Elon Downs UNC Greensboro in Regular Season Finale
ELON, N.C. ? Debbie Zeigler’s solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning proved to be the deciding run as Elon took a 2-0 win over UNC Greensboro in Southern Conference softball action at East Field on Sunday afternoon. Elon pitcher Carol Lilley threw her second shutout in two days.
Elon improves to 27-30 overall and 9-11 in league play while UNC Greensboro falls to 27-25, 7-14.
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when Zeigler, the lead off batter of the inning, took a 3-0 pitch out of left centerfield to give Elon a 1-0 advantage.
Elon added another run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Ashlee Crewe knocked a double to right centerfield before Tracey Dahlen singled through the left side to send Crewe home and put Elon ahead 2-0.
Lilley moves to 13-11 on the season after hurling a complete game and giving up no runs on four hits while striking out three batters. Vanessa Oakes (12-11) suffered the loss after throwing six innings and giving up two runs on six hits while retiring three batters.
Zeigler led Elon from the plate, going 2-for-3 with one run scored and one RBI. Dahlen, Crewe, Jaimie Rao and Patti Weber each picked up a hit for the Phoenix. With her RBI, Zeigler moves into a tie for third in the Elon record book for career RBI with 102. Paige Goss set a new Elon record with 222 career games played and tied the school record with 699 career at bats after setting the record for career runs scored with 126 on Saturday.
Brandi Schnute led the Spartans from the plate, going 2-for-3 while Mary Greenway and Adriane Audley each registered a hit.
Both teams will return to action on Wednesday, May 9 in the Southern Conference Softball Championship hosted by UNC Greensboro.
APP STATE TAKES SERIES WITH 3-1 WIN
STATESBORO, Ga. --- Appalachian State scored three runs in the second inning and held off several Georgia Southern rallies late in the game to win 3-1 Sunday afternoon at Eagle Field.
Sunday’s game concludes the regular season for both teams. ASU improves to 20-36 overall and 11-10 in the Southern Conference while GSU falls to 24-30 and 9-11.
“I’m a little frustrated that we didn’t win,” said GSU head coach Natalie Poole. “We knew that (Southern Conference) positioning was important in this game and we really needed to be able to win to put us in a better spot. But it didn’t happen. We out-hit them and played well defensively, but it just didn’t happen for us. We weren’t able to score the runs.”
Georgia Southern put a runner at third with one out in the first, but was unable to get the run across.
The Mountaineers made the most of their opportunities in the next half-inning. A walk, single and double brought home the first run, and after a groundout, another single put ASU up 2-0. One out later, a walk loaded the bases for Lindsay Glover who singled home Keri Blackwelder.
Georgia Southern stranded five runners in the fifth and sixth innings.
Two singles and a walk loaded the bases with one out in the fifth, but a groundball and a line-out ended the threat.
One inning later, the Eagles put runners on the corners with no outs to chase starting pitcher Kayla Richardson. Yancy Moose escaped by retiring the next three batters in order.
“We had quite a few chances with runners in scoring position and we didn’t step up with a hit, or we hit it right to someone,” Poole added.
Moose earned her second save with a 1-2-3 seventh.
Richardson (8-9) went five innings and allowed eight hits and one earned run. Junior Melissa Laliberte (Cobourg, Ontario, Canada) lasted just two innings and gave up four hits and three earned runs (9-13). Senior A.J.
Street (Lilburn, Ga.) finished the contest with five scoreless innings.
Kasey Motsinger and Kristyn Hurt each went 2-for-3 for the Apps while freshmen Sam Russo (Snellville, Ga.) and Elizabeth Branan (Alpharetta,
Ga.) had two hits apiece for the Eagles.
Both teams await their opponent in the SoCon Tournament which begins Wednesday in Greensboro, N.C.
“I’m proud of their efforts and I’m proud of each and every one of these girls and we look forward to the tournament,” Poole said. “We know it’s a new opportunity.”
Golden's walk-off homer lifts Cougars past Chattanooga, 8-6
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Jennifer Golden's final at-bat at Patriots Point was a two-run walk-off homer - her 17th of the season and 29th of her two-year career - to give the College of Charleston a 8-6 eight-inning win over Chattanooga in the Southern Conference series finale before 133 on Sunday in Mt. Pleasant.
The No. 2 Cougars (33-24, 14-7 SoCon) will play an opponent yet to be determined in the SoCon Tournament on Wednesday at 3 p.m. in Greensboro, N.C. The No. 1 Lady Mocs (35-29, 16-5) will open up SoCon Tournament action at 10 a.m. also with an opponent yet to be determined.
Katie Sansouci (11-6) went 2/3 inning to get the win for the Cougars, allowing no hits or runs. Shannon Howard scattered 10 hits, yielded six runs - four earned, issued three walks and struck out two in 7 1/3 innings of work.
Chattanooga attacked first with a three-run first inning, before the College of Charleston took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the first on a pair of Chattanooga miscues.
The Lady Mocs would another run in the top of the second on Toni Hutchinson's RBI-sac fly to score Cuttichia. Chattanooga would score its final two runs in the top of the sixth on Tia Blosser's two-RBI double to score Cuttichia and Cochran for the 6-4 lead.
Charleston knotted the game on Kolby Schooley's two-RBI single to plate Katie Pesature and Howard in the bottom of the seventh.
Ashley Frizzell (12-14) gave up 12 hits and eight runs - seven earned - in 7 1/3 innings of work. She walked four and struck out five.
Cuttichia paced the Lady Mocs on 3-for-5 hitting with three runs scored. Cochran and Blosser had two hits apiece, and Brittany Eason, Lindsay Davis and Ashlan Clarkson each had a hit.
Golden was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBI. Peasture hit 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Howard had two hits with a run scored. Izemena Cabrera, Amber Shifflett, Darla Roberson and Schooley each had a hit.
Furman Ends Regular Season With Split Versus Western Carolina 5-4, 2-3
Greenville, S.C. ? Danielle Franklin notched two hits and drove home the winning run on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the eighth to help Furman down Western Carolina 5-4 in game one and earn a doubleheader split in the regular season finale Sunday at Pepsi Stadium. The Catamounts rallied in game two to upend Furman 3-2.
Furman (17-33-1, 7-13 SoCon), with the double header split, earns the seventh seed in the is week’s Southern Conference Tournament in Greensboro, N.C. The Lady Paladins will face second-seeded College of Charleston at a time yet to be announced by the Southern Conference.
Stephanie Cushing drew a leadoff walk in the eighth and moved to second on a throwing error that allowed Megan Jaudon to reach base. Brythe Blankenship walked to load the bases with nobody out. Lana Mackey followed with a line drive to center, but Nikki Bost made a diving catch and Cushing was unable to tag up in time to attempt to score from third base. Franklin sent a chopper to short and Jamie Swank stepped on second for the force, but her throw to the plate was too late to get Cushing who slid home with the game-winning run.
Furman looked to have the game in control early. After the Catamounts grabbed a 1-0 lead on an unearned run in the first, the Lady Paladins plated three runs in the fifth to take the lead. Danielle Franklin singled to left to tie the game and Amber Kiser lined a two-out, two-run triple into the gap to give Furman the lead. Mackey singled in the sixth to drive in Cushing and up the lead to 4-1.
Western Carolina (26-32, 9-11 SoCon) rallied in the top half of the seventh as Bost and Stephanie Beatty opened the inning with back-to-back singles. After an intentional walk to Savannah Filley loaded the bases with no one out, Mackey fanned Mollie Hauser and Beth Hauser for the first two outs of the inning. Swank, however, tied the game with a three-run double to right-center.
The Lady Paladins once again looked to be in control in the bottom of the seventh. A pinch hit double by Jessica Batten and fielder’s choice allowing pinch runner Blake Murray to move to third gave Furman runners on the corners with one out. The Catamounts wiggled off the hook again by picking Murray off of third on a failed bunt attempt and Abby Robertson bounced out to first to end the inning.
Mackey (8-13) earned the victory for Furman allowing three earned runs on six hits in eight innings of work. The freshman fanned six batters despite walking seven. Franklin went 2-for-4 with two RBI while Kiser also drove in two runs.
Mendy McKenzie was tagged with the loss after surrendering five runs on seven hits in 7.2 innings of work. She walked just two batters and struck out three.
Furman erased a 1-0 first inning Western Carolina lead in game two.
Jaudon reached on a two-out fielding error by the rightfielder that allowed Robertson to score and tie the game at 1-1. Mackey followed with a RBI single two batters later to give Furman the 2-1 lead.
The Catamounts pulled even in the third inning. Kayla Kelley laced a leadoff triple to right and scored on Filley’s single. WCU loaded the bases with one out in the top half of the seventh before Hauser singled to left to plate Beatty with the eventual winning run.
Reliever Lauren Ross (11-7) gave up just one hit in two innings work to earn the victory while Murray (7-16) allowed three runs on nine hits to take the loss for Furman.
Beatty went 3-for-3 with two RBI for the Cats. Mackey collected two hits, including a double, and drove in a run for Furman.