Western Carolina 4, Virginia Tech 3

CONWAY, S.C. ? Western Carolina softball (2-5) knocked off Virginia Tech, a 2008 Women’s College World Series participant, 4-3 Saturday in the second day of action at the Coastal Carolina Kickin’ Chicken Classic.

The game was knotted at three headed into the bottom of the sixth inning, when freshman Chelsea Schaffer led off with a single to right field. Senior Mollie Fowler followed with a single to left field advancing Schaffer to second. With one out, Kristen Gay ground out to third base but it allowed Schaffer and Fowler to move to second and third. A Hokies’ miscue allowed Keri Burnside to reach first and Schaffer motored home to give Western Carolina a 4-3 lead and eventual winning run.

Western Carolina struck first in the bottom of the first inning when sophomore Amber Hawkins hit a one out double. Senior Stephanie Beatty added to her career-leading RBI record with her 86th RBI to score Hawkins and give the Catamounts a 1-0 advantage.

The Catamounts tacked on two additional runs in the bottom of the third inning. It was the tangent of Hawkins and Beatty that again led off the scoring when Hawkins drew a one out walk and Beatty singled to place runners on first and second. In the first of two Virginia Tech errors, that would haunt the club, senior Lauren Ross reached on an error that scored Hawkins. Then a passed ball by Hokie pitcher Kenzie Roark allowed Beatty to score for the second run of the inning.

Virginia Tech got on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth inning led by Charisse Mariconda who hit a lead off double. Mariconda scored thanks to a sacrifice fly by Kristen Froehlich to cut the Catamount lead to 3-1.

The Hookies tied the game in the top of the fifth inning. RBI singles by Jenna Rhodes and Mariconda knotted the contest at three.

Catamount hurler Ross tossed her second straight complete game and improves to 2-1 on the season. She went seven innings allowing three runs on 10 hits and didn’t yield a walk.

Beatty and Fowler each had multiple hits in the game. Beatty went 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Fowler was 2-for-3.

Western Carolina will play two games on Sunday to conclude the Kickin’ Chicken Classic. The Catamounts face host Coastal Carolina at 11:30 a.m. and Appalachian State at 4:30 p.m.

Elon 6, N.C. A&T 3; No. 24 Southern Illinois 6, Elon 5

ELON, N.C. ? Under blue skies, the Elon Phoenix softball team defeated North Carolina A&T 6-3 before falling to Southern Illinois on the first day of the Bojangle’s Classic at East Field. Elon is now 1-5 on the season.
 
Elon looked to get on the board early in game one against N.C. A&T when Kaitlyn Piazzolla opened the bottom of the second with a double to centerfield. Erin O’Shea attempted to lay down a sacrifice bunt a batter later, but reached on a fielder’s choice as Piazzolla was tagged out at third. Erin O’Shea moved to third on a single by Danielle Lafferty but was gunned down at home to end the inning.
 
The Aggies opened up the third inning with a single by Brittney Reddick to right center, but would not cross home as the next three batters were retired. N.C. A&T threatened again in the top of the fourth, leaving three stranded as O’Shea got the final batter to hit into a routine fly ball to send Elon to the plate.
 
Piazzolla drew a walk to start the Elon half of the fourth inning, before Jaimie Rao came on to pinch run where she stole second. The Phoenix loaded the bases after Lauren Taylor walked and Caitlin McGowan was hit by a pitch. Lafferty scored Taylor and Rao with a two-RBI single to right field. Elon made a 3-0 game when Jackie Gonzalez singled to score Lafferty.
 
Elon added three more in the fifth to make it a 6-0 game. Ashlee Crewe got things started with a single to left center. Hannah Shelton, who came on the pinch run for Crewe, took advantage of a Lady Aggie error to advance to second. She scored two batters later when McGowan singled to left field. Piazzolla, who reached on a fielder’s choice at the start of the Elon fifth, scored the fifth run of the game when she was walked home. A single off the bat of Brandi Jones scored Taylor for the final run of the inning.
 
N.C. A&T put together a three-run seventh inning that was started with back-to-back singles by Ashley Carter and Ryanne Hill. Bullock loaded the bases when she reached on a fielder’s choice and an Elon error. Jessie Larson drove the first Lady Aggie run home when she was hit by a pitched. A costly error by Gonzalez scored both Lillian Bullock and Hill. Reddick grounded out to second to seal the 6-3 win for Elon.
 
Erin O’Shea improved to 1-1 on the season with the win. She allowed just four hits, while striking out three in 6.0 innings of work. Sasha Philpot suffered the loss allowing four earned runs on nine hits in 6.0 innings pitched.
 
Game two saw #23 Southern Illinois (10-0) take an early 1-0 lead in the first before a RBI-single by Crewe knotted the game at one.
 
The Salukis put together a five-run second inning that started with the first two batters reached. Haley Gorman drove in the first run of the inning with a RBI-infield single. Alicia Garza added two more with a two-RBI single up the middle that allowed SIU to take a 5-1 lead. The Salukis put one more on the board when Mallory Duran scored on a sacrifice hit by Katie Wilson. Melanie Helterbran, who came into pitch earlier in the inning, recorded the final out when she rung up Chelsea Petty.
 
The teams were quiet over the next two-and-a-half innings. The Phoenix opened the bottom fo the fourth with consecutive singles by Piazzolla and Taylor. Elon loaded the bases when McGowan reached on an error. With two outs, Helterbran came to the plate for the first time this season where she belted a grand slam homerun over the right centerfield wall to make it a one run game at 6-5.
 
Elon threatened late in the game when Gonzalez and Jones both singled with one out to put a runner in scoring position. It would be as close as the Phoenix would come as the final two batters were retired to end the game.
 
Pam DelPizzo picked up the loss, falling to 0-1 on the season. She allowed six runs on four hits in 1.1 innings of work. Helterbran also made an appearance, allowing just three hits and striking out three. Nikki McNamara got the win, improving to 4-0 on the season allowing five runs on six hits and striking out three.
 
Elon returns to the field to face Southern Illinois at approximately 12:15 p.m. with the final game against N.C. A&T slated for a 2:30 p.m. start.

College of Charleston 3, UMBC 2

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Junior third baseman Kristie Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.)
 and senior pitcher Shannon Howard (Carmichael, Calif.) each belted home runs as the College of Charleston (3-6) handed UMBC (0-2) a 3-2 defeat Saturday morning in the opening game of the Cougars triple header at the USC Upstate Campus Suites Classic in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Following a one-out walk by redshirt junior second baseman Amber Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) in the first inning, Kristie Shifflett took a 2-2 count and drilled a pitch over the left centerfield fence to give Charleston an early 2-0 lead. It would stay that way until the bottom of the third inning when Howard helped her own cause as she launched her 17th career home run to push the lead to 3-0.

The Retrievers would respond in the top of half of the fourth as sophomore designated hitter Lauren O’Malley pinch hit and singled though the left side. Sophomore centerfielder Julia Culotta then drove the fourth pitch she saw out to right center for a two-run home run and narrowed the gap to 3-2.

That would be as close as UMBC would get though as Shannon Howard retired the next three batters before giving way to junior pitcher Terri Mesko (McDonough, Ga.) for the final three innings. Mesko then proceeded to set down the final nine batters in order, four by strikeout, to collect her first save of the season and the third of her career. Combined, the Cougars retired the final 12 batters of the game to lock down a 3-2 victory.

Culotta led the Retrievers with two RBIs and a 1-for-3 day while O’Malley and sophomore first baseman Malorie Weller collected the only other hits. Sophomore pitcher Stephanie Weigman went the distance for UMBC, allowing four hits and all three runs, but took the loss despite eight strikeouts.

For Charleston, Kristie Shifflett went 1-for-2 with her second home run of the year and two RBIs while Shannon Howard delivered her first long ball of the year for an RBI and run scored. Amber Shifflett and freshman shortstop Katie Forbes (Odessa, Fla.) each added a hit for the Cougars. Redshirt sophomore catcher Katie Pesature (Brewster, N.Y.) was 0-1 but drew a pair of hit-by-pitches.

In the circle, Howard and Mesko dominated the Retreivers’ hitters as they allowed only three hits and two runs. Howard earned her first victory of the season (1-3) with a four inning, three-hit, two-run performance while Mesko retired all nine batters and struck out four to collect her first save of the season. She is now 26 strikeouts away from breaking the Cougars all-time strikeout record of 462 set by Rachael Stern from 2003-05 and is currently tied for the third most saves for a career with three.

The Cougars are back in action later today as they take on Presbyterian in a 3:00 p.m. contest in the second of three games on the day.

NOTES
The two hit-by-pitches in a game for Pesature mark the third time in her career she has accomplished the feat ... that is currently tied for the second most hit-by-pitches in a single contest in Charleston history ... for her career, the two hit-by-pitches give her 19 for her career which is good for fourth all-time in Cougar history.

Presbyterian 2, College of Charleston 1

SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? A two-run, fifth-inning rally by Presbyterian (2-5) was enough as the Blue Hose defeated the College of Charleston (3-7) 2-1 in the Cougars second game of the day at the USC Upstate Campus Suites Classic in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

After being held hitless through the first three innings, Charleston broke through in the bottom of the fourth inning. Senior outfielder Tiffany Harmon (Lynn Haven, Fla.) singled to left and advanced on a throwing error before being singled home by junior third baseman Kristie Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) for a 1-0 lead.

That would hold up until the top of the fifth when a single to left by sophomore outfielder Krysten Handy, followed by a two-base error, gave the Blue Hose a runner on third base with no one out. Senior outfielder Laura Tate Owings then drew a walk before junior designated hitter Stephanie Payne laced a two-RBI single to give Presbyterian a 2-1 lead.

CofC would then retire the last eight batters of the game in order but would muster no more than two base runners on a hit and a walk as the Blue Hose closed out the victory with a score of 2-1.

For Presbyterian, Stephanie Payne finished 1-for-2 with two RBIs while Handy and junior first baseman Rachel Parker had the other two hits. Freshman pitcher Lesley Hensley pitched a complete game, three-hitter and allowed only the one run to pick up the win and move to 2-2 on the year.

For Charleston, junior third baseman Kristie Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) produced the only RBI of the day and went 1-for-3 while Harmon went 1-for-2 with a run scored. Sophomore first baseman Katie Nutaitis (Vienna, Va.) had the only other hit for the Cougars. In the circle, junior pitcher Terri Mesko (McDonough, Ga.) pitched a complete game and allowed only three hits, two runs and struck out a game-high five batters. With nine strikeouts on the day, Mesko is now 21 away from setting the program record for strikeouts.

The Cougars wrap up the day’s action with a 5:00 p.m. game against UMBC. Despite being played at the site of the USC Upstate Campus Suites Classic, the game is not affiliated with the tournament and is a regular season, non-conference contest.

College of Charleston 3, UMBC 1

SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? A pair of hits and an RBI each from junior third baseman Kristie Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) and senior pitcher Shannon Howard (Carmichael, Calif.) led the College of Charleston (4-7) to a 3-1 victory over UMBC (0-3) Saturday evening the final game of Day 2 of the USC Upstate Campus Suites Classic in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Having diffused a two on, one-out situation in the top of the first inning, UMBC struck in their half of the inning as sophomore outfielder Lynn Pronobis singled and stole second. Junior designated hitter Amanda Fefel then laced a single to right center to bring her home and give the Retrievers a 1-0 lead.

In the top of the third inning, the Cougars broke through as a hit-by-pitch and a walk set the stage for a two-run Charleston rally. Back-to-back singles by junior third baseman Kristie Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) and senior pitcher Shannon Howard (Carmichael, Calif.) then drove in both runs and gave the Cougars a 2-1 advantage.

Following the UMBC score in the first inning, Howard set down 14 of the next 15 batters, allowing a runner to reach on an error and recording eight of her nine strikeouts. In the top of the seventh inning, Charleston picked up an insurance run with

Fefel led the Retrievers with a 1-for-3 day with 1 RBI while Pronobis finished 1-for-3 with a run scored. In the circle, senior pitcher Krista Kearns pitched a complete game, allowing six hits and three runs while striking out six batters. She also allowed five walks as she took the loss and dropped to 0-1.

For the Cougars, Kristie Shifflett and Shannon Howard each produced two hits and an RBI each while senior shortstop Christal Kotchman (Seminole, Fla.) went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and a pair of steals. Howard pitched a complete game two-hitter, struck out nine and allowed only one run as she picked up the win to move to 2-3 on the season.

Charleston resumes play tomorrow afternoon when they face the host school, USC Upstate, in a 1:00 p.m. contest. Championship play will commence following that game with the teams being seeded based upon their pool play records.

Troy 8, Chattanooga 3; South Carolina 3, Chattanooga 1

COLUMBIA, S.C. --- The Chattanooga softball team (5-10) was unable to salvage a victory Saturday in two games at the Gamecock Invitational. The Lady Mocs fell 8-3 against Troy and 3-1 to South Carolina in game two. The loss marks the fourth straight defeat for UTC, who has dropped nine of 10.

“We knew coming into this season that we had a pretty tough schedule,” head coach Frank Reed said. “We have a tough slate and we have a few players out with injuries, but we cannot make excuses. We are trying to put people in different places to see if that is the formula for success and we will keep trying. No one is going to cut us any slack, so we have to keep working to improve and try and turn this around.”

Kandice Irwin (2-5) took the loss for Chattanooga in game one, while Michelle Fuzzard (1-4) was the pitcher of record against the Gamecocks.

In the nightcap, the Lady Mocs were able to take an early lead on USC thanks to a RBI infield single by Toni Hutchison. UTC left two runners on base in the inning and six overall, which would prove to be costly.

Fuzzard kept the USC batters in check through the early stages of the game, taking a perfect game into the fourth. The Gamecocks were finally able to solve the sophomore though, plating three in the inning off three hits. The big plays for South Carolina came from triples by Ashton Payne and Kristen Stubblefield.

Chattanooga would be able to get the leadoff hitter on base in both the fifth and sixth, but were left stranded as the Lady Mocs were unable to cash in with a clutch hit.

Krystle Robinson (1-0) was credited with the win for USC, while Kierstyn White recorded her first save of the 2009 campaign.

In the first game of the day for UTC, the Trojans jumped out to an early lead with three runs in the opening frame. Troy scored its first two runs on RBI groundouts before plating the third on a throwing error by Tia Blosser.

The Lady Mocs answered in the bottom half of the first with a run of its own. With two outs and no runners on, Michelle Fuzzard doubled into right field. After advancing to third on a wild pitch, Fuzzard scored on an error by the Troy third baseman to cut the lead to 3-1.

Both offenses were held scoreless until the fifth when the Trojans were again able to put up three runs. The scoring began when Kaitlin Kenney made it home on a throwing error by UTC catcher Brittany Eason. Troy plated its final two runs of the inning on a RBI single by Rocky Paige and thanks to a run scoring double off the bat of Hayden Gann.

The Chattanooga bats would remain silent until the bottom of the seventh with the Lady Mocs trailing 8-1. Lauren Flores started the rally with a one-out double down the right field line to put a runner in scoring position. Kaiti Kelley would then reach base thanks to the second error of the day by Sarah Harris. After Lyndsey Stiles reached on a fielder’s choice, Tia Blosser cleared the bases with a two-run double to center, her first RBIs of the season.

That would be all the Lady Mocs were able to push across however, as the Trojans recorded the final out to take the contest 8-3.

The Lady Mocs will close out the Gamecock Invitational on Sunday with a 3 p.m. contest with North Florida.

Appalachian State 4, Coastal Carolina 3; Virginia Tech 5, Appalachian State 4

CONWAY, S.C. - Ashley Stubbs worked out of a no out, bases loaded jam in the bottom of the seventh as Appalachian State University softball beat Coastal Carolina 4-3 Saturday night.

Stubbs, who picked up her first collegiate win, pitched the first six innings of the game and allowed just one unearned run in the third inning. She was relieved by Teri Fister to start the seventh, but four consecutive batters reached base making the score 4-2, and ASU head coach Amy Herrington brought Stubbs back into the game. After walking the first batter she faced to force in a run, Stubbs got Michelle Evans to hit into a double play and then struck out Olivia Williams to end the game.

With the win, Appalachian improves to 2-4 this season.

Appalachian scored in the first inning for the second-straight game. Megan Rembielak reached base on an error and stole second, while Boyd followed with a single moving Rembielak to third. Rembielak scored off of a double steal where Boyd stole second.

The Mountaineers gave themselves a 4-0 lead with a three-run third inning. Boyd drove in Sarah Rappe and Rembielak with a double and would later score on a Coastal error. The Chanticleers' scored a run in the bottom half of the inning to make the score 4-1. 

Appalachian was led by the top three hitters in the lineup, Rappe, Rembielak and Boyd who combined to go 5-for-10 at the plate, while scoring all four runs.

Boyd is 4-for-4 with three intentional walks and three RBI's so far in the Kickin' Chicken Classic. She is batting an even .600 (9-for-15) so far this season. 

In Appalachian's first game of the day, Brittany Gaston hit a two-run single in the top of the eighth but Jessica Everhart hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the inning to give Virginia Tech (4-9) a 5-4 win.

Rembielak was placed on second base to start the top of the eighth for Appalachian (1-4). Boyd was intentionally walked for the second time in the game and advanced to second on a Michelle Lightonground out. Stubbs was then intentionally walked to bring up Gaston, who drove in Rembielak and Boyd with a single.

Kayla Richardson suffered the loss for the Mountaineers' pitching all eight innings, striking out five while giving up four earned runs.

The Mountaineers took a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning on Boyd's fourth home run of the year. Appalachian made the lead 2-0 when Amanda Brooks scored on a wild pitch. The 2-0 lead was short lived as the Hokies scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth to tie the score.

Boyd added a double to go along with the homer and two walks, while Kristen Graham had two hits for Virginia Tech.

Appalachian out hit Virginia Tech 6-5 and ASU was intentionally walked three times in the game, giving them four for the season and already matching last year's total.

Appalachian takes on Maine at 9 a.m. Sunday morning and follows that up with a game against SoCon foe Western Carolina at 4 p.m.

Cal State Northridge 8, Samford 3

EL PASO, Tex. ---- The Samford softball team dropped its second straight game in the UTEP Invitational Saturday morning as the Bulldogs fell to Cal State Northridge, 8-3. Samford is now 4-4 on the season.

The Matadors opened the game with two RBI in the first inning. They then posted four more to take a six run advantage, two in the third inning and two in the fourth.

Samford was finally able to get on the board with in the bottom of the sixth inning when Aaren Fisher homered to left center with Kristy Lawrence on first to bring in two runs for the Bulldogs.

In the top of the seventh, the Matadors’ right-fielder Saenz homered to bring in two more runs to make the score 8-2. However, Samford was only able to bring in one more run as Katie England batted in Amy Gonzalez who was walked and put in scoring position on a throwing error by the Cal State Northridge catcher.

Stephanie Royall started in the pitcher’s circle and threw five full innings before being relieved by Kayla Burris. Royall faced 26 batters, striking five out, and gave up six runs on nine hits. Burrs finished out the final two innings, striking out two of the eight batters she faced and giving up only two runs and one hit.

Junior catcher Whitney Terry led the Bulldogs in putouts with nine while Jessica Ownes led in hitting with three hits in four appearances at the plate.

Samford will wrap up play in the UTEP Invitational with a doubleheader on Sunday. Action will start with a 10 a.m. meeting with San Jose State before the Bulldogs face UTEP at 12 p.m. CT.

Tennessee State 6, UNC Greensboro 3; IUPUI 6, UNC Greensboro 1

ATHENS, GA ? UNC Greensboro lost a pair of games at the Sixth Annual Georgia Softball Classic on Saturday, falling 6-3 to Tennessee State and 6-1 to IUPUI on the second day of play at the tournament.

UNCG (6-8) was led at the plate by Brittany Ausley, Mary Catherine Vercoe and Jordan Jewett, who had three hits each on the day.

Tamara Perkins' three-run home run highlighted a four-run seventh inning as Tennessee State earned a comeback victory over UNCG to start the day. The Spartans were just three outs away from picking up the win in that game, holding a 3-2 lead heading into the seventh. But Perkins hit a three-run shot out to left with one out to score Melanie Cruz and Nichole Vincent to put the Tigers (4-1) ahead. Tennessee State would add another run on Christy Hill's two-out RBI single to make it a three-run spread.

UNCG ­? which had already rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the game ? tried valiantly to put together another comeback, loading the bases with two outs to bring the winning run to the plate. Vercoe got the rally started with a one-out single, and Whitney Sirois reached on an error with two down to put runners at first and second. Jewett singled to left to load the bases, but TSU pitcher Caitlin Eaton (3-0) retired pinch-hitter Leslie Furness to end the game.

The Tigers had taken a 2-0 lead in the third inning, when Jill Gardner scored on a UNCG error and Eaton knocked in Bridget Metzger with a single to right.

UNCG got a run back in the bottom of the fifth when Vercoe's single brought in Ausley, and the Spartans went ahead for the first time on the day with a pair of runs in the sixth. Sirois led off the inning with a double, and pinch-runner Kristen Gabel came in on Jewett's single and a TSU throwing error to tie the game. With two outs, Ausley doubled to bring in Jewett with the go-ahead run.

Vercoe and Jewett had two hits each for the Spartans, while Eaton paced the Tigers' offense with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate.

Hannah Angel (4-3) dropped her third straight decision for UNCG, taking the hard-luck loss after allowing just two earned runs ? six runs total ? on seven hits and two walks in seven innings. The Spartans' defense committed four errors behind Angel in the game.

Eaton picked up the win in relief, allowing just one earned run on four hits in two innings pitched. Starter Megan Hedrick last five innings, surrendering two runs on three hits and six walks before giving way to Eaton in the sixth.

Later in the day, the Jaguars (1-6) scored five unanswered runs to pick up their first win of the season.

Amy Raker’s RBI single got IUPUI on the board in the top of the first inning, but UNCG answered with a run in the bottom half on Furness’ RBI double, which plated Ausley.

That would be about the last of the Spartans’ offense on the day, though, as UNCG could only string together three more hits the rest of the way ? as many as it had in the first inning alone.

IUPUI took the lead in the top of the second on Sarah Oppelt’s two-run single, then added two more in the fourth on Cassie Harvey’s two-run home run. The Jaguars scored their sixth run on Leah Prewitt’s bases-loaded infield single in the top of the seventh.

Oppelt finished 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI for IUPUI, while Cayleigh Harvey was 2-for-3.

Jessica McGown (1-2) allowed just one run on six hits and a walk in seven innings.

Ausley was 2-for-2 for the Spartans in the game.

Amber Harrell (2-4) took the loss, allowing six earned runs on nine hits and four walks in seven innings. With six strikeouts in the game, she moved into seventh place in school history with 338 for her career.

UNCG wraps up play at the Sixth Annual Georgia Softball Classic at 1 p.m. Sunday, when it will face the host Bulldogs, who are ranked 16th in the nation in the latest USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll.

Belmont 8, Georgia Southern 4; Radford 9, Georgia Southern 1

STATESBORO, Ga. ? Georgia Southern softball drops two on Day two of the Holiday Inn Eagle Classic Saturday at Eagle Field. Georgia Southern lost to Belmont 8-4 in game one and lost to Radford 9-1 in game two.

The Eagles' first and second inning woes continued as Georgia Southern allowed four runs in the first against Belmont and seven in the first two innings against Radford.

Brianna Streetmon (Winder, Ga.) pitched a combined 6.2 innings in relief and allowed only two earned runs.

Game One

Georgia Southern lost 8-4 to Belmont Saturday in the first game of the day.

The Eagles got into early trouble and were down 7-0 going into the bottom of the third before Robyne Siliga’s (Oceanside, Calif.) two-run home run put the Eagles on the board.

Georgia Southern added two more runs in the fourth. Nina Iduate (Norcross, Ga.) drove in Bethany Crenshaw (Warner Robins, Ga.) for the first run of the inning. Iduate had a solid first day going two for four with a RBI and a run scored.

Hanna Ennis (Snellville, Ga.) plated Jordyn Nail (Swainsboro, Ga.) who singled with one out in the inning. Nail helped limit the first inning damage when she threw out Sammi Parks at home for the second out of the inning.

Streetmon pitched four innings in relief and allowed only one run on one hit.

Belmont did the majority of their damage in the first inning. Three straight hits followed after one out led to the big inning. Dawn Thoni walked to lead off the inning and scored on Julie Harmon’s triple to right. Harmon went three for four with two RBIs and a run scored. Parks plated Harmon with a single to center. Hannah Irwin doubled to right and scored on a two-out single by Hannah Brenzie.

Game Two

Softball dropped the second game of the day against Radford 9-1.

The Eagles managed to score one run on only one hit. Amanda Hall (Haddock, Ga.) picked up the lone hit when she led off the fourth with an infield single.

Radford scored three runs in the bottom of the first and added four more in the second.

Georgia Southern picked up their lone run in the top of the second when Sam Russo (Snellville, Ga.) scored on an illegal pitch in the second inning. Russo walked to lead off the inning and stole second before advancing to third on a ground out.

Streetmon pitched two plus innings in relief and allowed one earned run on five hits.

Chelsea Kelley pitched a near perfect game allowing one hit and a run in five innings of work.

Softball returns to action Sunday against Oakland at 11 a.m.