Georgia Southern 3, Samford 0
STATESBORO, Ga. - The Georgia Southern softball team (17-16, 7-5) picked up their second conference series win behind Brianna Streetmon's (Winder, Ga.) second shutout in as many days. The Eagles used a two-run first inning to take the rubber game from Samford (11-19, 5-10), 3-0.
“Before the game we discussed that we needed to treat this like the championship game. We needed to come out and find a way to win the series. I was proud of them for coming out and winning after the loss yesterday,” said head coach Maggie Johnson.
Streetmon mirrored her pitching performance from game one of the series, throwing a complete game four-hit shutout Sunday. The sophomore pitcher earned her 10th win with her third shutout of the season.
“When we put her out there we know that she will be consistent,” said Johnson. “She is tough to hit with her curveball.”
The Eagles came out swinging, scoring two two-out runs on three hits in the first inning. Robyne Siliga (Oceanside, Calif.) reached on an error and advanced to third on Amanda Hall's (Haddock, Ga.) fielder's choice. Siliga scored on a wild pitch that got away from the catcher. Megen Smith (Springfield, Ga.) plated Hall with a RBI double that dropped in under the glove of the right fielder Rachael Reeves. Sam Russo (Snellville, Ga.) singled and Hanna Ennis (Snellville, Ga.) walked to load the bases for Jenny Side (Loganville, Ga.). Amanda Barrs was able to coax a pop up from Side to end the inning.
The Bulldogs loaded the bases in the fourth on one hit. Barrs led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second on the sacrifice bunt by Aaren Fisher. Amy Gonzalez reached on an error by Siliga. Robyn Harmon singled to center, but a strong throw by Hall held the runner at third. Streetmon caught Rachael Reeves looking for the second out of the inning and coaxed a ground ball from Amanda Jordan to end the threat.
Samford had a runner reach third base in the fifth inning after Katie England's sacrifice bunt, but Streetmon kept the runner at bay by getting a ground ball to end the inning.
Russo led off the sixth inning with a home run that just stayed fair down the third base line, giving the Eagles a 3-0 lead. The junior first baseman went three for three with the home run. “She is one of the best at making adjustments from swing to swing. She did that all day long and got the job done,” said Johnson. Michelle Beasley (Metter, Ga.) kept the inning alive, after two outs were recorded, with a stand up triple to right. Beasley laced the ball over the head of the right fielder for her first hit of the game.
The Bulldogs used a pair of sacrifice bunts to put runners on second and third in the sixth inning, but Streetmon shut Samford down coaxing a ground out from Amanda Jordan.
The Bulldogs did not go down without a fight in the seventh inning. Kristy Lawrence led off with an infield base hit but was thrown out on a fielder's choice when Kylie Harmon hit the ball back to Streetmon. Amanda Barrs kept the inning alive with a two-out base hit but was also thrown out on an inning-ending fielder's choice.
Softball hits the road for three games against Elon Friday. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. at East Field.
Furman 6, Elon 5
Greenville, S.C. - Brythe Blankenship delivered a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh to score Abby Robertson and lift Furman to a 6-5 victory over Elon in the finale of a three-game Southern Conference softball series Sunday afternoon at Pepsi Stadium.
Furman, who salvaged the final game of the series after dropping a pair of games to the Phoenix on Saturday, improved to 13-20 overall and 5-7 in the SoCon. Elon fell to 11-17 overall and 3-6 in the league.
Robertson opened the bottom half of the seventh with a single through the left side. Elon reliever Melanie Helterbran fanned Stephanie Cushing for the first out of the inning, but her throw to second on Morgan Hughey's chopper back to the circle sailed wide allowing Robertson to advance safely. Blankenship followed with a hard bouncer up the middle to score Robertson from second with the game-winning run.
The Phoenix grabbed a 2-0 first inning lead on Patti Weber's two-run double in the gap off of Furman starter Hannah Bradley, but the Paladins knotted the game at 2-2 in the bottom half of the inning as Blankenship and Meredith Mielke worked bases loaded walks to force in runs.
In the bottom of the second, Stephanie Field reached on a one-out single and moved to third on Robertson's double to left-center. Cushing followed with a three-run blast to right field, her eight homer of the season, to give the Paladins a 5-2 lead. The roundtripper was Cushing's third in the last four games.
Elon trimmed the lead to one run in the sixth on Erin O'Shea's two-run homer off of Bradley before Brandi Jones tied the game in the seventh on a solo blast to center field off of reliever Stephanie Mihaly.
Helterbran (4-8) took the loss for the Phoenix despite giving up only one unearned run on two hits in 2 1/3 innings of relief. She issued one walk and struck out one. Mihaly improved to 6-3 in the circle for Furman after allowing one run on one hit in one inning of work. She surrendered two walks and struck out one. Bradley got a no decision for the Paladins allowing four runs on five hits over six innings.
Field, Robertson and Cushing each collected three hits and scored a pair of runs for the Paladins. Cushing registered three RBIs while Blankenship batted in two. Jones went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs for the phoenix while Weber was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. O'Shea went 2-for-2 with a double and a homer.
Elon travels to Charlotte for a non-conference doubleheader on Thursday at 4 p.m. Furman returns to action with a 3 p.m. twinbill at Georgia State on Wednesday before opening a three-game SoCon series at Pepsi Stadium on Friday versus the College of Charleston with a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
Chattanooga 8, Western Carolina 6
CULLOWHEE, N.C. ? Chattanooga third baseman Toni Hutchison hit a grand-slam, in the top of the ninth inning, to give the Mocs a Southern Conference sweep over Western Carolina softball Sunday at the Catamount Softball Complex. Western Carolina falls to 9-23 and 5-7 in the Southern Conference while Chattanooga improves to 20-16 and 10-2 in the SoCon.
It was the second extra-inning game in the series in as many days. The second game of the doubleheader, on Saturday, went 10 innings, while Sunday’s contest went nine.
The Catamounts trailed for the entirety of the game, down 4-2, in the bottom of the seventh inning when Western Carolina rallied for two runs to tie the game. Kerri Burnside hit a lead-off single and got into scoring position off a wild pitch by Chattanooga hurler Brooke Loudermilk. With a 3-2 count, freshman Chelsea Schaffer notched her second hit of the game, a screaming single to right field and Burnside scored off a Mocs’ miscue. Schaffer motored to third when sophomore Amber Hawkins hit a ground out. Chattanooga decided to walk senior Mollie Fowler, who had already burnt the club for a homerun, but as Loudermilk was tossing the fourth ball in the intentional free pass, it skipped over the head of catcher of Brittany Eason to plate Schaffer and tie the game at four.
After a scoreless eighth inning, Chattanooga put the game out of reach off the bomb by Hutchison from an offering by pitcher Katie King. Western Carolina proved what the club had shown all weekend it wouldn’t go down without a fight, however.
In the bottom of the ninth, Western Carolina pulled within two runs when Kristen Gay led off with a single and Hawkins hit her fifth homerun of the season to make the score 8-6. With one out, Stephanie Beatty singled to left center but a fly out to right field by Lauren Ross and a strike out by Brittany Barrineau halted the Catamount rally.
Sophomore Chere Monday started the game for Western Carolina and tossed three solid innings before getting burnt in the fourth. The Seymour, Tennessee native gave up a lone run in the top of the first when Chattanooga’s Michelle Fuzzard hit an RBI double.
The second and third innings went without event until the fourth inning. Chattanooga posted three runs, and took a 4-0 advantage, off a three-run homerun by Eason. After giving up the long ball, Monday was replaced by King who completed the game. Monday went three innings allowing four runs on six hits. King took the loss in the contest, falling to 3-10, allowing four runs on nine hits and striking out three.
Western Carolina cut the Chattanooga lead to two with one swing of Mollie Fowler’s bat. In the top of the fifth inning Schaffer kept her hitting streak alive, hitting safely in the last nine games, when she led off with a double. With two outs, Fowler hit a laser over the right field wall for her fifth homerun of the season.
Fowler, Schaffer, Beatty and Burnside each had two hits in the game. Fowler was 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. Schaffer was 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
Chattanooga pitcher Loudermilk started the game, was replaced by Michelle Fuzzard in the middle of the fifth, and then came back in middle of the seventh. She takes the win and improves to 4-0.
Western Carolina returns to action Tuesday hosting North Carolina A&T in non-conference action. First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 3 p.m.
College of Charleston 6, Appalachian State 5
BOONE, N.C. - Brittany Gaston went 3-for4 to lead the Appalachian State University softball offense, but a late innings rally came back just short as ASU fell to College of Charleston Sunday afternoon at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium, 6-5.
Charleston (13-20, 6-6) got on the board first with a Kristie Shifflett home run to left center field to give the Cougars a 2-0 lead. CofC scored first in ever game of the series.
Appalachian (17-20, 9-6) got a run back in the fourth inning when Meagan Squartino drove in Brittany Gaston with a pinch hit RBI single.
Charleston countered with four runs in the top of the fifth to chase ASU starter Kayla Richardson, who took the loss, allowing five hits and five runs, but just two earned runs.
The Mountaineers' counted Charleston's fifth, with three runs in the bottom half of the inning.
Katie Boyd started the inning with an infield single and Michelle Lighton followed with a walk and Brittany Gaston reached on a bunt single. Boyd scored on an RBI walk by Morgan Price and Ashley Stubbs delivered a two RBI double to right center to score Brittany Gaston and Lighton.
Megan Rembielak got ASU closer in the sixth, reaching on a walk. She reached second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a ground out by Boyd, and scored on a passed ball.
Appalachian got two runners on in the seventh, when Ashley Gaston walked and McIntyre singled, but Shannon Howard induced a ground out for the final out of the game.
Brittany Gaston had three hits and scored two runs for ASU while Andrea McIntyre added two hits.
Teri Fister had another solid relief outing for ASU, going three innings, allowing three hits and one unearned run.
ASU travels to SoCon leader Chattanooga on Friday at 6 p.m. and will play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.
Before the game, Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium was offically dedicated to the six women of the Sywassink/Lloyd family. Haley Lloyd threw out the first pitch to commerate the occassion.