Western Carolina 2, Barton College 0
Western Carolina 10, South Carolina State 0
CARY, N.C. - Western Carolina softball earned two shutouts, defeating Barton College 2-0 and South Carolina State 10-0 Sunday, in the final day of action at the Lady Eagle Classic hosted by North Carolina Central. The Catamounts improve to 3-5, riding a three-game winning streak.
Freshman hurler Amber Steinhardt, fresh off her win on the mound on Saturday against North Carolina Central, tossed the first shutout of the season by a Catamount pitcher, with the 2-0 win over Barton College. She moved to 2-2 on the season, pitching her second straight complete game. Against Barton, Steinhardt allowed eight hits and struck out six.
After three and a half scoreless innings, Western Carolina finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth. Sophomore Chelsea Schaffer hit a lead-off single and advanced to second when Bekkah Burkett ground out. Schaffer scored off an RBI double by Shemekia Scotten.
The Catamounts added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning. It was Schaffer again staring things off for Western Carolina, hitting her second lead-off single of the game. Schaffer scored when Haley Pace ground out to the shortstop and Schaffer motored home.
Jordan Fulton, Schaffer and Scotten each had two hits in the game.
In the final game of the tournament, Western Carolina exploded for 10 runs on 10 hits in five innings. The Catamounts rode the arm of junior pitcher Chere Monday, who earned her first win of the season, and the first shutout of her career. Monday tossed a five hit shutout, did not give up a walk and struck out two.
The Catamounts got two runs in the first, two runs in the second and exploded for six runs in the top of the fifth inning. In the first inning, Pace hit an RBI single to score senior catcher Danielle Reese. Monday helped out her own cause when she it into a fielder's choice, but earned an RBI when Schaffer scored.
In the second inning, Robyn Burnette earned the Catamounts third run of the game off an RBI single by Fulton. A South Carolina State error allowed Fulton to score. In the sixth, Western Carolina batted through the line-up to help earn the six runs.
Schaffer led Western Carolina, going 3-for-4 and scoring two runs. Fulton had two hits, scored two runs and picked up an RBI.
Western Carolina returns to action on Friday, participating in the Buzz Classic hosted by Georgia Tech. The Catamounts open the tournament with Tennessee Tech at 11 a.m.
Chattanooga 6, Miami (Ohio) 1
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team started slow Sunday, but scored two runs in each of the last three innings to beat Miami (Ohio) 3-1 in the final day of the Frost Classic Inspired by Memorial. Junior Lauren Flores (Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.) notched her first career multi-extra base hit game with two doubles and drove in a run.
"We sat [Lauren Flores] for the game yesterday," said head coach Frank Reed. "She comes out with two hits today and used excellent base running to score that last run. I think that is because the players know that they are being challenged and they are not guaranteed to get in the lineup every day."
Chattanooga improves to 11-3 on the season, the best start for the team since 1998 when the team began the season 12-2. The best start for the squad under the guidance of Coach Reed was back in his first season, 2002, when the team started 10-3.
Taking the mound for the Lady Mocs was senior Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.), who went four innings striking out five and only giving up an unearned run. Junior Kandice Irwin (Knoxville, Tenn.) picked up the three inning save, her the third of season, that started by retiring the side with two runners on base.
"I kind of like to pitch with a little bit of pressure on myself even if there is no one on," said Irwin. "I just went out there and knew that my defense was behind me, tried to take what I do in practice into the game and let my defense make the plays."
Picking up two RBI apiece was junior Michelle Fuzzard (Huntginton Beach, Calif.) and senior Tia Blosser (Knoxville, Tenn.), who each took advantage of opportunities with runners in scoring position.
After back-to-back hits to start the second, the RedHawks took advantage of a Lady Mocs miscue to take a 1-0 lead as there was no one covering second base on a stolen base as the runner from third scored.
Leading off the fourth, senior Kaiti Kelley (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and Fuzzard walked setting the stage for junior Tiffany Baker (East Ridge, Tenn.), who just missed a home run to center field. Kelley and pinch runner Kristin Holloway (Chickamauga, Ga.) moved into scoring position and senior Tia Blosser (Knoxville, Tenn.) drove them in with a single to right that proved to be the game winning runs.
With Miami (Ohio) threatening after a single and walk, Irwin came in and pitched out of the jam getting the next three batters to groundout.
Flores started the fifth with a double to right centerfield and advanced to third on a groundout by pinch hitter Kasey Tydingco (Fairfield, Calif.). Senior Lyndsey Stiles (Hixson, Tenn.) legged out a single to third and stole second to get into scoring position. Fuzzard went with the pitch and drilled a grounder through the hole on the right side to help the Lady Mocs add some insurance runs in taking a 4-1 lead.
During the sixth inning, Flores notched her second double of the game down the left field line and would eventually come around to score on the same as the catcher was unable to handle the incoming cutoff throw in an attempt at getting junior Jessica Traxler (Chino Hills, Calif.).
For the RedHawks, Jordan McElroy went 2-for-3, while Alicia Hogl scored the only run after singling up the middle. Starting pitcher Jessica Simpson went four innings and gave up three runs, while Meredith Linch threw the remainder of the game and the two hurlers combined for four strikeouts.
The Lady Mocs are back in action on Friday at the USF UnderArmour Invitational in Tampa, Fla. Chattanooga begins the three-day tournament with a doubleheader against Massachusetts and Virginia Tech starting at 12:30p.m. The squad continues the event Saturday when they battle Bradley and Rutgers followed by a morning tilt with Villanova on Sunday.
On March 13-14, Chattanooga opens the conference slate with a three-game series against Furman at Frost Stadium. Two games are scheduled for Saturday beginning at 1 p.m., while the single game on Sunday begins at 2 p.m.
Elon 9, IUPUI 0
ELON, N.C. - A two-run walk-off home run by Danielle Lafferty in the bottom of the fifth inning lifted Elon (8-1) to a 9-0, five-inning shutout of IUPUI (3-5) in the final game of the series. Elon also earned the series win after getting one victory in Saturday's doubleheader.
Lafferty and Erin O'Shea each finished with a team-best four RBI. O'Shea recorded two hits, including a two-run home run in the fifth.
The Phoenix put up four runs in the first inning to take an early 4-0 lead. Jackie Gonzalez got things started with an infield single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Tomeka Watson. Following a strikeout, Emerald Graham loaded the bases with a single back to the circle. With two outs, O'Shea laced a single through the right side that allowed Gonzalez and Graham to score Elon's first two runs. With the bases still loaded, Danielle Lafferty singled to right field, scoring Kaitlyn Piazzolla and O'Shea, prompting a pitching change for the Jaguars. Jocelyn Oppenhuis came on in relief of Nicole Natter and retired the final Phoenix batter.
Elon added another run in the bottom of the fourth inning on an RBI double by Watson. Lafferty drew a walk to open the inning. With two outs, Watson roped a double to left field that scored Lafferty and gave the Phoenix a 5-0 lead.
IUPUI threatened in the top of the fifth. Mia Ettl opened the inning with a single and moved to third following a sacrifice bunt and a passed ball. Alicia Garrison lined a ball to short where Lafferty made a diving catch for the second out of the inning. O'Shea struck out the final batter to end any threat of a run.
The Phoenix tacked on four more runs in the final half-inning of the game. Graham began the hit parade when she sent the first pitch she saw to deep centerfield for a triple. O'Shea followed, with a home run over the center field wall that made it a 7-0 game. Piazzolla added a single to short and later stole second. With no outs, Lafferty belted a no-doubter to left field that scored the final two runs of the game and gave Elon a 9-0 win.
O'Shea remains undefeated on the season with a 3-0 record. She allowed just three hits and struck out four in five innings of work.
IUPUI's Natter suffered her first loss of the season as she fell to 0-1. She allowed four earned runs on five hits in two-thirds of an inning in the circle. Oppenhuis and Samantha Bumbaugh also saw time in the circle. Oppenhuis allowed three runs on three hits and struck out three, while Bumbaugh gave up two earned runs on two hits in a third of an inning of relief.
Elon will travel to Athens, Ga., next weekend for the Red and Black Showcase on the campus of the University of Georgia. The Phoenix will get the weekend started on Friday at 1:15 when it takes on Middle Tennessee State. During the three-day tournament, the Phoenix will also face Georgia, Minnesota and Belmont.
UNC Greensboro 7, Niagara 4
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Alex Emeterio and Eileen Horsmon clubbed back-to-back home runs in a four-run first inning and UNC Greensboro rapped out eight hits to top Niagara in the consolation game of the Spartan Classic on Sunday, 7-4.
Cleveland State topped Sacred Heart in the title game, 4-2.
UNCG coach Jennifer Herzig rolled out a new-look batting order and it immediately paid dividends, as Kristen Gabel doubled to center to lead off the game. Jordan Jewett followed with an infield single to put runners on the corners, and one out later, Emeterio blasted a ball off the scoreboard in right center for a quick 3-0 lead. It was her second home run in as many days.
Horsmon, a freshman, followed with her first career home run, a deep bomb to center to give UNCG (4-9) a 4-0 cushion.
Niagara (1-4) got a run back in the top of the second on Jennifer Hare's RBI double, and the score remained 4-1 until the fourth.
The Purple Eagles drew within two on Hare's solo home run in the top of the frame, but the Spartans restored their three-run lead in the bottom half when Jewett scored on Brittany Ausley's RBI groundout.
UNCG padded its lead in the fifth, getting a two-run shot from Katie Stripling to make it 7-2. Stripling's homer was her third of the season. The junior catcher is hitting an even .400 and slugging 1.300 on the young season.
Niagara capped the scoring with a pair of unearned runs in the top of the seventh on Jenna Baker's two-run home run with two outs. Cory Mattson, UNCG's third pitcher of the game, got a groundout to shut down any thoughts of a Niagara rally.
Cassie Stone (1-1) took the loss for Niagara, as she allowed seven runs - six earned - on eight hits and five walks in 6 innings.
Amber Harrell (2-4) picked up the win with 3 innings of effective relief. She allowed one run on a hit and a walk, striking out six. Raeanne Hanks started for UNCG, allowing a run on a hit and a walk in 2 innings.
UNCG returns to action next weekend at the Buzz Classic in Woodstock, Ga. The Spartans will face Akron and Howard on Friday, Bowling Green on Saturday and Jacksonville State and Tennessee Tech on Sunday.
North Carolina A&T 12, Appalachian State 3
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Appalachian State University softball fell to North Carolina A&T in the championship game of the North Carolina A&T Invitational 12-3 Sunday afternoon.
ASU finished the tournament with a 4-1 record and is 7-3 on the season and off to its best start in school history. The Aggies also finished the tournament 4-1, losing on Friday to ASU, and are also 4-1 on the year.
North Carolina A&T took control of the game with three big innings, scoring three in the first, five in the fourth and four in the sixth.
The Apps were able to get a run in the first on a Katie Boyd (Walkertown, N.C./North Forsyth) RBI single and two in the fourth on an RBI double by Hannah Dow (Mattoon, Ill./Heartland CC), but it would not be enough as the Aggies belted out 13 hits.
Bianca Alsobrook had two hits and three RBI to lead the Aggies offensively. Jennifer Luper pitched also six innings, allowing just five hits and the three runs.
Dow took the loss, giving up seven hits and seven runs in 3.1 innings.
Boyd, McKenzie Phillips (Newton, Ill./Heartland CC) and Caitlin Wainright (Greenville, N.C./East Carolina) were named to the all-tournament. Phillips led ASU with a .563 batting average with eight runs scored and five stolen bases. Boyd hit .429 over the five games with seven runs scored, two homers and six stolen bases. Wainright was the leader in the circle for ASU, going 2-0 with 19 strikeouts.
The Mountaineers are back in action on Friday, March when they play Maine at 11 a.m. to lead off the Stetson Invitational.
Eastern Michigan 8, Georgia Southern 7
FT. MYERS, Fla. - Despite falling 7-8 to Eastern Michigan on the final day of the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament in Ft. Myers, Fla., Georgia Southern (7-5) won the tournament title. The Eagles posted a 4-1 record over the three-day event, winning two games each on Friday and Saturday.
In Sunday's game, the Eagles started hot, scoring four runs in the top of the first inning. Nina Iduate (Norcross, Ga.) led off the game with a single and then stole her sixth base of the season. Megen Smith (Springfield, Ga,) took the empty base at first with a walk and an Eastern Michigan error allowed Sam Russo (Snellville, Ga.) to reach base, Iduate to score from second, and move Smith to third.
Alexa Lewis (Lawrenceville, Ga.), pinch running for Russo, stole second base. Smith crossed home plate after the EMU catcher, in attempting to throw out Lewis, threw the ball into the outfield. Hanna Ennis (Snellville, Ga.) sacrificed to drive in Lewis, Eagles 3-0. Kelly Burnett (Boynton Beach, Fla.) would get an infield hit, bringing in Mackenzie Williams (Baxley, Ga.) to put Georgia Southern up 4-0 after the top of the first.
Eastern Michigan would answer with two runs in the bottom half of the inning. However, Georgia Southern responded in the second with three more runs. Iduate would again lead off with a single. Fogle hit a ball back to the pitcher, who turned to throw first, but no one was covering the base. The error would allow Iduate to score from first. Smith blasted another ball over the right field wall that pushed Georgia Southern's lead to 7-2.
However, two runs by Eastern Michigan in the third cut Georgia Southern's lead to 7-4. EMU would plate four more runs in the bottom of the fourth to take its first lead of the game, 8-7. Georgia Southern would threaten one more time in the top of the fifth as Iduate hit a two-out single up the middle. Fogle then drove a single up the middle and both runners would advance on a wild pitch. However, they were left stranded.
The Eagles received several accolades for their performance in the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament. Lowes Senior CLASS Award nominee Nina Iduate was named tournament MVP for her performance over the three days. She batted .562 for the weekend, scoring five runs, driving in one run, and stealing four bases. Iduate also dazzled in the field making several spectacular plays, including a diving snag on a ground ball hit up the middle and then throwing the Villanova runner out at first as she got up from the ground.
Georgia Southern had three additional players named to the FGCU Tournament All-Tournament Team. Brianna Streetmon (Winder, Ga.) was selected as a pitcher, Smith as the designated player, and Fogle in the outfield. Streetmon went 2-0 during the tournament allowing only six hits, one earned run while striking out 15 batters. Smith hit .294 over the weekend, hit three monster bombs to right field for home runs, driving in eight runs and scoring six runs. Fogle batted .473, scored six runs, two runs batted in, and stole one base.
Georgia Southern returns to action on Friday, March 5 at 9 a.m. for the UCF Tournament in Orlando, Fla. Georgia Southern will take on Providence and Harvard on Friday, College of Charleston and Boston College on Saturday, and wrap up with UCF on Sunday.
Troy 9, Samford 6
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford softball team wrapped up a weekend of play in frigid temperatures in the final day of the Magic City Classic Sunday. The Bulldogs fell to Troy, 9-6. Samford went 1-3 in the tournament and is now 5-5 overall while the Trojans went 3-1 over the weekend and improves to 9-4.
UAB was the tournament champion with a 3-1 record and the tiebreak over the Trojans. Nicholls State went 2-2 while Alabama State ended the tournament with a 1-3 record.
After UAB defeated Nicholls State in a 7-2 game that saw four homeruns, three by the Blazers and one by the Colonels, Samford and Troy set out to finish off the three-day tournament.
The Trojans quickly took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first but Samford roared back to take a 5-3 lead. Troy would score six more to make it a 9-5 game before Alex Adams hit a home run to make the final score, 9-6.
"We've hit a rough patch here where we are struggling a little bit so I was proud of our kids for fighting and coming back," Samford Head Coach Ketcham said. "We are just struggling to find a rhythm defensively and we are not making plays we should be making."
Troy went through their whole lineup in the first inning as they scored one run on a fielder's choice, the second on a hit batsman and the third on a bases loaded walk.
However, Samford charged back and batted nine times also in the bottom of the inning to score five runs to take the lead. With one out and runners on second and third, Adams singled to the shortstop to score the two runs. Adams then advanced to second when Aaren Fisher was hit by a pitch before both advanced a base on a wild pitch.
After a pitching change, Amanda Jordan singled to score Adams and Fisher while advancing to second base on the throw to home in attempt to tag the runner. Next, Anna Kimbrell singled up the middle which advanced Jordan to third base.
With runners on the corners, Rachael Reeves took a high pitch to the head to load the bases. Amy Gonzalez singled to bring home Jordan before the Trojans recorded the third out.
Troy then shutout Samford for the next five innings while scoring two runs in the top of the second, third and sixth to take a 9-5 lead.
Adams rattled off her third homerun of the season in the bottom of the seventh with one out, but Fisher flied out and Jordan popped up to end the game with a score of 9-6.
"I was proud of the way they came back and hit the ball better today," Ketcham said. "Our pitching was okay today, but we just had too many walks. All the pieces are there, we just aren't clicking yet. I think we are still in a good place to have a good season. We just have to stay focused and keep working."
Adams and Jordan led the Bulldogs again on Sunday, each going 2-for-4 at the plate. Adams scored two runs and recorded three RBI while also leading her team on defense, along with Robyn Harmon, with six putouts. Jordan scored one run and was credited with two RBI. Harmon and Fisher each had a run while Gonzalez, Barrs and Kimbrell had one hit.
Stephanie Royall took the loss for the Bulldogs which brings her overall record to 3-1 on the season. She gave up seven runs on seven hits and walked two batters in two and one-third innings. Harmon relieved and pitched three and two-thirds innings, recording one striking, walking one batter and giving up two runs on one hit. Barrs finished out the game, pitching the seventh inning, recording one strikeout and giving up just one hit.
Troy was led by Kala Moore, Kaitlin Kenney and Rocky Paige. Moore went 3-for-5 and scored two runs while Paige was 2-for-4 at the plate for the Trojans. Kenney went 2-for-5 with one run while Hayden Gann led her team in RBI with three while going 1-for-5 at the plate and scoring two runs.
Ashlyn Williams (7-3) got the win for Troy after relieving Haley Hutchins with two outs in the first inning. Williams struck out six batters and gave up just two earned runs on six hits with one walk in six and two-thirds innings.
The Bulldogs are back in action this weekend as they head west to compete in the Wilson/DeMarini Invitational at No. 12 Arizona State. Samford will begin tournament play on Friday, March 5, against Creighton at 10 a.m. CT, before taking on Northern Iowa at 4:30 p.m. On Saturday, they will face ASU at 4:30 p.m., then take on UC-Santa Barbara at 8:30 p.m. Samford will then wrap up the weekend with a 10 a.m., meeting against Idaho State on Sunday.