Elon 1, No. 16/20 North Carolina 0
ELON, N.C. - A two-out home run in the bottom of the third inning by freshman Tomeka Watson proved to be the difference as the Elon softball team handed No.16/20 North Carolina a 1-0 loss on Wednesday afternoon at East Field. Elon hurler Erin O'Shea provided the edge the Phoenix needed in the circle, limiting the Heels to just five hits and striking out two batters to move to 6-1 on the season. Elon improved to 15-4 on the season while UNC dropped to 18-5.
With two outs in the bottom of the third inning, Watson belted a solo home run over the heads of the Elon faithful just beyond the centerfield fence that put the Phoenix up 1-0.
"Every win is a big win for us," Elon head coach Patti Raduenz said. "I think that by beating a ranked team, it really solidifies who we are as a team. We're tough team and I'm proud of them. We have worked so hard to get to this point and continue to get better everyday."
The Tar Heels looked to strike in the top of the second inning, recording two hits and moving a runner to second. The Phoenix settled in and retired the final two batters to end the inning.
A pair of stellar catches in foul territory by Pam DelPizzo and Watson allowed the Phoenix to get out of the top of the fifth inning with a runner in scoring position.
The web gems kept coming as Jackie Gonzalez and Emerald Graham tracked down hard hit balls in the top of the sixth inning to retire the side.
With two away in the top of the seventh, O'Shea caught the final Tar Heel batter looking, sealing the 1-0 win.
"This feels unbelievable," O'Shea said. "I was more relaxed today than I have been all season. I focused batter-by-batter, pitch-by-pitch and didn't worry about who was up next or the name on the uniform. I went out there and just pitched my game and stayed within myself."
Elon will be back in action on Saturday afternoon when it welcomes Southern Conference rival Appalachian State to East Field. The doubleheader gets underway at 1 p.m.
No. 9 Georgia 8, Furman 0
ATHENS, Ga. - Erin Arevalo tossed a two-hit shutout and Amberlie Saxton went 2-for-3 with a double and a home run to lead the ninth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs past Furman, 8-0, in non-conference softball action Wednesday evening at UGA Softball Stadium.
With the victory, Georgia improved to 20-3 on the season while Furman dropped to 2-7.
Saxton put the Bulldogs into the lead in the bottom of the second with a solo homer to center field and capped a three-run Georgia rally in the bottom of the third with a RBI double to left-center field.
Jennie Auger belted a two-run homer in the fourth to key a four-run inning as the Bulldogs upped the lead to 8-0.
Arevalo improved to 13-2 in the circle striking out a season-high 10 batters in a five-inning complete game outing. She issued five walks and limited Furman to just two hits. Saxton and Auger each collected two hits apiece to lead Georgia's eight-hit attack.
Lana Mackey (1-4) absorbed the loss for the Paladins allowing three earned runs on three hits in 2.1 innings of work. She fanned four batters and walked one. Brythe Blankenship went 1-for-1 with a sacrifice while Jessie Homesley went 1-for-2 with a double to lead the Furman offense.
The Paladins return home on Friday to open a three-game Southern Conference series against the Samford Bulldogs. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.
All Furman home games and selected road contests will be available via GameTracker. Fans can follow Furman action by logging onto www.furmanpaladins.com and following the links on the athletics schedule or by surfing to the Furman softball page.