Furman 3, College of Charleston 0
Furman 4, College of Charleston 1
Mt. Pleasant, S.C. -- The College of Charleston fell 3-0 in game one and 4-1 in game two of a Southern Conference softball doubleheader against Furman Saturday afternoon at Patriots Point.
The Cougars fall to 21-25 overall and 5-3 in SoCon play. The Paladins move their record to 16-17 overall and 5-3 in the league.
"Furman came to play and they played very well," said CofC Head Coach Shelly Hoerner. "Lana Mackey performed well for them, so I give her a lot of credit."
Charleston went scoreless in game one with a total of two hits. Junior Tiffany Harmon and Kristie Shifflett had the hits for CofC. Terri Mesko (8-13) pitched a complete game allowed six hits through 26 at-bats. The McDonough, Ga., native struck out seven Furman batters and allowed three runs.
Mackey pitched through seven innings striking out four Cougars. She allowed only two hits in 22 at-bats.
CofC scored first in game two, but couldn't hold on to the lead. Harmon scored the Cougars' only run in the third inning off a single by pitcher Shannon Howard.
The Paladins answered with a single run in the fifth and added insurance in the seventh with three more runs. Katie Michaels, Meredith Mielke and Stephanie Cushing scored runs for Furman.
Howard (11-10) pitched through seven innings with three strike outs. She allowed eight hits on 30 at-bats. Mackey got credit for the win in relief of Bethany Ullrich. Mackey pitched three innings to keep the Paladins on top.
The final game of the series is Sunday, April 6, at 1p.m. at Patriots Point.
Georgia Southern 8, Elon 2
Elon 11, Georgia Southern 2
STATESBORO, Ga. --- The Georgia Southern softball team cranked out eight runs and 12 hits in game one and Elon responded with 11 runs and 12 hits in game two to split a Southern Conference doubleheader on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Eagle Field.
The 8-2 win and 11-2 loss evens GSU’s record at 22-22 and 4-4 in the SoCon. Elon moves to 16-15 and 5-3.
GSU junior Robyne Siliga (Oceanside, Calif.) collected five hits and three RBI on the afternoon, going 3-for-4 in game one and 2-for-4 in the nightcap. Sophomore Jenny Side (Loganville, Ga.) had two hits in each contest.
Game one starter Melissa Laliberte (Cobourg, Ontario, Canada) allowed two unearned runs on two hits in the top of the first inning but gave up just three hits after that and the Eagle offense scored in every inning but the fifth.
Laliberte (10-7) walked five and struck out five.
Side and Siliga each had a RBI single in the first inning make up the deficit and the Eagles eventually scored eight unanswered runs.
Melanie Helterbran (5-5) took the loss.
Game two was Elon’s turn to shine. The Phoenix rallied from an early 1-0 hole to go ahead 7-1 after five innings and added four more in the seventh.
Elon’s Brandi Jones went 3-for-5 at the plate with five RBI, including a bases-clearing, three-run triple. She added a two-run single in the third.
Carol Lilley (5-4) went the first 5.2 innings for Elon, allowing nine hits and two earned runs. GSU starter Megen Smith (Springfield, Ga.) lasted 3.2 innings and gave up six runs (two earned) and five hits. She falls to 8-7.
The series concludes Sunday with a single game beginning at 1 p.m.
Chattanooga 2, Appalachian State 1
Game Two suspended
Boone, N.C. ? On a day when few expected to play, Appalachian State softball got 11 innings of play complete before fog suspended the second game of the day. In the opener, ASU took a 1-0 lead into the seventh, but fell 2-1. The Mountaineers fall to 4-22 on the season and 3-4 in league play while Chattanooga improves to 27-14 on the season including a perfect 7-0 conference record. Game two of the series will resume at Noon from the ASU Softball Stadium.
The Mountaineers scored their run in the fifth inning when senior Natalie Willis (Cherryville, N.C./Cherryville) and junior Andrea McIntyre (Christiansburg, Va./Tallahassee C.C.) combined for back-to-back doubles, scoring Willis. However, ASU’s bats could not muster any more runs in the frame.
McIntyre finished the game batting 3-for-4 to lead the Mountaineers from the leadoff position.
Leading 1-0 in the top of the seventh, ASU recorded two outs and put Chattanooga’s backs against the wall. With a runner on second and a 0-2 count, Ashlan Clarkson rifled a liner through the left side that tied the game up. Tara Tembey then pushed another run across with a single to right to give the Lady Mocs the lead.
Junior starting pitcher Kayla Richardson (West Jefferson, N.C./Ashe) scattered seven hits, including three in the seventh inning, and struck out two. She falls to 3-10 on the season.
Game two of the day was suspended at the end of the fourth inning with ASU trailing 6-0. The Mountaineers earned their first hit of the game just before the suspension off the bat of freshman Katie Boyd (Walkertown, N.C./North Forsyth).
Game two of the series will continue at Noon. The series finale will start approximately 20 minutes after the completion of game two.
Western Carolina/UNC Greensboro game halted in sixth inning
GREENSBORO, NC ? The scheduled softball game between UNC Greensboro and Western Carolina has been halted in the bottom of the sixth inning due to heavy rains in the Greensboro area. Western Carolina is leading UNCG, 10-0
The teams will resume play at 1 pm on Sunday followed by a doubleheader to conclude the scheduled Southern Conference series.
The teams played the first inning scoreless but it was Western Carolina that got on the board first in the second inning. UNCG pitcher Amber Harrell walked leadoff hitter Mollie Fowler who advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Heather Pritchard. The bases were loaded with two walks and a single from Jamie Swank scored Fowler.
UNCG had a chance to tie the game and put a runner on base with a single from Kaitlin Merkt. Lyndsay Mouse and Mary Catherine Vercoe each had singles to load the bases but the Lady Catamounts pitched out of it with two strikeouts to end the inning.
Western Carolina added two more runs in the top of the third inning to take a 3-0 lead with a RBI double from Stephanie Beatty an RBI single from Fowler.
The teams were scoreless through the fourth and fifth innings before Western Carolina recorded seven runs in the top of the sixth, including a grand slam to take the 10-0 lead.
UNCG walked the first two batters and they were plated with an RBI double from Amber Hawkins. Harrell walked Beth Hauser who advanced to second on a long throw from the outfield and Hawkins scored on an UNCG error. The Lady Catamounts loaded the bases and capitalized with a grand slam from Pritchard.
The game will resume at the bottom of the sixth inning with the Spartans coming to bat. A doubleheader will follow the conclusion of the game.