UNC Greensboro 5, Elon 4 (8 inn.)
UNC Greensboro 2, Elon 0
GREENSBORO, N.C. ? The UNC Greensboro softball team picked up its first Southern Conference doubleheader win over backyard rival, Elon on Saturday afternoon. The Spartans took game one, 5-4 in extra innings and completed the doubleheader sweep with a 2-0 win in the late game.
UNCG (17-30, 4-10 SoCon) was led by upperclassmen Mary Greenway and Lyndsay Mouse. Rightfielder Greenway was 4-of-7 from the plate with one run scored while Mouse continued her clutch hitting as of late and was 3-of-6 on the afternoon. Mary Catherine Vercoe also extended her hitting streak to five games with hits in both games.
The Spartan pitchers both played excellent. Angel picked up her second consecutive win after allowing four runs on nine hits in 8.0 innings of work while striking out nine. Harrell picked up the shutout after allowing no runs on three hits in 6.0 innings of action.
The Spartans got on the board first in the early game courtesy of two consecutive hits from Mouse and shortstop Kaitlin Merkt. Mouse got things started with a single to right center followed by a Merkt single to left field to give UNCG two base runners. Elon pitcher Pam DelPizzo loaded the bases after hitting Vercoe and an RBI single from right fielder Brittany Ausley plated Mouse and Merkt to give the Spartans the early advantage.
Elon would respond with two runners of their own in the fourth innings. Shortstop Tracey Dahlen hit a leadoff bunt single and put another runner on when Allison Hartman was hit by a pitch. The Phoenix loaded the bases when Hannah Angel walked Melanie Helterbran. Elon pushed two runs across with a RBI double from Rebecca Rijavec to notch the score at 2-2.
With the game tied at 3-3 at the end of seven innings the game went into extra innings. Elon struck first and took a 4-3 lead. Helterbran hit a leadoff double in the top of the eighth and an RBI double from catcher Patti Weber plated Jaymie Shanahan, who pinch ran for Helterbran.
The bottom half of the lineup came up big for the Spartans. After Brittany Ausley reach on a walk, designated player Whitney Miller got things going with a single, giving UNCG two base runners. A sacrifice bunt from Whitney Sirois moved both runners and a RBI single from freshman Kristen Gabel brought Ausley home and Olenderski scored the game-winner on an error from Elon’s second baseman, giving the Spartans the win.
In the late game UNCG scored two runs in the first inning and managed to hold Elon to only three hits in the en route to the doubleheader sweep.
Greenway, who was 3-of-4 in the second game, hit a leadoff single to start off the first inning. The Spartans then used singles from Mouse and Vercoe to load the bases and an RBI single from Whitney Miller plated both runners.
Elon had a chance to cut into the lead in the second inning. Rijavec and Weber had back-to-back singles and were able to put runners in scoring position but the threat ended with a ground out to close the inning. Elon wasn’t able to get anything else going and UNCG played solid defense to take the second game.
The weekend series concludes on Sunday with a single game. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at UNCG Softball Stadium.
College of Charleston 2, Chattanooga 0
College of Charleston 3, Chattanooga 2
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Sophomore pitcher Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) threw 6.1 scoreless, two hit innings and freshman outfielder Lauren Flores (Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.) added two hits and an RBI but it was not enough as the College of Charleston (30-29, 11-6) handed Chattanooga (34-17, 12-3) its first back-to-back losses since February 20 with 2-0 and 3-2 victories Saturday afternoon at Jim Frost Stadium.
A leadoff single and a double helped to load the bases in the top half of the first inning for the Cougars before Loudermilk worked out of the jam with a strikeout. In the home half of the inning, Lauren Flores lined a single down the right field line before back-to-back outs ended the inning.
That's when both team's pitching kicked in as Loudermilk and freshman pitcher Kaitlin Holloway (Chickamauga, Ga.) combined to retire 16 consecutive batters while Cougars sophomore Terri Mesko set down 21 straight to keep the game scoreless and send it to extra innings. UTC's run ended in the seventh with a leadoff walk while Mesko carried Charleston's string into the eighth inning.
In the top of the eighth inning a single by junior shortstop Christal Kotchman and a double by freshman outfielder Kristi Woodall gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead before junior Shannon Howard singled up the middle to make it 2-0. Mesko then made that lead hold up in the bottom of the eighth despite seeing junior outfielder Laci Upchurch (Madison, Tenn.) reach on a throwing error to snap her string of 21 consecutive outs.
Mesko improved to 11-17 on the year while Holloway saw her string of six consecutive wins snapped to fall to 8-2. On offense, Flores notched the only hit for the Lady Mocs, going 1-for-3.
Game 2 was nearly a carbon copy of the opener as Chattanooga compiled two hits early on while Charleston managed only one and both team's pitchers were dominated as they kept the game scoreless until the top of the sixth inning. A pair of singles and a sacrifice bunt put runners on first and third and a steal of second put two runners in scoring position. A throwing error and a single by Woodall then put the Cougars ahead 2-0.
The Lady Mocs responded in the bottom half of the inning when senior shortstop Tara Tembey (Folsom, Calif.) leadoff with a triple to right field and was driven home on a sac bunt by Flores to make it 2-1. Freshman first baseman Michelle Fuzzard (Huntington Beach, Calif.) then singled up the middle and was pinch run for by freshman infielder Kristin Holloway (Chickamauga, Ga.). Holloway then scored from first on a double to the left centerfield gap by junior third baseman Toni Hutchison (Madison, Tenn.), tying the game at 2-2.
Charleston would respond in the top of the seventh, however, as sophomore third baseman Kristie Shifflett doubled to left center to lead off the inning. Freshman Katie Nutaitis then singled up the middle to score pinch-runner Alex Williams and give the Cougars a 3-2 lead.
A leadoff single in the seventh by senior outfielder Ashlan Clarkson (Chickamauga, Ga.), sac bunt by redshirt-freshman infielder Tiffany Baker (East Ridge, Tenn.) and a ground out by pinch hitter Lynleigh Hurndon (McDonough, Ga.) put the tying run on third base for Chattanooga with two outs. Facing the top of the order, Shannon Howard then struck out Tembey to lock up the 3-2 victory.
Howard improved to 17-10 on the year while freshman pitcher Kandice Irwin (Knoxville, Tenn.) took the loss for UTC to fall to 8-7 on the year.
Offensively, Hutchison went 2-for-3 with an RBI while Flores finished 1-for-2 with an RBI. Tembey, Fuzzard, Clarkson and freshman catcher Katie Blevins (Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.) each added a hit.
The Lady Mocs wrap up the Charleston series, and their 2008 home schedule, tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 p.m. Tomorrow will also be the final home game for seniors Ashlan Clarkson and Tara Tembey as the Lady Mocs celebrate Senior Day 2008.
Appalachian State 1, Georgia Southern 0 (10 inn.)
Georgia Southern 9, Appalachian State 1 (6 inn.)
Boone, N.C. ? The Appalachian State softball team extended its win streak to three games by downing Georgia Southern in 10 innings to open the final regular season series of the year on Saturday afternoon. In the second game of the day, the Eagles roared back for a 9-1 victory to snap the streak. ASU improved to 10-34, 6-9 SoCon this year while Georgia Southern improves to 31-27, 10-7 SoCon.
Prior to the start of game one, former head coach Willie Rucker threw out the first pitch. The former Mountaineer skipper ended her seven year tenure with ASU last October when she retired.
Freshman Sarah Rappe ended Georgia Southern’s no-hit bid in the fifth inning with a two-out single up the middle. However, she was not the first ASU baserunner of the day. In the second inning, the Mountaineers loaded the bases off walks and hit batters, but stranded three ducks on the pond as Georgia Southern retired out the side.
In the seventh, junior Ashley Gaston singled to left, but could not advance around to score. In the bottom of the eighth, Appalachian put runners on first and second with no outs. The rally stalled out of the heels of two foul outs and an infield fly.
ASU opened the 10th inning with senior Tiffany Hensley placed on second base thanks to the international tiebreaker rule. Rappe moved Hensley to third with a soft liner down the left field line. The single by Rappe was her game high second. With senior Natalie Willis at the plate, Rappe stole second base. The throw got away from the Eagle defense, allowing Hensley to score standing up.
Junior Kayla Richardson scored the win to improve to 6-16 on the year. She fanned three and walked three in a season high 10 innings pitched. Her 19th complete game of the season gave her sole possession of the ASU single-season complete games record.
Game two opened with two scoreless innings before Georgia Southern posted a run in the third. Appalachian answered in the bottom half of the frame as Willis scored on a ground out by junior Brittany Gaston. Freshman Katie Boyd also attempted to score on the play, but was cut down at home for the second out of the inning.
The Eagles tacked on six runs in the fourth inning to go up 7-1. A two-run home run in the top of the sixth pushed the Eagle lead to 9-1. The Mountaineer bats could not muster a rally in the bottom of the frame as the Apps stranded runners at first and second to end the run-rule game.
Junior Yancy Moose was saddled with the loss, falling to 3-13 on the season. She pitched three and a third of an inning, allowing four runs, three earned on only two hits. She fanned one but walked three and hit two batters. She was replaced by junior Teri Fister, who pitched the final two and two thirds of an inning. She allowed five runs, four earned off 6 hits.
The Mountaineers will conclude the regular season on Sunday at 1 p.m. against Georgia Southern. Prior to the game, Appalachian State will honor the senior class of 2008.
Western Carolina 4, Furman 1
Furman 8, Western Carolina 5 (9 inn.)
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina softball (16-34, 6-14 SoCon) split its doubleheader with Furman (21-27, 8-9 SoCon) Saturday at the Catamount Softball Complex. The Catamounts came from behind to win game one 4-1 only to fall 8-5 in nine innings in the nightcap. The two clubs will fight for the rubber game on Sunday beginning at 1 p.m.
It was senior day for lone senior day Jamie Swank and the Harrisburg, N.C. native put her stamp on the first game. Trailing by a lone run in the bottom of the sixth inning, Swank's heroics secured a win the first game in the series against Furman.
The four-run rally for the Catamounts began when junior third baseman Stephanie Beatty drew a lead off walk. Beatty was out on a fielder's choice by Mollie Fowler, who scampered to second off a Lana Mackey wild pitch. Fowler was replaced by pinch runner Nicole Shook, who moved to third when Mackey walked Alesha Clayton and Keely Torgison to load the bases. It was time for Swank to shine when she hit a screaming shot to left center field, and it looked like she would get the team's third grand-slam of the season, but the ball skimmed the top of the outfield wall and fell back into play. Swank logged in a three RBI triple and give Western Carolina a 3-1 lead. Mackey's second wild pitch of the inning allowed Swank to score for the fourth run.
Junior hurler Lauren Ross got the call to the mound and had another stellar outing. She threw four scoreless innings before yielding a run in the top of the fifth inning. It was Furman's Bethany Ullrich that hit the RBI single for the Paladin's lone run in the game. Ross didn't yield another run going seven innings allowing six hits and struck out five.
Ross also got the starting nod in the second game and after the dust cleared the Hope Mills, N.C. resident would end the day pitching 16 innings when the second contest went into free softball. She showed a bit of fatigue in the second game giving up four runs in the third inning after opening the game with two scoreless. Ross allowed five earned runs and 14 hits and struck out three. It was during the second game Ross went over 100 strikeouts for the second consecutive season and currently has 102 in her career, tying her season high. Ross ended the day with a record of 8-17, having gotten the win in all six of the Catamount's conference victories.
Western Carolina took an early one run lead in the first inning. Swank singled to right field, and after Danielle Reese ground out to move Swank to second, freshman Amber Hawkins doubled to center field to score Swank.
After Furman posted four runs in the top of the third inning, Western Carolina would battle back to tie the game in the bottom half of the third. Swank reached first on an error and was erased when Hawkins hit into a fielder's choice with one out. Beth Hauser singled up the middle to place runners at first and second and both moved to second and third when Furman pitcher Ullrich was called for an illegal pitch.
Beatty came to the plate and belted a two RBI double to center field to score Hawkins and Hauser. Beatty's two RBI broke the school record for RBI in a career upping her total to 79 in her career. After Beatty moved to third on a wild pitch, Fowler singled to left field to plate Beatty.
The two teams went the next four innings knotted at four. As the game moved into extra innings, Furman again took the lead when the Paladins scored a lone run in the top of the eighth thanks to an RBI single by Kate Termini.
Western Carolina answered again when it tied the game with a run of its own in the bottom of the eighth. Ross helped her cause by getting a lead off single up the middle. A sacrifice bunt by Clayton moved Ross to second and with two outs, Swank hit an RBI single to score Ross.
Furman clinched the game when the club scored three runs in the top of the ninth.