Elon 4, Southeast Missouri State 2; Elon 8, Southeast Missouri State 1
ELON, N.C. ? Brandi Jones recorded two home runs in Elon’s double-header sweep of Southeast Missouri State. The Phoenix took game one 4-2 before defeating the Redhawks 8-1 in game two. With the wins, Elon improves to 7-8, while Southeast Missouri State falls to 9-7 on the season.
Melanie Helterbran began the first game with a strikeout that led to the first seven batters being retired. Lauren Bradley of Southeast Missouri State registered the first hit of the game in the top of the second with a single to left-center. She moved into scoring position on a single to center by Nicole Troncoso. The duo were left stranded as Jennifer Vasquez hit a chopper to third base where Patti Weber stepped on the bag to record the final out of the inning.
The Redhawks got on the board first with a homerun to leftfield by Elise Sperakos. They added to their lead when Alex Ramirez drove in Shelby Stein on an RBI-single. Southeast Missouri State left two runners stranded as Carmen Fowler grounded out to second to end the inning.
Elon opened the bottom of the third with a leadoff single by Helterbran. She moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Danielle Lafferty drew a walk to bring Brandi Jones to the plate where she singled through the left side. With Patti Weber at the plate, Lafferty scored on a passed ball to make it a 2-1 game. During the play, a wild throw by the catcher allowed Jones to reach home. She was originally called out, but the call was reversed, tying the score at two, after it was determined the Redhawk third baseman interfered with the runner.
Elon added two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning after Jones belted a two-run homerun to straightaway centerfield to allow Elon to take a 4-2 lead. Elon added two hits in the bottom of the sixth to bring the team’s total to five.
Earning the win was Erin O’Shea who came on in relief of Helterbran in the top fifth. O’Shea, who is now 3-2, threw a no-hitter over the final three innings. She also recorded one strikeout. Suffering the loss was Whitney Dupuis, who dropped to 2-4, allowed two runs on three hits in two innings of work. She also struck out the final batter of the game to seal the win.
The Phoenix got things started early in game two, as Jones ripped a leadoff homerun, her second round-tripper of the day, to left-center to give Elon an early 1-0 lead.
Elon added to its lead in the bottom of the second inning after McGowan walked and Lauren Taylor reached on a fielder’s choice. Lafferty singled to shallow right to allow McGowan to score to make it a 2-0 lead. Jones added to her hit total with an RBI-single to the shortstop that scored Taylor and gave Elon a 3-0 lead.
SEMO got on the board in the top of the third inning when Ramirez recorded the first Redhawk hit of the day, an RBI-single that scored Sperakos, who reached on an error. It would be the only run scored in the inning, as two Redhawks were left stranded.
The Redhawks looked to add to its lead in the top of the fourth after Bradley reached on a single through the left side. The Phoenix defense insured that she would not move past second as Jackie Gonzalez and Ashlee Crewe made back-to-back diving grabs for the first and second outs of the game. The final out was recorded when Vasquez grounded out to third.
Gonzalez singled to open the bottom of the fifth inning and then stole second. She moved to third on a groundout by Crewe and then scored a play later on a sacrifice fly by Kaitlyn Piazzolla that allowed Elon to make it a 4-1 game.
Elon made it an 8-1 game in the final half-inning of the game. McGowan got things started with a single to left center. She later scored on a two-out RBI-single by Gonzalez. Lafferty crossed the plate for the second run of the inning after Weber doubled to left field. Crewe roped a double to center that allowed Gonzalez and Weber to score. Piazzolla grounded out to third for the final out of the inning.
DelPizzo improved to 1-1 with the complete game win. She allowed just one run, which was not earned and five hits. She also walked three. Stefanie Barnes got the loss to fall to 2-1 on the season. She allowed eight earned runs on 11 hits in the complete game. She also recorded two strikeouts and walked four.
The Phoenix returns to action Saturday afternoon in Boone, N.C. when Elon takes on Appalachian State in the conference opener. The first game of the Saturday’s double-header will begin at 1 p.m. with the second game slated for 3 p.m. The teams will conclude the series Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
Chattanooga 9, Belmont 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Behind two massive home runs and a combined one-hitter, the Chattanooga softball team powered past Belmont 9-0 on Wednesday to extend its winning streak to seven games. Brittany Eason belted a three-run home run and Tiffany Baker hit her first career grand slam as the Lady Mocs (12-11/3-0 SoCon) had a season-high 11 hits.
“I thought we were very focused today,” head coach Frank Reed said. “It is a good sign anytime you score five runs in the first inning. Hopefully we will be able to carry this on to the weekend for conference play.”
In the circle, Kandice Irwin, Brooke Loudermilk and Michelle Fuzzard threw nearly five innings of hitless softball as the Bruins (8-10/0-2 A-Sun) had only two baserunners in the contest. Belmont broke up the no-hitter in the top of the fifth with a two-out single by Stayci Cook off Fuzzard.
Loudermilk (2-0) picked up the win for UTC, throwing two-innings with a walk and a strikeout.
The Lady Mocs set the tone early in the contest thanks to five runs off five UTC hits. The rally began with a Tia Blosser single into centerfield, followed by a run scoring double by Fuzzard to put Chattanooga up 1-0.
After walks by Baker and Toni Hutchison, Jenni Martin drove in UTC’s second run of the game with a fielder’s choice. With two runners on and only one out, Eason delivered the big blow in the inning with a home run to left-centerfield, her third of the season.
After a scoreless second, the Lady Mocs’ offense cranked right back up as Kaiti Kelley singled down the leftfield line for her second hit of the day. Lyndsey Stiles then singled up the middle before Fuzzard walked two batters later to load up the bases for Baker. On the first pitch she saw, the sophomore sent a majestic fly over the wall in left center to complete her perfect day at the plate.
With Fuzzard’s one RBI and Baker’s four, the two tied teammate Toni Hutchison with 14 RBI for the season.
Lynleigh Hurndon, Lauren Flores and Jenni Martin also recorded hits in the Lady Mocs 11-hit barrage.
Chattanooga will look to continue its winning ways on Saturday with a doubleheader against Samford in Southern Conference play. The twin bill will begin at 5 p.m. from Jim Frost Stadium.
College of Charleston 5, Charleston Southern 4
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Junior third baseman Kristie Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) went 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI as the College of Charleston (9-14, 3-3) rallied for an improbable 5-4 victory over Charleston Southern (13-16) in the first game of a non-conference double-header on Wednesday, March 18.
With the game tied at 4-4 entering the bottom of the eighth inning, Cougars freshman outfielder Amanda Lonergan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) singled up the middle with one out to give Charleston a base runner. Following a pinch runner and a strikeout to put two outs on the board for the Buccanneers, redshirt junior second baseman Amber Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) then lifted a fly ball to short centerfield that was dropped for an error.
Running on the play, pinch runner Amanda Maurer (Haubstadt, Ind.) managed to come all the way around from first base to score the winning run and give the College of Charleston a hard fought 5-4 victory.
Previously, Charleston Southern had rallied from down 3-2 in the top of the seventh to take a 4-3 lead before CofC sent the game to extra innings with a run of their own in the home half of the inning. In that frame, Kristie Shifflett singled home her sister Amber from third base to know the score at 4-4.
CSU was the first to get on the board with a solo home run by redshirt-freshman Brittany York in the second inning before the Cougars responded with a two of scores in the bottom of the inning on a pair of singles by Lonergan and sophomore outfielder Kristi Woodall (Huntersville, N.C.). That 3-2 lead would hold up until the top of the seventh when the Buccaneers rallied to take the lead.
York led the way for Charleston Southern with a 2-for-4, one RBI, one run performance while freshman shortstop Megan Lombard finished 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Senior second baseman Amy Trenkamp and junior first baseman Megan Hall rounded out the offense for the Buccanneers with an RBI a piece. Senior pitcher Jamie Wellons threw all eight innings for CSU, allowing nine hits, all five runs, three of them earned, and struck out three. With the loss, she drops to 8-11 on the season.
Kristie Shifflett continued to pound the ball for Charleston as she went 3-for-4 with a run, RBI and a double while her sister, Amber Shifflett was 1-for-5 with a pair of RBIs. That tied her season-high of two RBI set at South Carolina. Amanda Lonergan went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI while senior designated hitter Shannon Howard (Carmichael, Calif.) added an RBI.
Junior pitcher Terri Mesko (McDonough, Ga.) pitched all eight innings, tying the team’s season high, and allowed four runs while striking out a pair of batters. She improves to 5-8 on the season.
The Cougars return to action with the second game of the double-header later this evening.
NOTES
Alexa Datko threw eight innings in the Cougar’s last ball game, a 6-4 victory at Samford on March 15 ... the eight-inning game marked Charleston’s second consecutive extra inning affair after not having had any prior to their last two seasons.
Charleston Southern 5, College of Charleston 4
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. ? A four-run fifth inning was the deciding factor as Charleston Southern (14-16) posted a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over the College of Charleston (9-15, 3-3) Wednesday evening in the second game of a non-conference double-header at Patriots Point Stadium on March 18.
Trailing 3-0, the Buccaneers erupted for four runs on three hits and an error in the fifth inning to pull ahead 4-3. Freshman shortstop Megan Lombard doubled home a run while senior third baseman Gail Matsushima doubled home a pair of runs to tie the game. CSU then took the lead on a single up the middle by redshirt-freshman catcher Brittany York.
Charleston Southern added an insurance run in the sixth inning to make it 5-3 when Lombard singled home her second run of the day. That run would be the difference as the Cougars got one run back in the bottom of the sixth inning on a double to left by freshman outfielder Amanda Lonergan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) but would get no closer as CSU shutdown the Charleston’s offense with a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh for the 5-4 victory.
Lombard and Matsushima combined to go 4-for-8 with four RBIs and a run scored while York added one RBI. Both Lombard and Matsushima went 2-for-4 on the day with the latter’s hits both being doubles. Sophomore pitcher Sondra Vetter pitched five innings, allowing four runs and striking out three, to collect the win and improve to 6-4 on the season.
For Charleston, redshirt junior second baseman Amber Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) went 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs while Lonergan finished at 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Sophomore outfielder Kristi Woodall (Huntersville, N.C.) went 2-for-3, tying her season-high for hits and senior pitcher Shannon Howard (Carmichael, Calif.) added an RBI. Howard threw 4.2 innings and gave up four runs, all earned, to suffer the loss for the Cougars and drop to 3-7.
Charleston is back in action this weekend when they travel to Coastal Carolina for a double header on Sunday, March 22. First pitch is slated for 2:00 p.m.
Charlotte 3, Appalachian State 1; Charlotte 7, Appalachian State 5
BOONE, N.C. - After Appalachian State University softball tied the score at five in the sixth, Cee Brooks hit her first home run of the season to give Charlotte a 7-5 win over the Mountaineers in game two at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium Wednesday. Charlotte won the first game 3-1.
After giving up five runs in the first two innings, Ashley Stubbs shut down the 49ers offense, while the ASU offense finally got untracked in the fifthi inning. Ashley Gaston led off the fifth with a walk and Brittany Gaston followed with a single. After a fielder's choice, Andrea McIntyre singled to right center to score Brittany Gaston. Sarah Rappe followed with her first double of the season to score Lindsay Whitlock and McIntyre. Megan Rembielak followed with a bunt single while Rembielak got caught in a rundown between first and second, Rappe was able to score to close the gap to 5-4.
ASU tied the game at five when Morgan Price hit a shot through the second baseman's legs to score Stubbs, who led off the inning with a single.
The Mountaineers were able to get a runner on base in the seventh with a Michelle Lighton walk, but Emily Jeffery struck out the last batter to preserve the win, her second of the day.
Stubbs led the Mountaineers offensively with two hits while Serena Smith had two hits for Charlotte. Stubbs suffered the loss in the circle, giving up eight hits, and six earned runs, while striking out five.
Kayla Richardson allowed just two hits in game one, but allowed three unearned runs in the third inning as the 49ers took game one 3-1.
Appalachian got on the board in the bottom of the first when Rappe singled to start the game, stole second and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Rembielak. After Katie Boyd was intentionally walked, Boyd stole second and Rappe followed by stealing home.
Richardson retired the first seven batters before Jenny Rumbles reached on a single and Lorena Vela followed with a hit up the middle. Malene then hit a ground ball to Rembielak at short, but her throw went off Rumbles, allowing Rumbles and Vela to score and Malene advancing to third. Whitney Williams followed with an RBI ground out to score Malene.
The Mountaineers had an opportunity to score in the sixth when Rembielak reached on a bunt single and Lighton followed with a walk. After Price reached on a fielder's choice, Brittany Gaston singled up the middle but Lighton was called out at home.
ASU out-hit Charlotte 4-2, but Jeffery earned the win allowing just the one run while striking out eight.
Appalachian travels to North Carolina A&T tomorrow to play a doubleheader against the Aggies starting at 2 p.m.
USC Upstate 7, Furman 4; USC Upstate 6, Furman 3
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- USC Upstate rallied from a 2-0 deficit in game one and 2-1 hole in game two to sweep a non-conference softball doubleheader from Furman, 7-4, 6-3 on Wednesday at Cyrill Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C.
The Spartans improved to 13-3 on the season while Furman, who had its four-game winning streak snapped, dropped to 8-15 on the campaign.
In game one, Heidi Gibbs and Chrislyn Chewning each collected two hits and drove in a pair of runs as USC Upstate erased 2-0 and 4-3 Paladin leads before claiming a 7-4 victory.
Furman took a 2-0 first inning lead on Stephanie Cushing’s third homer of the season, but the Spartans plated two in the bottom half of the inning to knot the game at 2-2. After the Spartans took the lead on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth, pitcher Lana Mackey belted a two-run homer to left to give the Paladins a 4-3 advantage.
USC Upstate answered with four runs in the bottom of the sixth. Kim Brasil tied the game with a sacrifice fly ahead of Gibbs’ two-run double. Chewning added an RBI single to push the Spartan lead to 7-4.
Sophomore Morgan Childers picked up the victory to improve to 10-1 in the circle. She allowed four runs on six hits over seven innings of work while fanning eight Paladin batters. Mackey (4-7) allowed seven runs on 10 hits to absorb the loss for Furman.
Abby Robertson added two hits for Furman while Cushing and Mackey each totaled a pair of RBIs.
In game two, Upstate took advantage of three Furman errors to score five unearned runs and erase a 2-1 Paladin lead in a 6-3 Spartan victory.
The Spartans took an early 1-0 lead before Brythe Blankenship staked the Paladins to a 2-1 advantage in the top half of the fifth with a two-out, two-run double to left-center field. In the bottom of the inning, Janna Lewis reached on an error, moved to second on a sacrifice and Brasil followed with a single to chase starter Bethany Ullrich. After reliever Stephanie Mihaly issued a walk to the first batter she faced, an error by the shortstop allowed two Spartans to score. Mihaly struck out Courtney Feldon, but Lauren Quevedo delivered a two-out single to plate two more unearned runs and push the lead to 5-2 before Mihaly could retire the side.
Furman scored on a sacrifice fly by Robertson in the sixth before Upstate added another unearned run on a Paladin miscue in the bottom of the inning.
Reliever Brittany Rice (1-1) picked up the victory for the Spartans despite allowing a run in just 2/3 innings of work. Ullrich fell to 1-4 surrendering three runs, one earned, on three hits in 4 1/3 innings in the circle.
Brasil notched two hits, scored a run and drove in one for USC Upstate. Blankenship went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs for the Paladins. Furman out-hit the Spartans 10-5 in the loss.
The Paladins return home on Saturday to open a three-game Southern Conference series against UNC Greensboro with a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Pepsi Stadium. Sunday’s series finale is slated for 1 p.m.