Appalachian State 1, Western Carolina 0
Appalachian State 13, Western Carolina 1
BOONE, N.C. ? The Appalachian State softball team snapped a 12-game losing streak on Sunday afternoon against the Western Carolina with a doubleheader sweep, 1-0 and 13-1. The Mountaineers improve to 3-18 on the season while the Lady Catamounts fall to 4-16 on the season.
“We really stressed the importance of this series throughout the non-conference schedule,” said head coach Amy Herrington. “We took advantage of the fresh start that the conference schedule affords. Today we made the adjustments at the plate that we had to do all of preseason. It’s amazing what a little bit of confidence did for this team today.”
Junior Kayla Richardson pitched a gem for the Mountaineers, scattering four hits over a seven inning shutout. She struck out a career high nine batters and walked only two.
Appalachian scored their lone run in the fourth inning. Freshman Katie Boyd singled through the left side then stole second base in short order to start the inning. A single on the next at bat from junior Stephanie Long plated Boyd with no outs.
The Mountaineers held on through a tense seventh inning for the victory. Richardson was awarded the victory to improve to 2-7 on the season.
Game two wasn’t as tense for the Black and Gold.
In the bottom of the first, Boyd scored the opening run for ASU with a single from junior Brittany Gaston. The RBI was her ninth of the season and first of her three on the day.
The Apps busted out in the second for eight runs off six hits. With two-out the bases loaded and four runs already in, Long smashed a home run over the left field wall to extend the lead to 9-0.
In the third, Appalachian added three more runs to push the lead to 13-1.
In the second game, four Mountaineer batters had multi-hit games. Junior leadoff hitter Andrea McIntyre hit 3-for-4 to improve her batting average to .279. Gaston was a perfect 3-for-3 in the game while Long and senior Natalie Willis scored perfect 2-for-2 games.
Long knocked in five runs to lead the Black and Gold. ASU's 13 runs marked a season high and was only one shy of the all-time school record for runs in a single game.
Junior Yancy Moose notched her first win of the season with five innings of work. She scattered four hits and allowed one run in the game. She struck out five and didn’t walk a batter.
The series concludes on Monday with an afternoon matinee. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
College of Charleston 11, Binghamton 0
Mt. Pleasant, S.C. -- Terri Mesko went 3-for-3 with four RBI and had a banner day in the circle to lead the College of Charleston softball team to an 11-0 victory over Binghamton in six innings at the CofC Classic Sunday afternoon.
With the shutout, Charleston improves to 12-21 and plays St. John's in the tournament finale'. The Bearcats fall to 2-13 after their last game of the weekend.
The Cougars' offense attacked early, scoring five runs in the top of the first. Tiffany Harmon, Shannon Howard, Brittany Small, Linzi Bereitschaft and Katie Nutaitis made it home safely to put their squad up 5-0. Harmon started off the game with a single to second. After Harmon stole second, Shannon Howard singled to left to send the run of the game in. Nutaitis and Bereitschaft walked, loading the bases for Small who singled to the shortstop for her eighth RBI of the year. With two outs Mesko ripped a triple to deep right-center for three RBI and the final three runs of the inning.
CofC added some insurance with two more runs in the third inning. Shifflett led of the inning with a walk followed by a double to left by Bereitschaft, her seventh of the season. Small took a pitch in the elbow to load the bags and bring Mesko to bat. She singled to left for the Shifflett run and to put runners on second and third. Bereitschaft as Christal Kotchman reached on a fielder's choice. The Cougars left two runners stranded at the end of the third.
Four sixth-inning runs would stretch the Charleston lead to its final 11. Mesko scored on a Bearcat error after she doubled to left and Kotchman reached on a fielder's choice, sending Mesko to third. Freshman Samantha Kubinski, having subbed in at centerfield, got her first hit of her collegiate career and an RBI as she singled and scored Kotchman. Harmon scored after a single from Alex Williams and Kubinski added the final run of the game off an error by the BU shortstop.
Despite three hits, the Bearcats couldn't get on the board and contest ended after the bottom of the sixth. Mesko led the Cougars as she went 3-for-3 with four RBI and one run scored. Harmon added three hits of her own. The Lynn Haven, Fla., native went 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Kubinski, Howard, Williams, Bereitschaft and Small added the remainder of the Cougars' 11 hits.
Mesko (5-10) pitched a complete game. The sophomore from McDonough, Ga., struck out nine Bearcat batters allowing only three hits on the effort. Patty Egan (1-6) pitched three innings with one strikeout, four hits and two earned runs.
Charleston returns to action Friday, March 21, as they host Appalachian State in the first Southern Conference contest of the season.
College of Charleston 3, St. John’s 2
Mt. Pleasant, S.C. -- The College of Charleston softball team rallied back in the sixth inning to top St. John's 3-2 in the final game of the CofC Classic Sunday afternoon.
The Cougars finish 4-2 on the weekend and improve to 13-21 on the season. They begin Southern Conference play Friday, March 21, with a three-game series against Appalachian State at Patriots Point Field. The Red Storm return home with a 8-15 record overall.
The first four innings proved to be a battle of the defenses until St. John's got on the board with two runs. The Cougars responded in the 11th hour with three runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Kristie Shifflett and Linzi Bereitschaft got on base with a walk and a fielder's choice, respectively. After a Red Storm error, the bases were load as sophomore Brittany Small reached on a fielder's choice. With two outs, Tiffany Harmon sparked a three-run rally with a single to left that scored Shifflett and ruined the shut out for SJU. The RBI was the first of the tournament for a Harmon, a junior outfielder. Freshman Kristi Woodall doubled to center to bring in runs by Bereitschaft and Small to put the Cougars up 3-2 in what would be the final score.
After three quick outs by the defense in the top of the seventh, Charleston finished the game with four hits on 20 total at-bats and three RBI.
Shannon Howard (7-9) pitched a complete game. The junior from Carmichael, Calif., had seven strikeouts and allowed seven hits through 26 at-bats. Lisa Geer (1-3) struck out two Cougar batters and allowed four hits and three earned runs.
Elon 7, Michigan State 6
DELAND, FLA.- Senior catcher Debbie Zeigler became the all-time leader in career RBI with 113 as the Phoenix softball team posted a 7-6 come-from-behind victory over the Michigan State Spartans in the final game of the Stetson Spring Classic in DeLand, Fla.
The win, the second over the Spartans this weekend, improves Elon to 11-9 this season. Michigan State drops to 12-12.
Elon scored first when Allison Hartman sent the ball over the centerfield wall to give the Phoenix a 1-0 lead. It was the first time the team scored first during the tournament.
The lead would not hold as Michigan State would answer with a five-run bottom half of the second inning. Traci Nicosia doubled to left field. She advanced to third when Jessica LeFevre singled up the middle. Nicosia tied the game at one when she took advantage on an Elon miscue. Heidi Purtzer drove in the go-ahead run with a single. Nikki Nicosia sent Purtzer across the plate with a single through the right side. Kara Weigle made it a 4-1 ballgame when she singled to score Kristen Aidem. The Spartans would add one more run when Weigle scored after Bianca Mejia reached on a fielder’s choice.
Elon would tie the score at five in the top of the third inning by posting four runs of its own. Tracey Dahlen got things started when she reached on a error by the shortstop. The Spartans committed error that put runners on the corners. Zeigler drove in her 113th RBI with a single through the left side. Designated player Melanie Helterbran hit a three-run shot to centerfield to tie the game 5-5.
Traci Nicosia scored a Michigan State run in the bottom half of the third after LeFevre hit into a fielder’s choice.
The bats for both teams were quiet until the sixth inning when Elon scored two runs, including the game-winning run. Helterbran continued to show her power when she opened with double down the left field line. Jaimie Rao and Pam DelPizzo hit back-to-back singles to score Allison Hartman and Rebecca Rijavec.
The Spartans threatened in the seventh when Abby Lincoln advanced to third with one out. Traci Nicosia laid down a sacrifice bunt to put the go-ahead run at second. The two would be stranded as LeFevre grounded out to the second baseman to end the game.
Samantha Schroeder improved to 2-1 on the year with the win, giving up just one run on four hits. Lesley Noel picked up loss and dropped to 5-8.
Elon returns to action March 22 when they open conference play at Western Carolina. The teams will play a three game series, with the first game of a double-header slated to begin at 1 p.m. The second game will start 3 p.m. with the final game scheduled for March 23 at 1 p.m.
Furman 1, Charlotte 0
Memphis 5, Furman 0
Rock Hill, S.C. -- Freshman Bethany Ullrich tossed a five-hit shutout and Lana Mackey blasted a solo homer run to lead Furman past Charlotte 1-0 in the conclusion of Saturday’s suspended game at the Winthrop/adidas Invitational on Sunday. Memphis downed Furman 5-0 in the Paladins’ tournament finale.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Mackey hammered an Emily Jeffery pitch over the center field fence to break open a scoreless game. Ullrich retired the side in the seventh to notch her second shutout of the season and improve to 4-3 in the circle. The Dacula, Ga., product scattered five hits and allowed two hits while fanning two batters in seven innings of work.
The game was suspended on Saturday due to lightning in the top of the third inning. Heavy rains followed forcing the cancelation of the rest of Saturday’s scheduled games. Pool play was eliminated from the schedule and the 12-team field concluded the event by completing Saturday’s scheduled games on Sunday.
Jeffery (7-7) allowed five hits and one earned run while striking out five batters for the Charlotte 49ers. Abby Robertson went 2-for-3 at the plate for Furman.
Memphis used home runs from Heather Mott and Lindsay Kelso to power past Furman 5-0 in the tournament finale.
Kimmi Hayden put the Tigers in front in the first on a two-out, RBI single to right field and Motts followed with a two-run blast to left to increase the lead to 3-0. Kelso added a solo shot in the third and pitcher Kimber Bossom (7-4) hurled a three-hit shutout to improve the Tigers to 16-11 on the season.
Mackey (6-8) suffered the loss for Furman allowing four earned runs on seven hits in six innings. She fanned five batters and issued one walk.
Meredith Mielke, who belted a pair of home runs and drove in sevens runs to pace Furman to a 3-1 weekend and tie for first place in Pool B, was named to the all-tournament team.
Furman, 10-11 on the season, returns home to host USC Upstate in a non-conference doubleheader Wednesday at 3 p.m.
Ball State 4, Georgia Southern 2
Sam Houston State 6, Georgia Southern 3 (8 inn.)
CLEARWATER, Fla. --- The Georgia Southern softball team wrapped up play at the Under Armour Showcase Sunday with a pair of losses to Ball State and Sam Houston State.
The losses, 4-2 to BSU and 6-3 in eight innings to SHSU, drop the Eagles to 18-16 overall. The team went 1-3 in two days at the tournament hosted by South Florida.
Solo home runs from junior Robyne Siliga (Oceanside, Calif.) and sophomore Jenny Side (Loganville, Ga.) were not enough as the Eagles dropped the opening contest Ball State.
Two RBI singles and a sacrifice fly staked BSU to a 3-0 lead after three innings. But back-to-back shots from Siliga and Side, GSU’s first baserunners of the game, cut the deficit to 3-2. However Georgia Southern managed just two baserunners the rest of the game, both in the seventh inning, and struck out five times in the final three frames.
GSU starter Megen Smith (Springfield, Ga.) lasted just one inning and allowed three hits and two earned runs to take the loss (7-5).
The Eagles answered single runs by Sam Houston State in each of the first, fifth and seventh innings, but two key GSU errors in the eighth paved the way for three runs and SHSU came away 6-3 winners.
In the top of the eighth, Georgia Southern threw out Sam Houston State’s runner at third on a failed sacrifice attempt and got the next out on a pop-up. But a single and an error loaded the bases and a throwing error on the potential last out of the inning led to two tiebreaking runs. The Bearkats added a third run for extra insurance.
Four of senior Melissa Laliberte’s (Cobourg, Ontario, Canada) six runs allowed were unearned. She also gave up eight hits and three walks while striking out five. She drops to 8-4.
Up next for the Eagles is Southern Conference play, beginning Friday with at Furman.
Penn State 3, Chattanooga 0
CLEARWATER, Fla. Red-shirt freshman Jackie Hill pitched seven scoreless innings and went 2-for-4 to lead Penn State (15-8) to a 3-0 victory over Chattanooga (16-14) Sunday morning in the finale of the USF Under Armour Showcase in Clearwater, Florida.
The Nittany Lions got on the board early as Hill doubled to left and was driven home when junior infielder Kayce Zielinski doubled her home to put Penn State up 1-0. That would be all they would need as Hill then scattered four hits over the next six innings.
Chattanooga's best chance to score came in the third inning when freshman outfielder Lyndsey Stiles (Hixson, Tenn.) doubled down the left field line and advanced to third before a force out ended the inning.
In the seventh, a pair of Penn State singles and back-to-back wild pitches made it 3-0 before Hill retired the side in order in the bottom of the inning to lock up their third victory of the tournament. Hill went the distance and allowed no runs and only four hits as she improved to 8-3 on the season while sophomore pitcher Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) took the loss to fall to 6-6. She allowed two earned runs over seven innings and struck out six batters.
In addition to Hill's performance, the Nittany Lions got 2-for-3, one run performances from Zielinski and junior outfielder Danielle Kinley. Zielinski also added the only RBI of the game with her first inning double.
For Chattanooga, Stiles came away with a double while senior outfielder Ashlan Clarkson (Chickamauga, Ga.), freshman outfielder Lauren Flores (Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.) and junior third baseman Toni Hutchison (Madison, Tenn.) each added singles to round out the offense.
The Lady Mocs return to action Wednesday, March 19 when they begin a stretch of games that will see them play 10 of 12 games at home. They will open that string of games when they host Kent State and No. 2 Alabama at 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. at Jim Frost Stadium.