s first run.
Lana Mackey knotted the game at 1-1 in the top of the second with a solo homer to deep left field.
Kelsey Hoffman opened the bottom of the second with a double to left-center and moved to third on a wild pitch. After an infield single by Jessica Everhart with one out, Megan Jaudon picked Hoffman off of third for the second out of the inning. Following a hit batter, Anna Zitt lined a two-run double to left-center to give the Hokies a 3-1 lead.
Virginia Tech (40-13) added another run in the fourth. Whitney Davis led off the inning with a double and moved up a base on a sacrifice bunt.
Rhodes notched an RBI on a sacrifice fly to left.
The Hokies extended the lead to 7-1 in the fifth highlighted by Anna Zitt’s two-roun single to center.
Lowry improved to 8-6 tossing the complete game and fanning six for Virginia Tech. Rhodes paced the Hokie offense going 2-for-2 with an RBI.
Vanessa Williams took the loss for Furman (16-29-1) to drop to 2-3. She surrendered four runs on eight hits in four innings of work. Jaudon, a native of Blacksburg, Va., collected two hits for the Lady Paladin offense.
The Hokies used back-to-back homers by Carolina Stolle and Stephanie Savre to rally from a 1-0 deficit and claim a 3-1 victory in game one.
Furman returns to Southern Conference play this weekend when it travels to Chattanooga for a three-game series. Saturday’s doubleheader is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. with the series finale set for 2:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Beatty Breaks Single-Season Hits Record in Split with ETSU
CULLOWHEE, N.C. ? Sophomore Stephanie Beatty broke the single-season record for hits, with 61, as the Western Carolina softball team (23-30) split with visiting East Tennessee State (24-26) by the same score of 6-2 in each game Wednesday at the Catamount Coplex. The Catamounts host Southern Conference foe Georgia Southern in their final home series of the season on Saturday and Sunday.
Beatty notched a hit in each game to take over the hits crown. Her second hit in the second game was her 11th double of the season, which ties her for first for double baggers in a season.
Lauren Ross got the call to the mound in the second game and tossed six scoreless innings before giving up two runs in the top of the seventh. She allowed two runs on seven hits and struck out four, improving to 9-7 on the season. Ross currently has 95 strikeouts this year and looks to reach the century mark this weekend against Georgia Southern.
A Jamie Swank single in the bottom of the third set up Western Carolina’s first run in the second game. After Swank moved to second off an ETSU error she scored when Mendy McKenzie singled to left field.
The Catamounts exploded for five runs in the fourth inning and it all began with Beatty’s record-setting double. An RBI single by Savannah Filley scored Beatty for the second run of the game and Filley moved to second on a throw to home. Filley was replaced by pinch runner Heather Pritchard who advanced to third when Mollie Fowler reached first off and ETSU miscue. With one out, Swank hit an RBI double that scored Pritchard and Fowler and Swank scored when Danielle Reese hit an RBI single. An RBI single by Nikki Bost plated Reese for the final run of the inning.
Ross had two outs and appeared to have her second complete game shutout in the bag when she gave up a single to Jessica Hackworth. A two RBI single by Jessica Massenzo put the Bucs on the scoreboard for the only time in the game.
Swank had a phenomenal game going 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored.
McKenzie started game one on the mound for the Catamounts and though she recorded seven strikeouts in the game, a four-run fifth inning for ETSU was more then Western Carolina could overcome in the game. McKenzie falls to 10-16 on the season.
ETSU scored one run in the third inning. Cheniece Cason hit a one out double and scored thanks to an RBI single by Hackworth.
Western Carolina would enjoy a short-lived lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Bost drew a leadoff walk and came around to score when Beatty hit her eighth homerun of the season giving the Catamounts a 2-1 lead.
ETSU tied the game in the fifth inning when Hackworth hit into a fielder’s choice that scored a run. A three-run homerun by Amanda Haverman put the game out of reach. The Bucs tacked on one run in the top of the seventh inning.
Coastal Carolina sweeps doubleheader, 9-5 and 5-2
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Coastal Carolina combined for 23 hits in its doubleheader sweep, 9-5 and 5-2, over the College of Charleston in non-conference softball action before 102 at Patriots Point in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
The College of Charleston (29-20, 11-4 Southern Conference) will travel to Greensboro, N.C., for a three-game conference series with UNC Greensboro Apr. 28-29, while Coastal Carolina (19-30) travels to Liberty.
Coastal Carolina's 12-hit attack was fueled by Allison Cantrell, who went 3-for-3 at the plate in Game 1, drove in two runs and scored three runs to lead the Chanticleer offense. Kristina Sheppard and Danyelle Gerdts was 2-for-5. Sheppard scored a run and had two RBI, and Gerdts scored a run. Carla Wood went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI. Kimberly Cillis' lone hit produced an RBI.
Jennifer Golden, who hit her 13th homer of the season, went 1-for-1 at the plate. She scored two runs and drove in two runs for the College of Charleston in Game 1. Shannon Howard was 2-for-4 with a run scored, followed by Katie Pesature who was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Izemna Cabrera, who had two RBI, was 1-for-4. Kristie Shifflett was 1-for-4 with a run scored, Brittany Small had a hit.
Gerdts (6-9), who scattered seven hits, issued four walks and struck out five for the win. Terri Mesko (15-9) took the loss as she gave up eight hits and yielded nine runs. She struck out three and walked six.
The Cougars gave up five runs in Game 2 on 11 hits. Charleston, in a bases loaded situation with one out, couldn't score a run, despite its two-run sixth inning.
Alicia Irwin was 2-for-2 to lead Coastal Carolina's offense, while Gerdts and Carla Hood were 2-for-3. Hood drove in two runs, and Gerdts had one RBI. Cantrell, who hit her 10th home run of the season, and Sheppard each had an RBI and a hit.
Pesature was 2-for-4 to lead the Cougars' offensive attack. Small, who had the lone RBI for Charleston, had one hit, along with Cabrera, Shifflett, Howard and Katie Sansouci. Golden and Howard each scored a run.
Ashley Fredrick (9-14), who yielded two runs, struck out three and walked four for the win. Katie Sansouci (9-4) gave up 10 hits, struck out two and issued a walk, before Howard relieved her the final two innings, giving up a hit and striking out one.