UNC Greensboro 2, Furman 0
GREENSBORO, N.C. ? Two runs in the bottom of the first inning was all the UNC Greensboro softball team needed to earn a sweep of Furman in the final day of regular season action on Sunday.
The Spartans lock up the No. 5 spot for next week’s Southern Conference Tournament and will likely face Elon in opening day action. This marks the first time since the 2005 season that the Spartans have entered the tournament higher the No. 8 seed.
UNCG (21-31, 7-11 SoCon) was led by Mary Greenway and Whitney Miller who were both 1-for-3 from the plate with one run scored. Greenway also tallied one stolen base brining her season total to 47. Kaitlin Merkt also tallied one RBI on the afternoon.
Hannah Angel earned her fourth consecutive win after scattering three hits in 7.0 innings of work. She earned her third shutout of the season while striking out nine batters.
In a game that was a pitchers duel from the outset it was UNCG that made the most of early opportunities and got on the board first. Mary Greenway hit a leadoff single to right field and then stole second to put a runner in scoring position. The Roanoke, VA native was moved to third base with a single up the middle from Whitney Miller and scored on an error from Furman’s catcher.
Miller moved to third base on a passed ball and after a ground out and a foul out, shortstop Kaitlin Merkt hit a RBI double which plated Miller and gave UNCG the 2-0 lead.
Pitcher Hannah Angel made it tough for the Paladins to get anything going by pitching a no hitter through the fourth inning. Katie Michaels broke up the no-hitter with a single to left center and Stephanie Cushing followed with a single to left field to give Furman two base runners but that was as close as they would get as foul out and a strikeout ended the threat.
Furman pitcher Lana Mackey was equally impressive and held UNCG hitless for the rest of the game but her teammates couldn’t get any offense going as Furman dropped its fourth consecutive game.
Furman’s Mackey (16-24) recorded the loss for the Paladins after allowing two runs on three hits in 6.0 innings of work. She allowed one earned run and struck out seven.
The Spartans head to the Southern Conference Tournament next week in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. The tournament opens on Wednesday and UNCG will likely take on Elon in the first game of the day.
Elon 8, College of Charleston 4
ELON, N.C. ? Senior Tracey Dahlen went three-for-three at the plate, including a two-run homerun, scored twice and drove in two as the Phoenix defeated the College of Charleston Cougars 8-4 to take the rubber game of the series and conclude the regular season at East Field.
Elon is now 25-25 and 12-9 in the Southern Conference, while Charleston falls to 31-31 and 12-8 in league play.
Charleston took a 2-0 lead in the top of first inning after Tiffany Harmon led off with a triple to deep right field. She then scored when Christi Woodall doubled. Woodall crossed home plate on a double off the bat of Shannon Howard. Christal Kotchman looked to push Howard across the plate when she reached on a fielder’s choice but Dahlen threw Woodard out at home.
Elon answered in it’s half the first with back-to-back homeruns to left from Dahlen and Allison Hartman to lift the Phoenix to a 3-2 lead. The consecutive round-trippers was the first time that the Phoenix has accomplished that feat this season. Dahlen’s two-run shot was her third homerun this season, while Hartman’s solo shot was her fifth.
Debbie Zeigler singled to open the bottom of the second for the Phoenix but was called out at third when Brandi Jones reached on a fielder’s choice. Jackie Gonzalez drew a one-out walk one batter later to load the bases. Dahlen hit an infield single to drive in Rao to give Elon a 4-2 advantage.
A three-run homerun by junior Jaimie Rao highlighted Elon’s four run fifth inning Back-to-back singles by Dahlen and Hartman led off the inning. Dahlen plated the fifth Elon run of the game by stealing home. Hartman was out on the play for the first out of the fifth. Melanie Helterbran roped a double down the left field line. Debbie Zeigler reached first when she was hit a pitch that brought Rao to the plate. Rao took the pitch over the left field wall for her fourth homerun of the year.
Charleston answered with two in the top of the sixth off a two-run homerun off the bat of Brittany Small. Kotchman was the first Cougar to reach in the sixth when she was hit by a pitch. Small then took the first pitch she saw over the left centerfield wall to make it an 8-4 game.
Charleston looked to threaten in the top of the seventh when Woodall doubled with one out and advanced as far as third but Kristi Shifflett grounded out to the pitcher to seal Elon’s 8-4 win.
Helterbran, 8-9, picked up the complete game win after giving up two earned runs on four hits while registering two strikeouts. Charleston’s Mesko falls to 12-18 on the season giving up four earned runs on three hits in one inning of work.
The Phoenix will travel to Charleston, S.C. May 7-10 for the Southern Conference Tournament. Live stats and full coverage of the tournament will be available at www.elonphoenix.com . For more information on the SoCon Tournament, visit www.soconsports.com .
Georgia Southern 2, Chattanooga 1
STATESBORO, Ga. --- Georgia Southern senior Melissa Laliberte (Cobourg, Ontario, Canada) earned her 17th victory of the season by holding Chattanooga to one run as the Eagles closed out the regular season with a 2-1 victory Sunday afternoon at Eagle Field.
GSU improves to 34-28 overall and 13-8 in the Southern Conference, good for second place, the highest finish by the school since 2002. UTC falls to 35-19 and 13-5. They clinched the SoCon title Saturday.
Laliberte’s win (17-11) is a new personal best and ties for the second-most in a season in school history. She currently holds a 1.68 earned run average.
Laliberte allowed eight hits and one earned run while walking none and striking out five. Chattanooga’s lone run came on a homer in the seventh.
Sophomore Nina Iduate (Norcross, Ga.) went 2-for-3 and scored the game’s first run in the fifth inning on a single by junior Amanda Hall (Haddock, Ga.). Iduate extends her hitting streak to nine, the longest of her career.
Sophomore Lindsey Hopkins (McDonough, Ga.) also collected two hits for the Eagles.
GSU picked up a much-needed insurance run in the sixth when junior Robyne Siliga (Oceanside, Calif.) walked with the bases loaded.
For Chattanooga, Tara Tembey went 3-for-4 and Michelle Fuzzard added two hits.
Fuzzard (5-3) gave up eight hits and two earned runs in 5.2 innings of work.
The second-seeded Eagles will face Appalachian State in the first round of the SoCon Tournament. Official pairings will be released by the conference.