Furman 12, Presbyterian 0; Furman 11, Presbyterian 2
Greenville, S.C. -- The Furman softball team clubbed a school-record nine home runs, including three by senior Kate Termini, on its way to a 12-0, 11-2 doubleheader sweep of the Presbyterian Blue Hose in non-conference action Wednesday afternoon at the PC Softball Field.
After belting four dingers in a 12-0 game one victory, the Paladins hammered a school-record five homers in an 11-2 game two win highlighted by a single inning best three blasts in the fifth inning to give the Paladins a single season record 29 homers this year. Six different Paladins recorded a roundtripper including Stephanie Cushing who tied Julie Glasser’s single season home run record with her ninth of the season.
In game one, Lana Mackey tossed a two-hit shutout and fanned 13 Presbyterian batters without issuing a walk to improve to 9-12 in the circle.
Morgan Hughey opened the homer parade with a solo shot in the second to put Furman on top and the Paladins extended the lead with an RBI single from Abby Robertson in the third and Stephanie Field in the fourth. Furman upped the lead to 6-0 in the fifth with back-to-back homers from Mackey and Termini.
The Paladins exploded for six runs in the sixth highlighted by a two-run single from Cushing and capped by Termini’s second clout of the contest, a three-run shot to left field.
Six different Paladins collected a pair of hits in the 14-hit attack. Termini went 2-for-4 with a pair of long balls and four RBIs while Mackey helped herself going 2-for-3 with a double and a two-run blast.
Leslie Hensley (10-8) suffered the loss for PC allowing six runs, all earned, on nine hits in five innings of work. She walked one and struck out seven.
In game two, five Paladins belted home runs and Stephanie Mihaly worked 3 2/3 innings of relief without allowing a hit to guide Furman to an 11-2 victory.
Furman took advantage of several PC errors to build a 3-0 lead and Field, Cushing, Hughey, Blankenship and Termini homered to pace the Paladins. Field went 3-for-4 with three RBIs while Robertson, Cushing and Blankenship each collected two hits. Cushing’s three-run shot in the fifth inning tied her for the single season home run record at nine and moved her within four of Glasser’s career record of 25 homers.
Mihaly improved to 7-5 with the win while Presbyterian’s Mary Gordon (6-15) allowed 10 runs in 5 1/3 innings to absorb the loss. Amanda Miller produced PC’s only runs with a two-run homer.
The sweep improved Furman to 17-25 on the season while Presbyterian slipped to 18-24.
Furman returns home this weekend to host Western Carolina in its final home Southern Conference series of the season. The series begins with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday followed by a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Charleston Southern 7, College of Charleston 3; College of Charleston 2, Charleston Southern 0
LADSON, S.C. - Senior outfielder Tiffany Harmon (Lynn Haven, Fla.) went 3-for-3 with two RBI in Game 1 and freshman pitcher Katie Forbes (Odessa, Fla.) pitched a complete game two-hitter in the second game as the College of Charleston (18-23, 9-8) split a non-conference double header with Charleston Southern (24-28, 7-8 Big South) on Wednesday, April 22. CSU claimed the first game by a score of 7-3 before the Cougars posted a 2-0 victory in the nightcap.
Charleston Southern took the early lead in Game 1 as they scored five runs over the first two innings before pulling out a 7-3 victory.
After holding Charleston scoreless in the opening frame, the Buccaneers opened the home half of the inning with three RBI singles to take a 3-0 lead. The Cougars would get on the board in the second as Tiffany Harmon singled through the right side with two outs and a runner on third to make it 3-1.
CSU continued their offensive output in the bottom of the inning when centerfielder Brittany Giannini singled and scored on a triple to right by shortstop Megan Lombard. That pushed the lead back to 4-1 before second baseman Amy Trenkamp delivered a sacrifice fly to score Lombard from third and give the Bucs a 5-1 advantage.
The Cougars chipped away in the fourth inning as Harmon tripled to right with a runner on second base to close to within 5-2 before keying a third run in the sixth. In that inning, Harmon singled with two outs, stole second and scored on a line drive single up the middle by senior shortstop Christal Kotchman (Seminole, Fla.) to make it 5-3.
That would be as close as they would get as CSU added a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth inning before closing out the four-run victory with a 1-2-3 seventh inning.
Megan Hall led the Buccaneers with a 2-for-3, one run, RBI day while Lombard finished 1-for-4 with two runs and an RBI. Trenkamp added a run and RBI while third baseman Gail Matsushima and pitcher Jamie Wellons each finished with an RBI to round out the offensive side of the ledger. In the pitching circle, Wellons pitched a complete game, allowing nine hits and three runs while striking out a pair to earn the victory and move to 13-16.
For the College of Charleston, Tiffany Harmon produced a 3-for-3, two RBI day that included a run, a walk and her 13th stolen base of the season. Kotchman added the other RBI with a 1-for-3 performance while senior pitcher Shannon Howard (Carmichael, Calif.) finished 2-for-4 with a run.
In the pitching circle Howard threw her fourth straight complete game. She suffered the loss, however, as she allowed seven runs, six of them earned, and scattered eight hits to go along with six strikeouts. She falls to 5-11 on the season.
In stark contrast to the first game of the day, the nightcap turned out to be a pitcher’s duel. Charleston Southern allowed four hits over the first four innings while CofC’s Katie Forbes limited the Bucs to a mere two singles over that same span.
It would hold that way until the top of the fifth inning when Tiffany Harmon led off with a single to left, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a single to the left centerfield gap by junior third baseman Kristie Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead.
Charleston would add to that the following inning when Forbes doubled to left, advanced to third on a fielding error and scored on a sacrifice fly by freshman catcher Kelley Dillon (Hanahan, S.C.) to make it 2-0. That would be all they would need as Forbes was masterful down the stretch, setting down 10 of the final 11 batters to face her, and closed out the first complete game of her career with a two-hit shutout.
Charleston Southern was limited to only two hits on the day, those coming from Jamie Wellons and left fielder Melissa Adams in the form of a pair of singles. Sondra Vetter took the loss for the Buccaneers as she pitched the entire game and gave up both runs, one earned, and surrendered seven hits to fall to 11-10.
Forbes led the Cougars with her complete game, two-hit shutout in only her second collegiate pitching appearance and earned her first career win in the process, improving to 1-0. She struck out six batters and allowed only a pair of walks over seven innings of work.
Offensively, Kristie Shifflett led the way with a 2-for-4, RBI day while Dillon collected the other RBI with her sac fly in the sixth inning. Forbes and Harmon each notched a hit and run scored. Redshirt junior second baseman Amber Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) added a hit and her 14th steal of the season in 14 attempts. She now has swiped 37 consecutive bases dating back to March 19, 2006 against South Carolina State.
The College of Charleston will begin its stretch drive in the Southern Conference this weekend when they travel to UNC Greensboro for a three-game series beginning on Saturday, April 25.
GAME 1 NOTES
The loss snaps the Cougars season-high three-game winning streak ... Tiffany Harmon’s three-hit day marked her third this season while her stolen base extended her streak to four straight games with a swipe.
GAME 2 NOTES
With her 37 RBI on the season, Kristie Shifflett is now tied for second place in the Southern Conference with Georgia Southern’s Amanda Hall ... she trails Appalachian State’s Katie Boyd who has 40 ... the shutout victory marks the third for the Cougars in their last five games ... CofC blanked Elon 1-0 and 10-0 in their Southern Conference series this past weekend ... the College of Charleston is 42-of-48 in steal attempts this season for an 88 percent success rate ... the Cougars have been successful in their last 10 steal attempts dating back to April 18 vs. Elon.
No. 8 Georgia 8, Western Carolina 0
ATHENS, Ga. ? Western Carolina fell to No. 8 Georgia 8-0 in five innings Wednesday at UGA Softball Stadium. The Catamounts drop to 11-28 on the season while the Bulldogs improve to 34-8.
Freshman shortstop Chelsea Schaffer had her school record 15-game hitting streak snapped in the game. She went 0-2 in the contest but still carries a .318 batting average, the best in the conference amongst freshmen.
Lefty freshman hurler Katie King got the starting nod and went two scoreless innings before giving up seven runs in the bottom of the third inning. The Bulldogs tacked on a single run in the bottom of the fourth to shorten the game to five innings.
King went 2.2 innings before being replaced by Chere Monday who worked 1.1 innings. King takes the loss and drops to 5-13 on the season, giving up seven runs on eight hits. Monday allowed one run on three hits and struck out two.
The Catamounts had two hits in the contest. Kristen Gay picked up a hit and so did freshman Brittany Barrineau.
Western Carolina plays its final Southern Conference series of the year this weekend traveling to Greenville, S.C. to take on Furman. The doubleheader begins at 1 p.m. Saturday and the single game is also at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
East Carolina 4, UNC Greensboro 3; East Carolina 9, UNC Greensboro 0
GREENVILLE, NC ? Cristen Aona hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning to snap a 2-all tie and UNC Greensboro's seventh-inning rally fell as run short as East Carolina took the first game of a doubleheader against the Spartans on Wednesday, 4-3. The Pirates completed the doubleheader sweep with a 9-0 win in five innings in game two.
Trailing 4-2 entering the seventh in game one, UNCG (19-26) took advantage of some shoddy ECU defense to make it interesting. After Pirates pitcher Toni Paisley (27-7) struck out the first two batters, UNCG's Leslie Furness ? a Greenville native ? reached on an error to keep the game going. Emily Akiyama drew a two-out walk, and pinch-hitter Whitney Sirois reached on another ECU error, which allowed pinch-runner Kayla Hensley to score from second.
With runners at first and second and two outs, Paisley got Brittany Ausley to foul out to end the game.
The Pirates (36-12) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the contest, scoring in the first and third innings. Angel Barrella drew a leadoff walk in the first, and after moving to third on a sacrifice and an illegal pitch, she came in on a UNCG error with two outs. Barrella was also the catalyst in the third inning, doubling to right center to lead off, moving to third on a sacrifice and taking home on a double steal.
The Spartans tied things in the top of fourth. Ausley drew a leadoff walk, and two outs later, Alex Emeterio doubled to left field to bring her in. Lyndsay Mouse followed with another double to left to score Emeterio and knot things at 2.
East Carolina went back on top in the fifth, as Aona's homer to left scored Charina Sumner and made it a 4-2 game.
Paisley allowed just three hits, and was perfect the first time through UNCG's order. Ausley's walk broke up the perfect game, and Emeterio's double two outs later broke up Paisley's no-hit bid. Two of the runs against Paisley were earned.
Hannah Angel fell to 11-11 on the season for UNCG, as she allowed four runs - three earned - on five hits and four walks.
Barrella was 2-for-3 to lead all hitters in the game.
Game two saw the Pirates again get on the board in the first inning, as Aona’s infield single scored Barrella, who walked to lead off the inning.
ECU pushed its lead to 4-0 with three runs in the third, getting a bases-loaded walk from Marina Gusman-Brown and a two-run single from Sarah Bibee with two outs. The runs were unearned after Jillian Gallagher reached on an error to lead off the inning.
The Pirates put the game out of reach with a five-run fourth, with Aona, Gusman-Brown, Bibee and Kaui Tom all coming up with RBI.
The Spartans seemed to get off to a promising start in the game, as Ausley led off with a single up the middle. One out later, ECU pitcher Brooke Swann induced a double play to escape with no damage done.
UNCG threatened in the third, getting a one-out walk from Kristen Gabel, who then stole second with two outs. Whitney Miller reached on an ECU error to put runners at the corners, but Swann got a groundout to end the threat.
Emeterio was stranded at third in the fourth after a leadoff double, and the Spartans were unable to get anything going in the fifth as the game ended via the mercy rule.
Aside from Ausley’s single and Emeterio’s double, Mary Catherine Vercoe had UNCG’s only other hit in the game, and infield single in the second.
Amber Harrell fell to 5-11 on the season with the loss, as she was charged with all nine runs, although just three were earned. She gave up seven hits and four walks in 3.1 innings of work, striking out seven. Cory Mattson got the final two outs of the fourth, allowing a walk and striking out two.
Swann improved to 7-1 on the season, allowing just three hits and a walk in five innings of work.
Sumner, Aona and Bibee had two hits each.
UNCG returns to Southern Conference play this weekend, when it will host College of Charleston for a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday and wrap up the series with a 1 p.m. game Sunday.
Tennessee 8, Appalachian State 0
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Appalachian State University softball fell to Tennessee 8-0 Wednesday night in Knoxville. The eight run rule loss is the first of the season for the Mountaineers.
Tennessee got on the board first in the bottom of the third. Kelly Grieve led off with a bloop double to right center just out of the reach of ASU second baseman Andrea McIntyre. Grieve scored on a suicide squeeze bunt by Tiffany Huff. The Lady Vols added two more runs on a two RBI single by Erinn Webb.
Sarah Rappe (Charlotte, N.C./Butler) got Appalachian's first hit of the game when she hit a ball up the middle that Tennessee second baseman Nicole Kajitani made a diving stop for but did not have a play at first to get Rappe.
Huff gave Tennessee a 6-0 lead with a three-run homer to right center in the fourth. The home run followed back-to-back bunt singles by Grieve and Lillian Hammond.
Tennessee invoked the run-rule in the fifth when Ashton Ward and Ashley Andrews had RBI hits.
Kayla Richardson (West Jefferson, N.C./Ashe County) suffered the loss allowing five hits and three runs while strikiing out two and walking two. Cat Hosfield pitched a complete game for the Lady Vols allowing just the Rappe single, while striking out seven and walking two.
Katie Boyd (Walkertown, N.C./Ashe County) walked twice, upping her season total to 57 and is just three walks away from breaking the single-season SoCon record. Grieve, Hammond and Webb all had two hits for Tennessee.
Appalachian returns to action on Saturday when they travel to North Carolina Central for a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m.