SoCon Softball Championship Central
Game 4: #3 College of Charleston 6, #6 Furman 5
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MT. PLEASANT, S.C. ? Kristie Shifflett lifted a two-one pitch over the left field fence in the bottom of the seventh inning to give No. 3 seed College of Charleston a 6-5 win over No. 6 seed Furman in the first round of the 2008 Southern Conference Softball Championship at the Patriots Point Athletics Complex.
After Furman took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning, the Cougars struck back with three runs in the third. After a pair of Furman miscues allowed the first run to score, Kristi Woodall and Katie Nutaitis each provided RBI doubles to stake Charleston to a two-run advantage.
The teams traded single runs in the fourth inning before Furman rallied for a pair in the top of the fifth to even the game at four apiece. The Lady Paladins pieced together three infield hits to go along with a Cougars throwing error to plate two runs.
A Nutaitis homer in the bottom half of the fifth gave Charleston a one-run bulge again, but it was short-lived as the Lady Paladins again rallied to even the contest. Stephanie Cushing delivered a two-out RBI single to left field to plate Bethany Ullrich.
Shifflett’s game-winner was her fifth home run of the season, and it ended a two-year streak in which the Cougars had lost to Furman in the first round of the SoCon Tournament each season.
Shannon Howard came on in relief and earned the win for Charleston despite surrendering seven this and three runs. She improved to 18-11. Lane Mackey pitched a complete game for Furman, taking the loss and falling to 16-25.
Woodall and Nutaitis each collected two hits and two RBI to lead Charleston while Furman’s Morgan Hughey led all hitters with three hits and two RBI.
Charleston (32-31) will meet Georgia Southern Thursday at 5:00 p.m. while Furman (21-32) will face Appalachian State at 12:00 p.m. in an elimination game.
Game 3: #2 Georgia Southern 4, #7 Appalachian State 2
Box Score
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MT. PLEASANT, S.C. ? Megen Smith tossed a complete game and Georgia Southern scored all of its runs on a pair of home runs in a 4-2 win over Appalachian State in the opening round of the 2008 Southern Conference Softball Championship at the Patriots Point Athletics Complex.
Jenny Side belted her league-leading 14th home run of the season in the bottom of the third inning, a three-run shot over the left field fence, to break a scoreless tie. Shortstop Amanda Hall hit a solo homer in the fifth inning, her seventh of the year, to increase the Lady Eagles’ advantage to 4-0.
Smith scattered eight hits on the afternoon to improve to 13-8. The freshman hurler allowed eight hits and two walks, but she kept the Mountaineers at bay most of the afternoon by forcing 10 runners to remain stranded.
ASU mounted a rally in the seventh inning, loading the bases with two outs. Ashley Gaston grounded a hard-hit ball to second base where the ball slipped under Nina Iduate’s glove, allowing a pair of Appalachian runners to score. However, Megan Squartino was thrown out at third base while trying to advance from first to third on the error.
Appalachian’s Kayla Richardson went the distance in the circle, giving up four runs on five hits while walking four and striking out one.
Georgia Southern (35-28) will take on either College of Charleston or Furman Thursday at 5:00 p.m. while Appalachian State (10-36) will take on the loser of that game at 12:00 p.m.