Appalachian State 9, Samford 2; Appalachian State 11, Samford 2
BOONE, N.C. - Kayla Richardson and Ashley Stubbs combine to allow just four earns in two games and Megan Rembielak went 4-for-6 on the day to lead Appalachian State University softball to a sweep over Samford, winning 9-2 and 11-2, Saturday evening at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium.
Richardson threw her 39th complete game in game one, holding the Bulldogs to just four hits, allowing one earned run, while striking out eight.
The Mountaineers' offense gave Richardson plenty of run support scoring all nine runs in the first three innings. Sarah Rappe got things started in the first with a single, moved to second on a passed ball and stealing third. Rappe scored on a single by Rembielak. Michelle Lighton followed with a double to right center to score Rembielak and Stubbs drove in Lighton for the third run of the opening frame.
Appalachian broke the game wide open in the third with six runs. Ashley Gaston and Brittany Gaston started the inning with back-to-back singles, and after a ground out, Stephanie Long smashed her first double of the season to drive in both Gastons. After a single by Andrea McIntyre, Samford pitcher Aaren Fisher issued back-to-back walks to Rappe and Rembielak, the second driving in a run. Katie Boyd followed with an RBI single and Brittany Gaston capped off the inning with an RBI walk.
The Mountaineers pounded out a season-high 11 hits in both games.
Game two started almost the same as the first, as Appalachian scored two in the first and added six runs again in the third inning. Ashley Gaston had the big blow in the first with an RBI single scoring Rappe.
Ashley Gaston, Brittany Gaston, Boyd, Long and Rappe all produced RBIs in the third to make the score 8-0. Appalachian made it 11-0 in the fourth, scoring all three runs with two outs, Samford scored two runs in the top of the fifth when Fisher hit a home run.
In the fourth and fifth innings, Rappe made diving catches in right centerfield to save extra bases. Stubbs pitched all five innings, allowing five hits while striking out one.
Appalachian looks to go for the series sweep on Sunday with first pitch scheduled for noon ET.
Chattanooga 2, Furman 0; Chattanooga 2, Furman 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The Chattanooga softball began its quest for an unprecedented 11th Southern Conference championship in dominant fashion Saturday, sweeping a doubleheader from Furman. The Lady Mocs (10-11/2-0 SoCon) took both contests from the Paladins (6-10/0-2 SoCon) by 2-0 scores to extend its winning streak to a season-long five games.
Tiffany Baker carried the big bat for UTC, going a combined 4-for-5 with a home run and two RBI. Toni Hutchison is also pitched in at the plate with three hits in the games to extend her hitting streak to seven games.
Chattanooga was especially dominant in the circle on Saturday as three of its pitchers, Kandice Irwin, Brooke Loudermilk and Michelle Fuzzard, allowed no runs, six Paladin hits, while striking out 16 batters combined.
“I happy with the wins,” head coach Frank Reed said. “They are conference wins, so I will take them however we can get them. We hit the ball well and got great pitching from all three pitchers, so hopefully we can come out with the same intensity on Sunday and go for the sweep.”
In the first game, the Lady Mocs struck in the bottom of the second thanks to Baker’s third home run of the season. Irwin (4-6) was able to keep the Paladin bats quiet through the first four innings as the sophomore carried a no-hitter into the top of the fifth. The no-no would be broken up with the first batter of the inning however, as Morgan Hughey gave Furman its first hit with an infield single.
A sacrifice bunt advanced Hughey to second, and then Lana Mackey singled to put two runners on. Reed would make a call to the bullpen to bring in Loudermilk, who promptly disposed of the next two batters via a foul out to first and a strikeout.
Baker gave UTC a big insurance run in the bottom of the frame with a RBI single to bring in Lyndsey Stiles, putting Chattanooga up 2-0. Loudermilk would dominate the next two innings, facing the minimum six batters to pick up her first save of the season and the team’s first conference win of 2009.
Fuzzard (4-4) took the circle for the Lady Mocs in game two and picked up right where Loudermilk left off, scattering only three Furman hits through the first four innings. The Chattanooga offense was finally able to give its pitcher some support in the fourth thanks to a two out, two-run single by Jenni Martin.
That would be all Fuzzard needed in the game as the sophomore allowed only one more hit to give UTC the sweep, 2-0. The righty struck out a career-tying eight batters in the game to win her third straight decision.
The Lady Mocs will go for its sixth-straight win and a sweep of the Paladins on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Georgia Southern 1, College of Charleston 0
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Junior pitcher Terri Mesko (McDonough, Ga.) threw a complete game and scattered seven hits while allowing only one run but it was not enough as Georgia Southern (8-10, 1-0) pulled out a 1-0 victory over the College of Charleston (4-11, 0-1) in the Southern Conference opener for both teams.
Following a scoreless first inning, Georgia Southern jumped out to the early lead in the second inning as sophomore designated hitter Megen Smith drilled a 2-0 pitch over the left field fence for a 1-0 Eagle lead. Sophomore pitcher Brianna Streetmon made that lead hold up through three innings as she no-hit the Cougars before allowing a single up the middle by senior designated hitter Shannon Howard (Carmichael, Calif.) with two outs in the fourth.
GSU would threaten again in the top of the fifth inning when back-to-back singles and a sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third with one out. Following a ground ball back to the pitcher for the second out, the Cougars elected to intentionally walk senior third baseman Robyne Siliga, the Eagles primary power threat, to load the bases. Junior pitcher Terri Mesko (McDonough, Ga.) then induced an inning-ending fly out to centerfield by senior centerfielder Amanda Hall to get out of the jam.
Charleston took advantage of a throwing error to get the lead off batter on in the bottom of the fifth inning but could only advance the runner to third base before the Eagles ended the threat. GSU would mount their own challenge in the seventh inning as they loaded the bases with two outs before fouling out to send it the bottom of the frame at 1-0. CofC rallied with another lead off hit and once again advanced the runner to third before Georgia Southern closed out the one-run victory with a ground out.
Megen Smith led the Eagles with a 2-for-3 outing that included the game’s only run on a solo shot to left field while junior infielder Nina Iduate finished 2-for-3. Streetmon picked up the win for Georgia Southern, moving to 3-3 on the season following a complete game, two-hit shutout and six strikeouts.
For the Cougars, Howard delivered both hits as she went 2-for-3 on the day while Mesko pitched a solid game, allowing only the one run and seven hits while notching three strikeouts. She is now six strikeouts away from passing Rachael Stern for the all-time program record of 462.
The Cougars play the second game of their double-header against Georgia Southern later this afternoon.
College of Charleston 9, Georgia Southern 6
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. ? A first inning grand slam by sophomore first baseman Katie Nutaitis (Vienna, Va.) and a pair of four-run innings set the tone early as the College of Charleston (4-11, 0-1) exploded for a 9-6 victory over Georgia Southern (8-10, 1-0) in the second game of their Southern Conference series Saturday afternoon in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
Trailing 1-0 entering the bottom of the first inning, the Cougars proceeded to load the bases on a single and a pair of walks before Nutaitis drove a ball down the left field line for the first grand slam of her career and gave Charleston a 4-1 lead. After allowing a second inning run to make it 4-2 and choking off a third on a diving, inning-ending force out by senior shortstop Christal Kotchman (Seminole, Fla.), CofC was right back at it in the home half of the inning.
Redshirt sophomore catcher Katie Pesature (Brewster, N.Y.) led off the inning with a double down the left field line and scored on a single by redshirt junior second baseman Amber Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) to make it 5-2. Following a walk to junior third baseman Kristie Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.), senior pitcher Shannon Howard (Carmichael, Calif.) then belted her third home run of the year, this one down the left field line, to make it an 8-2 ball game.
The Cougars added an RBI single by freshman shortstop Katie Forbes (Odessa, Fla.) in the fourth before GSU battled back in the fifth inning, scoring a pair of runs on four hits, three of them doubles, to close to within 9-4. The Eagles would add two more runs in the sixth inning on a double by senior third baseman Robyne Siliga and a triple by senior infielder Amanda Hall to make it 9-6.
Junior pitcher Terri Mesko (McDonough, Ga.) entered with two outs in the sixth and proceeded to set down the next four batters to collect her second save of the season and the fourth of her career.
For Georgia Southern, Siliga led the way with a 3-for-4, two-run, RBI performance while Hall finished the night at 2-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored. Junior outfielder Kelly Burnett and junior first baseman Sam Russo accounted for the remaining two RBIs with one apiece. Sophomore pitcher Megen Smith took the loss for the Eagles as she went 1.2 innings, allowing eight runs, five hits and three walks.
Katie Nutaitis went 3-for-4 with a grand slam, four RBI and a run scored for Charleston while Shannon Howard finished 1-for-3 with a three-run home run. Amber Shifflett went 1-for-3 with an RBI and two runs and Katie Forbes finished at 2-for-4 with her first career RBI. Howard pitched 5.2 innings for the Cougars, allowing six runs, four earned, and striking out seven batters to move to 3-4 on the season.
The College of Charleston wraps up against Georgia Southern with the rubber game of the series tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 p.m.
NOTES
With her fourth career save, Terri Mesko is now second all-time in the Cougars history, trailing only Rachael Stern’s six career saves.
Western Carolina 3, UNC Greensboro 2; UNC Greensboro 6, Western Carolina 4
CULLOWHEE, N.C. ? Western Carolina softball (5-9, 1-1 Southern Conference) split its opening Southern Conference weekend with rival UNC Greensboro (6-12, 1-1 SoCon) as the Catamounts took game one 3-2 in nine innings, before falling 6-4 in the second game, Saturday at the Catamount Softball Complex. The series will be up for grabs when the two teams meet for a single game Sunday beginning at 1 p.m.
The first game was knotted at two after seven innings to force free softball. Western Carolina trailed 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning and tied the game when, with the bases loaded, Spartan hurler Amber Harrell walked Mollie Fowler which allowed Stephanie Beatty to score from third.
After two scoreless innings, Western Carolina was down to its last out in the bottom of the ninth when sophomore Amber Hawkins and Beatty hit back-to-back singles. Senior Beth Hauser hit a frozen rope single that plated Hawkins and gave the Catamounts the win.
Western Carolina took the early 1-0 lead in the first inning when Kerri Burnside hit a one-out single and then scored off a UNCG miscue.
UNCG took a 2-1 lead scoring two runs in the top of the sixth inning. Pinch hitter Hannah Angel led off with a walk and then scored thanks to an RBI triple by Lyndsay Mouse to tie the game at one. The Spartans took the lead off an RBI single by Brittany Ausley.
Senior pitcher Lauren Ross tossed the complete game and picks up the win, improving to 3-2 on the season. She went nine innings allowing two runs on six hits, while striking out three. Harrell took the loss for UNCG, falling to 3-6.
In the second game, Western Carolina built a 3-0 lead through four innings before UNCG exploded in the fifth inning for five runs.
The Catamounts scored the first run of the game in the second inning when Hauser drew a walk and Ross hit her first triple of the season to score Hauser. In the fourth inning, Hauser again led off the inning with a walk and she scored when Fowler hit one of her two homeruns in the game to put WCU up 3-0.
The fifth inning was all UNC Greensboro as the Spartans posted five runs. The scoring frenzy was highlighted by a homerun by Angel, the first of her career and remarkably her first hit of her career. UNCG tacked on an additional run in the top of the seventh inning.
Western Carolina did attempt a rally scoring a run in the bottom of the seventh inning. Fowler hit a solo homerun with one out but it wasn’t enough offense to mount a comeback.
Freshman pitcher Katie King took the loss for the Catamounts falling to 2-3 on the season. She went 5.1 innings allowing five runs on nine hits, while striking out five. Fellow freshman pitcher Megan Taylor went 1.2 innings allowing one run on two hits.
Princeton 7, Elon 6
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The Elon Phoenix softball team fell to Princeton 7-6 in the second game of the Tar Heel Invitational hosted by North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. The team combined for 13 runs on 23 hits in the contest. Elon is now 4-7 on the season.
Leading the way for Elon was Ashlee Crewe, Kaitlyn Piazzolla and Jamie Rao who recorded two hits each. Rao accounted for the team's homerun, a two-run shot in the second inning. Piazzolla and Rao each scored twice.
Princeton got on the board first, scoring two in the top of the second. Nicole Ontiveros drew a walk to score Kelsey VandeBergh for the games first run.
The Phoenix answered with two runs in the bottom of the second. Piazzolla doubled to center to get things started for Elon and bring Rao to the plate. Rao took a 2-0 pitch over the left field wall to knot the score at two.
Still tied at two, Princeton added three in the top of the fourth. Ontiveros and Brianna Moreno opened the top of the fourth with back-to-back singles. Megan Weidrick doubled to right-center to score both Ontiveros and Moreno. Weidrick scored on a sacrifice fly to left field by Quist, allowing Princeton to take a 5-2 lead.
Crewe hit a one-out double to left center in the bottom of the fourth that was followed by a Piazzolla walk and a single by Rao. With the bases loaded, Melanie Helterbran doubled to left that sent Piazzolla and Crewe across the plate. Rao scored on a single by Hannah Shelton that tied the game at five.
Jackie Gonzalez reached on a dropped fly ball and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Patti Weber in the bottom of the fifth. A throwing error by Princeton's third basemen allowed Rao to reach first and Gonzalez to score the go-ahead run, making it a 6-5 game.
Kathryn Welch singled to left field in the top of the sixth inning and moved to second on a single by Jamie Lettire. A double off the bat of Kristin Arguedas scored both Welch and Lettire that allowed Princeton to take a 7-6 lead.
Elon threaten in the bottom half of the inning, after Danielle Lafferty drew the walk and Gonzalez singled. The two would be left stranded as the final Phoenix was retired. The Phoenix couldn't get anything across in the final half inning, allowing the Tigers to take the game 7-6.
Michelle Tolfa picked up the win, allowing three hits in three innings of work. She also walked one and struck out two. Helterbran picked up the loss, dropping to 2-3 on the season. In five and third innings of work, she allowed five earned runs on 13 hits. She also registered five strikeouts.
Elon will face Georgetown at 3 p.m. for the final game of the day in the Tar Heel Invitational.
Georgetown 12, Elon 2
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. ? Georgetown recorded 14 hits as it defeated Elon 12-2 in softball action Saturday afternoon in Chapel Hill, N.C. in the third game of the Tar Heel Invitational. With the loss, Elon drops to 4-8 on the season while the Hoyas improve to 2-9.
Erin O’Shea suffered the loss, falling to 2-2 on the season. She allowed five runs on three hits. She also walked two. Also making and appearance in the circle was Pam DelPizzo who allowed seven runs on 11 hits while registering three strikeouts. Jennifer Collins earned the win, allowing just two runs on six hits in the complete game. She also struck out six.
Ashlee Crewe led the Phoenix offense with two hits and a RBI. Brandi Jones, Jackie Gonzalez, Patti Weber and Jamie Rao each recorded one hit each.
Georgetown got things started early, scoring five runs in the top of the first inning. A single by Cara Savarese drove in the first Hoya run, scoring Kristi Preuss, who reached on a double. A sacrifice fly by Mackensey Carter scored Peters to five Georgetown a 2-0 lead. Savarese stole third a play later and scored following a throwing error by the Phoenix. Suria Bahadue belted a two-run homerun to end the inning, giving the Hoyas a 5-0 lead.
Elon cut the deficit to three in the bottom half of the inning. Gonzalez hit a one-out double to give the Phoenix its first baserunner of the game. She scored a batter later when Weber doubled to centerfield. A Crewe single up the middle scored Weber and made it a 5-2 game.
Georgetown added three runs in the second inning to take an 8-2 lead. With two outs, Peters drew a walk that was followed by a Savarese single that allowed Peters to reach home. Carter doubled to send Savarese to third. The pair scored on a single by McKinley Cooper.
A single by Preuss scored the Hoyas ninth run of the game in the top of the third to bring the score to 9-2.
Crewe doubled to left field in the Elon third. She moved into scoring position as Kaitlyn Piazzolla was hit by a pitch. Rao loaded the bases with one out with a single through the left side. The trio was left stranded as the final two Phoenix batters struck out.
The Hoyas made it a 12-2 game following a two-run homerun off the bat of Olivia Newhouse and a solo shot by Demetria Cipriano.
Elon returns to the field tomorrow morning at 10 a.m., when it faces Michigan State, the alma mater of head coach Patti Raduenz in the final game of the Tar Heel Invitational. The Phoenix took two games from the Spartans last season.