Elon 4, UNC Greensboro 2
GREENSBORO, N.C. ? The UNC Greensboro softball team tried to rally with two runs in the seventh inning but Elon held on for the 4-2 win in Southern Conference softball action at UNCG Softball Stadium on Sunday.
UNCG (18-31, 4-11 SoCon) was led by rightfielder Mary Greenway who was 3-of-4 from the plate with one run scored and one RBI on the afternoon. Lyndsay Mouse increased her hitting streak to for games with one hit and one RBI on the afternoon while Brittany Ausley also has a four game hitting streak.
Amber Harell took the loss fro the Spartans after allowing three runs on three hits in 1.0 inning of work. Hannah Angel came in and twirled 6.0 innings of relief, allowing one run on four hits.
Elon jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning similar to what UNCG did in Saturday’s late game. The Patti Weber got the action going with a single to shortstop in Elon’s second at bat of the afternoon. Weber stole second on the next play and back-to-back walks from Amber Harrell loaded the bases. An RBI single from Allison Hartman pushed two runs across and a single from Rebecca Rijavec put the Phoenix ahead,3-0.
It was a pitcher duel for most of the next four innings. UNCG’s Hannah Angel came in the top of the second and scattered four hits while giving up one run. The Eastbend, NC native also recorded four strikeouts.
The Spartans had a chance to cut into the lead in the second inning. Elon pitcher Carole Lilley recorded three walks to load the bases with two outs but a strikeout from Mary Greenway ended the inning leaving all three runners stranded.
The Phoenix capped their scoring with a run in the top of the sixth inning. Hartman hit a leadoff single to left field and was moved with a sacrifice bunt from Rijavec. She rounded the bases with a RBI single from catcher Jaimie Rao.
UNCG made things interesting late in the game. Center centerfielder Laura Olenderski was hit by a stray pitch to take base and a RBI double from Greenway sent her around the bases. Greenway added a run of her own with a ground out but the Spartans couldn’t complete the rally dropping the game.
The Spartans will close out the regular season next weekend when they welcome Furman to UNCG Softball Stadium. Saturday’s doubleheader gets underway at 1 pm with a scheduled 1 pm start on Sunday. UNCG will honor senior Mary Greenway prior to Sunday’s game. Elon hosts Charlotte Tuesday in a non-conference clash, starting at 4 p.m.
Western Carolina 6, Furman 5
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina softball won its second straight Southern Conference series and third of the season with a 6-5, come from behind victory, over Furman Sunday at the Catamount Softball Complex after sitting through a one hour rain delay that halted the game in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Catamounts improve to 17-34 overall and 7-14 in the SoCon while Furman drops to 21-28 and 8-10 in the SoCon.
Furman got on the board in the first inning to start the game. Starting pitcher Lilly McDonagh overthrew a ground ball to first base allowing Katie Michaels to reach first. After McDonagh got two outs, Brythe Blankenship hit an RBI single to score Michaels.
McDonagh tossed two strong innings in the second and third picking up two strikeouts. However, in the fourth inning, Furman burnt McDonagh for three runs to take a 4-0 lead.
Western Carolina scored a run in the bottom of the fourth. Amber Hawkins led off the inning by reaching first thanks to a Furman miscue. Hawkins was erased by a fielder's choice by Stephanie Beatty after Beth Hauser lined out to the shortstop. Two consecutive Furman errors not only allowed Mollie Fowler to go all the way to second, it also plated Beatty for a Catamount run. Lauren Ross followed with a single up the middle, which pushed Fowler to third, and the Catamounts had runners on second and third with two outs after Ross stole second. However, Heather Pritchard ground out to end the inning.
McDonagh was pulled in the fifth inning and replaced by Ross. Furman reclaimed its four-run lead when Stephanie Cushing hit Ross' offering over the centerfield wall for the first homerun of the weekend series. Ross followed the Furman homerun with a pair of groundouts and a strikeout to end the inning.
The bottom of the fifth was rally time for Western Carolina as the Catamounts took the lead for good. Furman replaced starting pitcher Lana Mackey with Bethany Ullrich who promptly walked Keely Torgison and Jamie Swank. When Torgison stole third Swank also advanced to second to place runners in scoring position. An illegal pitch was called on Ullrich with the count 3-2 to Danielle Resse, which gave Reese first base, sent Swank to third and scored Torgison.
Ullrich was pulled for Mackey who forced Hawkins to fly out to left field, but the sacrifice allowed Swank to score for the second run of the inning. With two outs, Beatty reached on a Furman error which moved Reese to second. Fowler singled through the left side to score Reese and Ross tied the game when she hit a double to center field to plate Beatty.
Western Carolina took the lead thanks to an RBI single by Heather Pritchard, who hadn't been in the batting line-up since an injury sidelined her after the series with UNC Greensboro on April 6. Pritchard slapped the ball past the pitcher Mackey and it squirted past the second baseman to score Fowler and give Western Carolina a 6-5 advantage.
It was then time for Ross to go to work and hold Furman. After tossing 16 innings the day before, Ross came into the game and tossed three innings to up her total to 19 innings for the weekend. After giving up the homerun to Cushing to start the fifth inning, Ross sat down the next nine Furman batters to close out the game for Western Carolina. Ross' line reads three innings, one run, one hit and two strikeouts. Ross now has 104 strikeouts this season which bests her single-season total of 102 she set last season.
Ross, Fowler and Swank each had a pair of hits in the game. Ross is also now chasing Beatty in the career RBI race as she has 77 in her career and Beatty broke the record on Saturday and now leads the club with 79.
Western Carolina hosts its final home games of the year when the Catamounts welcome Winston-Salem State Tuesday for a doubleheader at the Catamount Softball Complex. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. Furman closes the regular season with a three-game set at UNC Greensboro beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Georgia Southern 5, Appalachian State 0
BOONE, N.C. --- Senior Melissa Laliberte tossed a three-hit shutout and Georgia Southern scored all five runs in the fourth inning as the Eagles defeated Appalachian State 5-0 in Southern Conference softball action Sunday at the ASU Softball Stadium.
GSU wins the series 2-1 and goes to 32-27 overall on the season and 11-7 in the SoCon. ASU drops to 10-35 and 6-10.
Prior to the game, seniors Natalie Willis and Tiffany Hensley were honored for their contributions to ASU Softball in their four years on The Mountain.
Senior Aubrey Thweatt (Georgia, Vt.), sophomore Nina Iduate (Norcross, Ga.) and junior Amanda Hall (Haddock, Ga.) each had two hits and scored a run.
The Eagles batted around in the fourth and got five straight hits to start the inning. Sophomore Jenny Side (Loganville, Ga.) had a two-RBI single and Hall and junior Michelle Beasley (Metter, Ga.) added run-scoring singles.
Laliberte (15-11) did not allow a runner past second base and struck out five to earn her fifth shutout of the season.
Kayla Richardson (6-17) gave up 10 hits and five earned runs for App State.
With the loss, ASU closes the regular season at 10-35 overall and 6-10 in the Southern Conference. Currently sixth in the league, ASU can only finish in sixth or seventh place to enter the tournament. UNC Greensboro is the only team able to overtake the Mountaineers. The Spartans must win three of their remaining four conference games to take over sixth place in the league.
The Mountaineers will play next at the Southern Conference Tournament in Charleston, S.C. The 2008 edition starts on May 7 at the Patriots Point Athletic Complex.
The Eagles wrap up the regular season May 3-4 at home against Chattanooga.
Chattanooga/Charleston Rained Out
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. ? For the 16th time in the 2008 season, the Lady Mocs have had a game washed away by rain, this time the series finale against the College of Charleston.
Already delayed a half hour due to severe weather in the Chattanooga area, the Lady Mocs wasted no time as they jumped out to an early 2-0 first inning lead before the rains returned in the middle of the third inning. Those rains would not abate as UTC was denied an opportunity to clinch the Southern Conference with a victory.
Prior to the game, the Lady Mocs two seniors, Ashlan Clarkson and Tara Tembey, were both recognized on Senior Day and Jim Frost, whom Frost Stadium is named for, threw out the ceremonial first pitch and was presented with a framed program from the opening game ten years ago against Tennessee.
Chattanooga will wrap up the regular season next weekend when they travel to Statesboro, Georgia for a three-game series with the Eagles. Game 1 is slated for a 3:00 p.m. start on Saturday, May 3 while the series will wrap up at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 4.