College of Charleston 2, Marist 0
Mt. Pleasant, S.C -- The College of Charleston softball shutout Marist 2-0 in game eight innings of the CofC Invitational Saturday afternoon from Patriots Point.
The Cougars improve their record to 6-13, while the Red Foxes fall to 3-6.
The game remained scoreless through 7 complete innings, despite Charleston's eight-two hit advantage. Following international extra-innings rules, shortstop Christal Kotchman started on second in the top of the eight. After two outs by Tiffany Harmon and Kristi Woodall, Kristie Shifflett stepped to the plate. The Virginia Beach, Va., native smacked a two-out, two-run home straight to center to put the Cougars up 2-0.
Shifflett went 2-for-4 on the day with one run scored and two RBI. Freshman Alex Williams finished 2-for-3 on the day. Harmon, Shannon Howard, Katie Nutaitis and Christal Kotchman added the remaining four hits for the Cougars.
Howard (5-5), a junior Carmichael, Calif., native pitched a complete game striking out five batters through 22 at-bats. Megan Rigos (2-2) struck out eight Cougar batters with one earned run.
CofC returns to action at 4 p.m. when they face Akron. On the final day of the Invitational the Cougars play Howard at 2 p.m. followed by a contest against UNC Wilmington at 4 p.m.
Radford 4, UNC Greensboro 0
Towson 8, UNC Greensboro 3
GREENVILLE, NC ? The UNC Greensboro softball team dropped two games in tournament action at the East Carolina Pirate Clash on Saturday. The Spartans fell to Radford, 4-0 in the early game and dropped an 8-3 contest to Towson to conclude the day.
In the late game Towson took an early 4-0 with a grand slam from second baseman Mindy Bean in the second inning but UNCG battled back in the top of the third with a leadoff home run from Kristen Gabel, her first collegiate roundtripper, cut the lead to, 4-1.
The Tigers used a three-run homer from Aimee Rosa to put the lead at 7-1 in the bottom of the third inning and with a run in the bottom of the fifth extended their lead to 8-1 with four innings left to play.
UNCG rallied in the seventh with a two-run homer from Katie Stripling but it wasn’t enough as the Tigers picked up their third win of the tournament and second victory of the day.
Hannah Angel (3-5) was awarded the loss after allowing seven runs on three hits in three innings of action. Amber Harrell pitched three innings in relief and allowed one run on one hit with six strikeouts.
The windy weather proved to be costly for UNCG in the top of the fourth inning in the first game of the day. Radford was able to advance several runners with base hits that curved right out of the glove of several UNCG outfielders which led to three Highlander runs.
UNCG tried to counter in the bottom of the inning and with singles from Kaitlin Merkt and Whitney Sirois which placed two runners on base but with two outs a popout from Brittany Ausley ended the inning and kept the lead with Radford.
The Highlanders added an insurance run in the sixth inning. With two singles putting runners on base a single from catcher Sarah Himan scored RU’s final tally of the afternoon.
UNCG tried to rally in the seventh inning to at least get a run across home plate to avoid the shutout. Merkt hit a leadoff double and moved to third on a Radford passed ball but was left stranded as UNCG closed the game with a fly out to shortstop.
Amber Harrell (4-5) twirled her second compete game of the tournament and allowed four runs on six hits while striking out eight. Whitney Sirois continued her stellar play from the plate and was 2-for-3 for the game.
UNCG concludes action at the East Carolina Pirate Clash on Sunday. The Spartans will take on Delaware in bracket play beginning at 9 am.
College of Charleston 8, Akron 0 (5 Inn.)
Mt. Pleasant, S.C. -- Terri Mesko pitched a one-hitter, while Kristi Woodall hit her first collegiate homer as the College of Charleston's shut out Akron 8-0 in five innings in the CofC softball Invitational.
The Cougars (6-13) return to the Invitational Sunday, March 2, at 2 p.m. when they host Howard. The Zips (2-10) face Howard in the 6 p.m. game Saturday and will play their final game of the weekend Sunday at noon against East Tennessee State.
Charleston scored on its second at-bat of the game. Woodall, a freshman from Huntersville, N.C., hit a ball deep over the left-center field fence, the first in her career at CofC. Linzi Bereitschaft sent a double to left center to bring in runs by Katie Nutaitis and Kristie Shifflett.
CofC added four more runs in the second inning. Alex Williams scored after Woodall was walked with the bases loaded. Shifflett, who went 2-for-3 on the day, hit a single to center to score runs by Christal Kotchman and Tiffany Harmon. Shifflett came in for the last run of the inning off a single to left by Nutaitis.
Mesko scored with two outs in the third inning on an Akron error to put the Cougars up 8-0. Charleston held the Zips at zero for one-and-a-half more innings to gain the victory in five complete innings.
Mesko (2-7) pitched through five innings, striking out four batters. Christina Swierz struck out one Cougar batter and allowed five runs.
The shut out is the second consecutive of the day for the Cougars. They are 4-0 on the weekend.
Georgia State 16, Western Carolina 0
Kennesaw State 8, Western Carolina 0
PANTHERSVILLE, Ga. ? Western Carolina softball (2-10) dropped a pair of games Saturday at the Georgia State Spring Showdown. The Catamounts fell 16-0 in the game against host Georgia State and then lost to Kennesaw State 8-0.
Freshman pitcher Lilly McDonagh drew the loss against Georgia State. She falls to 0-5 on the season. Jamie Swank, Lauren Ross, Mollie Fowler and Heather Prichard each had hits in the game.
The Catamounts suffered their second consecutive shutout of the day against Kennesaw State. Junior Lauren Ross is still looking for a win on the mound falling to 0-4 on the year. Freshman Amber Hawkins was the only Western Carolina player to get a hit in the game.
Western Carolina returns to action Sunday facing Evansville at 10 a.m. in the final game of the Georgia State Spring Showdown.
Ohio 2, Elon 1
Seton Hall 7, Elon 4
ELON, N.C.- The Elon softball team fell to Ohio 2-1 and Seton Hall 7-4 in the opening day of the Golden Corral Phoenix Classic at East Field.
With the losses, Elon drops to 6-7 this season. Seton Hall went 2-0 in the first take of the tournament and improved to 3-5. Ohio fell to Seton Hall in the opening game and now owns a 3-3 record.
Ohio jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first after Courtney Waters and Shalene Petrich opened the game with back-to-back singles. The two advanced on a sacrifice hit and later scored when Kristen Salvatore singled to center.
The Phoenix answered in the bottom of the third when Allison Hartman reached on a walk. A sacrifice hit by Brandi Jones advanced Hartman to second Pam DelPizzo doubled to right center with two outs to score Hartman from second. Seton Hall retired the final batter to end the Phoenix threat.
Elon threatened late when Rebecca Rijavec and Jamie Rao drew walks from Ohio pitcher Emily Wethington. The two were left stranded, as the Phoenix bats did not allow them to cross the plate.
Taking the loss for Elon was Carol Lilley who is now 2-1. Wethington picked up the win and improved to 3-1 on the season.
Elon took 3-0 lead in the second inning of game two. Rijavec led off with a walk that was followed by an error on Seton Hall’s Kealon Waldron that allowed Jackie Gonzalez to reach first. SHU first baseman Shannon Pease committed the team’s second error that allowed Zeigler to reach first. An error on the shortstop allowed Rijavec to score the first run of the game. Gonzalez scored on the next play after a Dahlen laid down a sacrifice bunt. Zeigler crossed the plate after Hartman singled to leftfield. Patti Weber struck out swinging to end the inning.
An RBI single by Rao extended the Phoenix lead to 4-0 in the fifth inning. Hartman led off the inning with a single and advanced to third following a Seton Hall error and a sacrifce hit by Weber. Rao came in to pinch hit for Gonzalez and singled to right center to score the final Phoenix run of the game.
The Pirates answered in the top of the third with three runs of their own. Jenna Best doubled with one out to score the first two runs of the game for SHU. Amanda Winn singled on the next play to drive in the go-ahead run that was scored by Waldron.
Seton Hall tied the game at four in the sixth when Leah Menichetti drove in Ashley Constantini on a sacrifice foul out. The Pirates could not push another runner across as they left two on in the inning.
The Pirates came up big in the seventh inning as they drove in three runs off of three hits and took advantage of two Elon errors. Winn got things started for the Pirates when she singled to right field. Shannon Pease reached on a fielder’s choice that advanced Winn to second. Christa Leighton singled through the right side and advanced to second on an error to score Winn. Pease took advantage of an Elon miscue to extend the Seton Hall lead by two at 6-4. The final run of the game was scored when Brittany Schilizzi reached on a fielder’s choice that drove home Jamie Gates.
SHU retired the side in the bottom half of the seventh inning to take the game 7-4 and improve to 2-0 on the day.
Ashley Forsyth earned the win for the Pirates and improved her record to 2-2. Samantha Schroeder suffered the loss and fell 0-1.
Elon returns to the field tomorrow for the second day of the Phoenix Classic. The Phoenix plays Seton Hall in the opening game, which is slated to begin 11 a.m., before facing Ohio at 3 p.m.
Georgia Southern 2, UAB 0
Georgia Southern 3, Birmingham-Southern 0
BIRMINGHAM --- Georgia Southern tossed two more shutouts to win its fourth straight overall at the Magic City Classic hosted by Samford.
The Eagles (13-10) blanked UAB 2-0 and Birmingham Southern 3-0. Friday GSU defeated Grambling State 8-0 and Alabama State 3-0.
The shutout streak is the longest by the program since 2004.
Georgia Southern 2, UAB 0
Junior Michelle Beasley’s (Metter, Ga.) two-run home run in the fifth inning was all the offense the Eagles needed as freshman Megen Smith (Springfield, Ga.) blanked the Blazers on two hits.
Beasley’s shot to center scored junior Amanda Hall (Haddock, Ga.) who led off the inning by reaching on an error.
Smith (6-2) walked six but fanned six for her second shutout of the season.
Georgia Southern 3, Birmingham Southern 0
Seniors Mandi Stophlet (Templeton, Calif.) and Melissa Laliberte (Cobourg, Ontario, Canada) combined on a five-hit shutout and sophomore Jenny Side (Loganville, Ga.) hit a solo homer in the fourth to break a 0-0 deadlock.
Stophlet started and allowed four hits in three innings while Laliberte
(5-2) K’d seven in four innings and gave up just one safety.
The Eagles got some insurance runs in the seventh on back-to-back errors.
Georgia Southern completes play Sunday against host Samford at noon EST.
Chattanooga 8, Indiana 1
Connecticut 1, Chattanooga 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Junior outfielder Laci Upchurch (Madison, Tenn.) pounded a grand slam in the second inning and freshman catcher Katie Blevins (Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.) hammered her seventh homerun of the season as Chattanooga (10-8) defeated Indiana (2-6) 8-1 Saturday afternoon before falling 1-0 to Connecticut at Jim Frost Stadium.
In Game 1, the Lady Mocs came out firing on all cylinders as junior third baseman Toni Hutchison (Madison, Tenn.) singled home a run and Blevins drilled a three-run shot over the left field fence to stake UTC to a 4-0 first inning lead. The onslaught continued in the second inning as Chattanooga quickly loaded the bases, setting the stage for Upchurch's second career grand slam which she drove over the left centerfield fence to make the score 8-1 after two innings.
That would be all the Lady Mocs would need as sophomore pitcher Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) settled in and pitched a complete game and allowed only the one earned run while striking out five batters. Loudermilk picked up the win to move to 4-4 on the season while freshman Sara Olson took the loss for the Hoosiers, dropping to 0-1 on the season.
Upchurch finished the game 2-for-3 with four RBIs and a run scored while Blevins went 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs. She currently leads the team with seven homeruns and 18 RBIs while Upchurch is now second on the team in both categories with three homeruns and 15 RBIs. Loudermilk lowered her ERA to 2.80 on the season.
Freshman Brittany Devitt accounted for the only Indiana run as she connected for her second homerun of the year in top of the second inning.
While Game 1 was an offensive clinic, the second game of the day for the Lady Mocs was just as impressive a pitching performance. In that game, both sophomore Tricia Sullivan for UConn and freshman pitcher Kandice Irwin (Knoxville, Tenn.) for UTC pitched a shutout through six inning with only three hits being tallied between the two teams.
At one point, Irwin retired 14 consecutive batters while Sullivan allowed only one hit, a Hutchison single in the second inning, for the entire game. In the top of the seventh inning, one scoreless stretch would end as freshman Melissa Lucas connected for her second homerun of the season to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning.
It would be enough as Sullivan continued her dominance and closed out the 1-0 victory with a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom half of the frame. Sullivan struck out four batters and improves to 2-2 on the year while Irwin drops to 4-3 after striking out six batters in seven innings. Irwin lowers her ERA to 2.80 and is tied for the team lead with Loudermilk.
Chattanooga is back in action tomorrow afternoon as they close out the Frost Classic with two games, beginning with former Southern Conference foe Marshall at 2:15 p.m. and continuing with currently 11-0 Morehead State at 4:30 p.m. Both games will be at Frost Stadium.
Cleveland State 12, Appalachian State 2
RICHMOND, Ky. ? Appalachian State softball suffered a tough loss to Cleveland State on Saturday afternoon in the opening game of the EKU invitational. Appalachian fell to 1-10 on the season while Cleveland State improves their record to 5-0. The game was much closer than the final score showed with the Vikings adding seven runs in the top of the seventh inning.
The Mountaineers faced a strong Viking pitching staff that had allowed only two runs, one earned, all season. Appalachian tallied seven hits and stranded eight runners on base.
Appalachian, trailing 4-0, posted two runs in the bottom of the second inning. A one-out dropped fly ball put freshman Morgan Price on first base for sophomore designated player Meagan Squartino. The Skippack, Pa. native blasted her first career home run over the left field wall. The four-bagger slashed the Viking lead in half.
Cleveland State added another run off of starting pitcher Teri Fister in the top of the third to extend the lead to 5-2. The Viking home run ended Fister’s day after 2+ innings pitched allowing five runs, all earned off five hits. The junior struck out one while walking two batters.
Junior Yancy Moose replaced Fister and held the Vikings scoreless for the next four innings.
In the seventh, Cleveland State added seven runs with six coming off Moose. With one out in the frame, junior Kayla Richardson was called upon to close the game out for the Mountaineers. Moose finished the game allowing six runs, five earned, off four hits. She struck out two while walking four.
Richardson worked the final two-thirds of an inning, closing the book on the Vikings allowing one run off two hits.
Fister was saddled with the loss, her fourth of the season.
Junior second baseman Brittany Gaston led the way at the plate for the Mountaineers, batting 3-for-4 on the day. The Mountaineers overall tallied seven hits to Cleveland State’s twelve. The error column was even at two.
The 2008 EKU invitational will conclude on Sunday afternoon with games against Eastern Kentucky and Dayton. The Mountaineers will face the Flyers at 1:30 p.m. followed immediately by the host EKU at 3:30 p.m.
UNC Greensboro 1, Delaware 0
Radford 2, UNC Greensboro 1
GREENVILLE, NC ? An RBI single from Radford catcher Sarah Himan in the seventh inning proved to be the game winner as the Radford Highlanders defeated the UNC Greensboro softball team, 2-1 in the final of the silver bracket at the East Carolina Pirate Clash on Sunday. UNCG defeated Delaware, 1-0 in the early game to advance to the final.
Hannah Angel fell to 3-6 on the season after twirling six innings of work while allowing two runs on four hits. Lyndsay Mouse was 2-for-3 from the plate to lead the Spartans in the loss.
Both teams had chances to take the lead late in the game. In the sixth inning Radford had runners in scoring position with two outs but a lofty fly out to leftfield caught by Brittany Ausley ended the threat. The Spartans also had a chance in the top of the sixth, with runners on second and third but an unassisted putout at first base ended the inning.
Radford was able to take the early 1-0 lead in the first inning of the late game. A hard driven ball from Radford’s Ashley Carlson popped out of the glove of third baseman Whitney Miller putting a runner on base. Carlson then proceeded to steal second and rounded the bases fielders choice.
UNCG answered in the top of the second with a run to tie the game at 1-1. Ashley Taylor walked designated player Leslie Furness to open the inning and shortstop Kaitlin Merkt laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Furness to second. Taylor walked the next two batters to load the bases and a misplayed ball from RU’s shortstop sent Furness home. The bases remained loaded but UNCG couldn’t muster another hit to take the lead.
Amber Harrell (6-5) had a no hitter going until the top of the sixth inning in their win over Delaware in the early game, when Quinn Megargel hit a single to third base but the Blue Hens couldn’t get anything going, leaving her stranded.
Harrell picked up her sixth win of the season after throwing seven innings of work and allowing no runs on one hit while striking out five. Leslie Furness and Whitney Miller came up big at the plate for the Spartans both going 2-for-3 from the plate. Miller scored the lone run while Furness had the RBI.
UNCG came out hitting right from the start against Delaware. After leadoff batter Mary Greenway grounded out to second base Whitney Miller hit a shot through centerfield to get on base. Whitney Miller continued her stellar play with a single which advanced Miller and a double from designated player Leslie Furness sent Miller around the bases to put UNCG ahead, 1-0.
The Blue Hens threatened to tie the score in the third inning. Amber Harrell walked leftfielder Cecile Eagan and a sacrifice bunt in the next at bat moved her to second base. Katie DeSalvo grounded out to the pitcher on the next play which advanced Eagan to third but a ground out to UNCG shortstop Kaitlin Merkt ended the threat.
UNCG almost had an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. Furness hit a single and moved to second on the throw before a pop out moved Kristen Gabel, who was pinch running for Furness, to third base although a fly out from Brittany Ausley ended the inning.
The Spartans return to UNCG Softball Stadium for a midweek doubleheader with North Carolina on Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 3 pm.
Georgia Southern 8, Samford 0
BIRMINGHAM --- Georgia Southern senior Melissa Laliberte (Cobourg, Ontario, Canada) tossed a five-hit shutout and junior Robyne Siliga (Oceanside, Calif.) tied the school’s career home run record in the Eagles’ 8-0 five-inning win Sunday over host Samford at the Magic City Classic.
The five straight shutouts, all at the Magic City Classic, are a new school record. Five pitchers held the opposition to a .131 average against ? 13 hits in 31 innings of work.
“Overall, it was definitely a good weekend for us,” said GSU head coach Natalie Poole. “I feel like that we came out ready to play. We knew, of course, we were going to have to pitch well and be able to continue our offensive game that we’ve been having. Instead, we just had timely hits that scored enough runs for us and I thought that we pitched better and we also played pretty good ?D’ this weekend.”
Siliga ties Sam Steiner’s (2002-06) mark of 20. The 2005 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year has five bombs on the season, halfway to Crystal Crews’ single-season record of 10 set in 2002.
“I thought that mentally and physically she made adjustments each at bat, which I was pleased with,” Poole said.
Laliberte (6-2) allowed three hits and struck out three with one walk.
Laliberte went 3-0 on the weekend with one shutout and combined for two others.
Siliga went 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs. Her three-run homer in the fourth put the Eagles ahead 8-0.
Junior Michelle Beasley (Metter, Ga.) and sophomore Jenny Side (Loganville, Ga.) each had two-RBI hits. Sophomore Sam Russo (Snellville, Ga.) added two more safeties in three at bats.
“We came out hitting right away,” said Poole. “We had some good hits to score multiple runs and we were able to put them away in five. It’s great because I thought that Samford would be like Birmingham Southern or UAB in terms of competitiveness.”
Georgia Southern (14-10) hosts Presbyterian Wednesday in a doubleheader that will start at 3 p.m.
College of Charleston 5, Howard 3 (8 Inn.)
Mt. Pleasant, S.C. -- The College of Charleston softball team edged Howard, 5-3 after eight innings in game 14 of the CofC Invitational Sunday afternoon at Patriots Point Field.
The Cougars 8-13 are undefeated on the weekend and will face UNC Wilmington in the final game of the tournament. The Bison finish the tournament 0-7 overall.
Kristie Shifflett and Shannon Howard opened the visitors' half of the first inning with two runs. Shifflett reach base on a walk following a double to left by Howard. Catcher Brittany Small smacked a singled to left to bat in the two runs.
The Bison responded in the bottom of the second. Shortstop Candice Tatum reached first on balls and stole second. Tatum would go on to steal home after teammate Christina McCoy watched strike three.
HU added two more runs in the sixth inning to gain the advantage over CofC. Courtney Young and Kristina Cordova scored for the Bison off a single to left and a Cougar error.
Freshman Sam Kubinski tied the score for Charleston in the seventh. She came in to pinch run for Linzi Bereitschaft who double to left-center. After moving to third on an Alex Williams sacrifice bunt, Kubinski reached home when Christal Kotchman hit a sac fly to center.
After a scoreless half inning by the Bison, Tiffany Harmon and Terri Mesko scored the winning runs for the Cougars in the top of the eighth. Following international tie-breaker rules, Harmon started the inning on second. After Harmon advance to third on a sacrifice bunt by Kristi Woodall, she scored the go-ahead run off a sacrifice fly by Shifflett. Mesko, a sophomore from McDonough, Ga., doubled to right-center. She scored on a single by right fielder Katie Nutaitis to put the final score at 5-3.
Mesko (3-7) gets credit for the win. She struck out three batters through 10 at-bats after coming in to relieve Howard. Dale McNeal's record falls to (0-5). She struck out six CofC batters and recorded four earned runs.
The Cougars will make a trip to the west coast to play in the Stanford Classic Friday, March 7-Sunday, March 9.
Evansville 6, Western Carolina 3
Evansville 6, Western Carolina 3
PANTHERSVILLE, Ga. ? Western Carolina softball (2-12) dropped a pair of games to Evansville in the final day of the Georgia State Showdown. The Catamounts lost both games by the score of 6-3.
After three scoreless innings, Western Carolina scored first in the opening game with Evansville. Senior Jamie Swank hit the first triple of the year for the Catamounts in the top of the fourth and scored off an RBI groundout by Amber Hawkins.
Evansville answered with two runs in the bottom of fourth inning. The Purple Aces posted six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Western Carolina rallied for two runs in the top of the sixth inning but couldn’t push anymore runs across the plate. Again, Swank got on base and Hawkins hit an RBI double for the first run of the inning. Junior Beth Hauser’s RBI single scored Hawkins for the second run.
Junior Michelle Tating took the loss in the game, falling to 2-2 on the season. Junior Lauren Ross came in the game in relief and tossed 1.1 scoreless innings.
Ross got the call in the second inning and gave up all six runs to take the loss falling to 0-5. Of the six runs Evansville only two were earned and credited to Ross as she also recorded three strikeouts.
Evansville took the early lead scoring three runs in the top of the first. Western Carolina would pull within one run, 3-2, with two runs in the top of the second. After Mollie Fowler led off the inning with a double, she scored thanks to an RBI double by Stephanie Beatty. Casey Camp’s RBI single scored Beatty for the second run.
Evansville tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Catamounts added one run in the top of the seventh off an RBI single by Hauser.
Western Carolina returns to action Monday in the Rebel Games in Orlando, Fla. The Catamounts face Holy Cross at 9 a.m.
College of Charleston 10, UNC Wilmington 6
Mt. Pleasant, S.C. -- The College of Charleston softball team rallied back in the fifth inning to win the final game of the CofC Invitational over UNC Wilmington 10-6, Sunday evening from Patriots Point.
"The exciting thing for me as a coach is that we showed character and came back," said CofC Head Coach Shelly Hoerner.
Having gone undefeated in the tournament, the Cougars improved their record to 9-13. With the loss, UNCW falls to 3-6 overall.
After playing three innings without answering the Seahawks' three first-inning runs, CofC got on the board with three runs of its own in the bottom of the fourth. Alex Williams, Christal Kotchman and Tiffany Harmon turned in runs to put the Cougars equal with UNCW. Williams scored on a two-out double to left-center by Harmon, a junior left fielder, that put Kotchman within striking distance on third base. Kristi Woodall reached base on a Seahawk error and Kotchman and Harmon took advantage of the opportunity for the final two runs of the inning.
The Seahawks got back on top with three runs more runs in the fifth, but Charleston would battle back again. With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Alexa Datko hit a line drive to right to spark a Cougar rally resulting in seven runs, putting CofC up 10-6. The squad batted through the line-up with Williams, Datko, Kotchman, Woodall, Harmon, Kristie Shifflett and Shannon Howard all scoring runs. Charleston logged six of its total 10 hits in the fifth inning.
Datko (1-1) got credit for her first win of the season. The freshman from San Diego, Calif., pitched through 6.1 innings striking out five Seahawk batters with only four hits. Amanda Aditays (2-3) saw 23 CofC batters, striking out one and allowing three runs before being relived by Brittney Lehrschall.
The Cougars return to action Friday, March 7, to take on Campbell at 10 a.m. at the Stanford Classic in Palo Alto, Calif.
Chattanooga 6, Marshall 5
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. ? After a back-and-forth affair, freshman first baseman Michelle Fuzzard (Huntington Beach, Calif.) belted a walk-off homerun in the bottom of the seventh inning as Chattanooga (11-8) defeated Marshall (8-10) 6-5 Sunday afternoon in the finale of the Frost Classic at Jim Frost Stadium
After working out of a first and second jam with no outs in the top of the second inning, the Lady Mocs got on the board in the their half of the third inning as freshman outfielder Lauren Flores (Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.) connected for an RBI single and redshirt-freshman infielder Tiffany Baker (East Ridge, Tenn.) drilled an RBI double to give UTC a 2-0 lead.
Chattanooga added to its lead in the fourth inning when Baker led off with a triple to the right field gap and was driven in by a Flores sacrifice fly to make it 3-0 Lady Mocs.
The Thundering Herd made their presence known in the fifth inning, however, as they scored four runs on three hits, including a three-run homerun by senior Samantha Rodriguez, to take a 4-3 lead. It would be short lived, however, as UTC quickly responded with an RBI triple from freshman catcher Katie Blevins (Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.) and a sacrifice fly from junior outfielder Laci Upchurch (Madison, Tenn.) to regain the lead, 5-4, in the bottom half of the fifth inning.
Marshall rallied to tie the game in the top of the seventh inning as junior Rachael Sofie lined a double to left center, tying the game at 5-5. Following a ground out to start the bottom of the seventh inning, Fuzzard then powered a massive homerun down the left field line to give the Lady Mocs the 6-5 victory and 2-1 record over the weekend.
Fuzzard went 2-for-4 on the day with a run and an RBI while Flores, Blevins and junior third baseman Toni Hutchison (Madison, Tenn.) each went 1-for-2 with a run and an RBI. Freshman outfielder Lyndsey Stiles (Hixson, Tenn.) and Upchurch each contributed an RBI.
For Marshall, Rodriguez led the way with three RBIs while senior Rachel Folden went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.
Freshman pitcher Kandice Irwin (Knoxville, Tenn.) earned the win for Chattanooga to go to 5-3 on the season while junior Autumn Mitchell took the loss for the Herd to drop to 4-3 on the year.
The Lady Mocs return to action on Tuesday, March 4 when they host the Toledo Rockets in a double-header at 4 p.m. at Jim Frost Stadium.
Elon 12, Seton Hall 2
Elon 8, Ohio 1
ELON, N.C.- The Elon softball used six homeruns to power their way to a 12-2 victory over Seton Hall and 8-1 win over Ohio in the final day of the Golden Corral Phoenix Classic. Seton Hall took the tournament title as they finished 3-1 on the weekend.
Elon now owns an 8-7 record this season. Seton Hall fell to 3-6 on the year, while Ohio sits at 4-5.
Allison Hartman drew an opening walk to start the trend of lead-off batters reaching base, as each of the lead-off hitters reached in each of the five innings played. Hartman advanced on a passed ball and moved to third following a sacrifice bunt by Patti Weber. With two outs, Melanie Helterbran drove the first pitch she saw to deep left center for the first of six homeruns on the day and put Elon on top 2-0.
Seton Hall looked to answer in the top of the second with back-to-back singles to put runners in scoring position. The Phoenix defense recorded the second out when they tagged the lead runner out at third. SHU could not push the runs across the plate as the final batter grounded out to the shortstop.
Jamie Rao took the first pitch of the Elon second inning over the right centerfield wall to extend the Phoenix lead to three. It would be the only run scored in the third as the Pirates retired the next three batters.
Kealan Waldron recorded a RBI in the third to put the Pirates on the board when she hit into a fielder’s choice that scored Michelle Reed from second. With two outs, the next two batters reached when Jenna Best was hit by a pitch and Amanda Winn drew a walk to load the bases. Christa Leighton grounded out to the shortstop to end the Pirate threat.
Hartman led off the bottom half the third inning with a solo shot to deep right field to make it a 4-1 game. Weber singled to left on the next at bat but was called out at third on a fielder’s choice by Helterbran. Debbie Zeigler singled to load the bases. Jamie Rao walked in a run after working her way to a full count. Jaymie Shanahan singled and then advanced to second on the throw from the centerfielder. The singled scored Zeigler and Helterbran to extend the Phoenix lead to 7-1. Brandi Jones tacked on three runs when she cleared the bases with a roundtripper to make it a 10-1 game. The next two batters reached but could not score as Tracey Dahlen ended the seven-run inning when she struck out looking.
SHU narrowed the Elon lead to eight when she scored the final Pirate run on an error by the pitcher.
Elon scored two runs on one hit and took advantage of two Pirate errors to score the final two runs of the game. Helterbran reached on a walk that was followed by an error by the second baseman that put Zeigler on first. Rao executed a sacrifice bunt perfectly to advance Jackie Gonzalez, who came into run for Helterbran, and Zeigler. Shanahan loaded the bases when she was hit by a pitch. Jones singled to score Zeigler and advanced on an error by the pitcher. The error proved costly as Gonzalez scored the final run to seal the 12-2 win.
Pam DelPizzo picked up her second win of the season and improved to 2-3. Taking the loss was Seton Hall’s Jessica Jones who is 0-1 this season.
Ohio took an early 1-0 lead in the second game when Jordan Paden singled up the middle to score Courtney Waters who opened the game with a walk.
Elon answered in its half of the inning when Hartman scored on a passed ball after reaching on a walk.
The bats were quiet until the third inning when Ohio recorded two hits but could not push the go-ahead run across the plate. Elon scored three runs off of four hits that included a two-run homerun by Rao to make it a 4-1 game. Weber scored the first run of the inning off a lineout by Helterbran.
Elon tacked on four more runs in the fifth to take an 8-1 lead. Caitlin McGowen drove in the first run of the innig when she singled to right center that scored Rao from second after she drew a walk and then stole second. Jones hit her second round-tripper of the game with a three-run shot to straightaway centerfield.
Ohio threatened in the sixth when it recorded two hits that put runners in scoring position. The runners could not cross home plate as the final two batters were retired.
Samathan Schroeder earned the win for the Phoenix and improved to 1-1 on the year. Michelle Sauter suffered the loss and fell to 0-1.
Elon begins a 15-game road trip next weekend when they travel to Atlanta, Ga. for the Buzz Classic hosted by Georgia Tech. The team will face Western Michigan Friday at 1 p.m. for the first of five games in the tournament.
Dayton 2, Appalachian State 1
Eastern Kentucky 6, Appalachian State 1
RICHMOND, Ky. ? Appalachian State softball had another tough day, falling in heartbreaking fashion to Dayton, 2-1, then Eastern Kentucky, 6-1. With the pair of losses, ASU’s rough start continues, falling to 1-12 on the season. The Mountaineers have lost six consecutive games, tying the longest losing skid of the season.
Junior Kayla Richardson was given the nod to start the game inside the circle for the Apps. The West Jefferson, N.C. native scattered six hits in a complete game performance. She struck out one and allowed two earned runs against the Flyers.
The Mountaineers trailed 2-0 in the sixth inning as freshman Katie Boyd stepped in with the bases empty and one out. She took the 1-0 pitch over the left field fence for her sixth home run of the season. Boyd is now one round-tripper shy of the ASU single-season home run record.
In the bottom of the seventh, junior Ashley Gaston and senior Tiffany Hensley rattled off consecutive no-out singles to put the tying-run in scoring position. A pair of outs followed by a walk to freshman Sarah Rappe brought Boyd to the plate with two-down. However, Boyd’s bat was quelled when Gaston made the final out at home plate as she attempted to score on a passed ball.
Richardson was given the loss in her fourth complete game of the season.
In game two, the Mountaineers were not able to keep pace with a familiar foe. The third meeting between EKU and ASU resulted in another Colonel victory.
Junior Yancy Moose was tabbed as ASU’s starting pitcher for the EKU game. She allowed three hits and two runs in three innings of work. Moose also tallied two strikeouts while walking three.
Richardson was called upon in the fourth inning for her fifth relief appearance of the season. She allowed four runs on five hits, striking out one and walking one.
Rappe scored ASU’s lone run of a fifth inning ground out with the bases loaded by junior Andrea McIntyre. The Mountaineers then stranded two runners in scoring position to end the inning.
Boyd nearly hit her seventh home run of the season in the top of the third. With runners on first and second, the Walkertown native caught a 2-2 pitch and hit it 217 feet to straight-away centerfield. Unfortunately the fence measured 220 feet and the drive was caught for the first out of the inning.
Moose was saddled with the loss, her fourth of the season.
The Mountaineers close the season series against head coach Amy Herrington’s alma mater, 0-3.
Next weekend, Appalachian will travel south to the FSU Invitational in Tallahassee, Fla. The weekend opens up with a 12:15 p.m. against Georgia State. The Mountaineers will then face host Florida State at 4:45 p.m. On Saturday, March 8, ASU will face UConn at 10 a.m., to be followed by a bracket round in the afternoon.