Furman 3, Samford 2
Furman 5, Samford 2
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Senior Lana Mackey picked up a win in the circle and belted two home runs to guide Furman to a doubleheader sweep of Samford 3-2, 5-2 and three-game sweep of the weekend series versus the Bulldogs at Pepsi Stadium on Saturday.
The sweep improved the Paladins to 5-7 overall and 3-3 in Southern Conference play while Samford slipped to 8-14 overall and 1-5 in league play.
In game one, Mackey hurled four scoreless innings of relief and delivered a two-run, game-tying home run in the bottom of the sixth to help Furman rally past the Bulldogs 3-2.
Trailing 2-0, Morgan Hughey opened the sixth with a walk and Mackey followed with a blast down the left field line to knot the game at 2-2. Brythe Blankenship then reached base on an error and came around to score the eventual game-winning run with help from another Bulldog error, fielder's choice and wild pitch.
Working in relief of Hannah Bradley, Mackey scattered three hits and fanned six Samford batters without a walk to pick up the victory and improve to 3-4 in the circle. The Perry, Ga., native also went 2-for-3 at the plate with a pair of RBI while Stephanie Field collected a double and two bases on balls.
Samford reliever Kayla Burris (0-1) took the loss allowing two runs on one hit in one inning of work. Alex Adams registered a pair of hits for the Bulldogs, including a solo homer.
In game two, freshman Kayla Suskauer limited the Bulldogs to just one hit over five scoreless innings of work to pick up her first career victory in a 5-2 Paladin triumph.
Suskauer (1-1), a Tampa, Fla., product, fanned two batters and did not issue a walk before Mackey tossed the final two innings and clubbed her second home run of the day in the sixth inning.
With the game scoreless in the bottom of the fifth, Alyssa Williams reached on a one-out single and moved to third on Megan Schonhar's double to left-center field. After Samford recorded the second out, Field reached on an infield single to score Williams and Katie Michaels earned a base on balls to load the bases. Sophomore Jessie Homesley followed with a bases clearing double into the left-center field gap to give Furman a 4-0 lead.
Field and Schonhar each collected two hits for the Paladins while Homesley contributed three RBI.
Amanda Barrs (1-7) allowed five runs on seven hits to absorb the loss for Samford. She walked two batters and struck out two.
Furman returns to action Tuesday when it hosts USC Upstate at Pepsi Stadium. First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 2 p.m.
Appalachian State 5, Elon 2
Elon 1, Appalachian State 0
ELON, N.C. - The Elon softball team split Saturday's Southern Conference doubleheader against Appalachian State to improve to 16-5 on the year and 4-1 in the SoCon. Elon bounced back from a 5-2, eight-inning loss in game one to take the second game 1-0.
Game One - Appalachian State 5, Elon 2
Tied after a full seven innings of play, the Mountaineers and Phoenix entered extra innings knotted, 2-2. Appalachian State sealed the 5-2 win in the top of the eighth inning. Morgan Price led off the inning by being hit by a pitch before Hayley Grabner came on to pinch run and moved all the way to third on a groundout by Megan Rembielak. Katie Boyd scored Grabner from third on a single to right field, pushing the decisive run across home plate and giving the Mountaineers a 3-2 lead. With two outs, Allie Cashion belted a two-run home run over the left field walk to clinch the 5-2 win.
Appalachian State (12-8, 3-2) put two runners aboard in the top of the first before Elon hurler Erin O'Shea settled in to retire the final two batters, including a strike out that ended the inning.
In the bottom of the first, Elon's Jackie Gonzalez worked the count full and then singled through the left side for Elon's first hit of the game. She moved to second on a groundout by Tomeka Watson but was unable to move any further as the final batter was retired.
Michelle Gorzelle started the top of the second inning with a double down the right field line and moved as far as third base. She was left stranded as O'Shea fanned the final ASU hitter.
Caitlin McGowan and Ashlee Crewe each reached base on a single in the bottom half of the second. The pair moved up on a passed ball and later scored on a throwing error by ASU's McKenzie Phillips that gave the Phoenix an early 2-0 lead.
ASU looked to threaten in the top of the third inning, loading the bases with one away. Danielle Lafferty made a grab in foul territory for the second out of the inning. O'Shea got out of the jam by striking out Michelle Lighton for the final out of the inning.
The offenses remained quiet over the next inning and a half as the teams combined for just two hits. In the top of the fifth inning, Appalachian State tied the game, 2-2. Boyd opened the inning with a single to center. With one away, Phillips recorded an infield single that put runners at first and second. Lighten took a 3-2 pictch to deep left field for a double that scored both Boyd and Phillips to tie the game, 2-2. ASU looked to threaten further, but O'Shea got the final batter to fly out to left field to end the inning.
Gorzelle registered a two-out bunt single in the top of the seventh inning, but O'Shea struck out the final batter to end any chance of a Mountaineer run. The Phoenix was unable to plate a run in the bottom half of the inning, forcing the extra stanza.
O'Shea allowed five earned runs on 10 hits and fell to 6-2 on the season. She also fanned a career-best 10 batters and ended six innings with a strikeout.
Caitlin Wainright picked up the win to improve to 5-3 on the season. She allowed just two runs, neither of which were earned, on six hits. She also struck out five batters.
Game Two - Elon 1, Appalachian State 0
Elon struck first, taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first innings. Gonzalez got things started with a triple down the left field line. With two outs, Emerald Graham singled up the middle, sending Gonzalez home and putting Elon ahead.
Appalachian State had a base runner in the top of the second but Lauren Taylor settled in to retire the next 13 batters in order. Sarah Rappe ended Taylor's hitless streak with a two-out single in the top of the sixth.
Taylor allowed her second hit of the game when Boyd singled to start the seventh inning. She was unable to advance past second, as Taylor retired the next two batters, including a strikeout of the final batter that sealed the game.
Taylor improved to 8-1 on the season with the complete game shutout. She gave up just two hits and one walk while striking out three Mountaineer batters. Taylor also got ASU to ground out eight consecutive times and 14 times overall, while allowing only three base runners.
Frannie Seader dropped to 4-1 on the season. She gave up one run on three hits and walked one batter. She also fanned six Phoenix batters.
Elon and Appalachian State will play the rubber game of the series tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m.
UNC Greensboro 11, College of Charleston 7
UNC Greensboro 5, College of Charleston 1
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Cory Mattson earned a win and a save, Laura Olenderski went a combined 5-for-6 and Kaitlin Merkt had four hits and a two-run home run as UNC Greensboro swept a Southern Conference doubleheader from College of Charleston on Saturday, 11-7 in 11 innings and 5-1.
In a wild game one, UNCG (10-14, 3-2 SoCon) scored five runs in the top of the 11th inning to grab the win. The Spartans had scored three runs in the top of the seventh to go up 5-2 and put themselves in position to win, but the Cougars (8-14, 0-2 SoCon) scored three runs in the bottom half to force extras. UNCG went ahead again in the 10th, but CofC once again had the answer in the bottom half of the frame.
The Spartans finally blew it open in the 11th, with Brittany Ausley's RBI single down the left field line getting the scoring started. After UNCG loaded the bases with one out, Mattson singled to score Olenderski with what would prove to be the winning run. Ausley also scored on the play on a CofC error.
Emily Akiyama followed with a two-run double to make it an 11-6 game.
The Cougars got a run back in the bottom half of the frame on Kristie Shifflett's sacrifice fly, but Mattson retired the next two batters for the rollercoaster win.
UNCG seemed to have the game in hand in the seventh, plating three runs to get within three outs of the win. Kayla Hensley walked and later scored on a CofC error and Alex Emeterio rapped a two-run double to make it a 5-2 contest.
College of Charleston would rally to force extras, however, first getting a run on Katie Forbes' RBI fielder's choice and then knotting the score on Kelley Dillon's two-run double. Reliever Amber Harrell induced a rare 6-3-5 double play to end the inning.
Neither side would score again until the 10th. UNCG got a run on Merkt's RBI single to make it a 6-5 game, but Charleston got the run back in the bottom half on Katie Pesature's sac fly, setting up the exciting 11th frame.
The Spartans had jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth, with Merkt getting things started with a one-out single. Merkt would later score on a CofC error, and UNCG would add another run on Olenderski's RBI single.
The Cougars answered with two of their own in the bottom half, with Shifflett's double putting runners on the corners with no one out. A Mattson wild pitch allowed Kristi Woodall to score and Shifflett would later score from third on a double steal.
Mattson evened her record at 6-6 on the season, allowing four runs - two earned - on five hits and three walks in 9 innings and striking out a career-high 12.
Kasie Meeks (1-2) took the loss for CofC, allowing nine runs - five earned - on seven hits and four walks in 7 innings.
Merkt was 3-for-6 a run and an RBI, while Olenderski was 3-for-3 with a walk, two runs and an RBI for her first career three-hit game.
Woodall had CofC's lone multi-hit performance, going 2-for-4.
UNCG's offense picked up where it left off in game two, scoring all five of its runs in the first inning. The Spartans pounded out three hits and took advantage of two Cougar errors to get the only runs they would need.
Emeterio delivered an RBI single to plate Ausley with the first run, and Jordan Jewett scored on a Charleston miscue. Akiyama followed with an RBI double to score Emeterio, and Merkt made it a 5-0 game with a two-run shot, her first of the season.
Freshman Raeanne Hanks (2-1) made the most of the big lead, picking up her second win of the season by allowing just one run on three hits and a walk in 4 innings. Her lone mistake was a solo home run by Forbes in the fourth inning.
Mattson worked the final 3 innings, allowing just a hit and a walk, striking out four to raise her total to 16 on the day. She picked up her first career save.
Terri Mesko suffered the loss for the Cougars, allowing five runs - four earned - on six hits and two walks with 10 strikeouts in 7 innings. She allowed just three hits after the first inning.
Olenderski was 2-for-3 in the game for UNCG, while Amber Shifflett was 2-for-4 for College of Charleston.
The teams will wrap up the three-game set Sunday with a single game at 1 p.m.
NOTES: UNCG's sweep was its first doubleheader sweep of the Cougars since April 6, 2002.
Chattanooga 6, Belmont 0
Belmont 4, Chattanooga 3
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team took one game of a doubleheader with Belmont on Saturday winning the first 6-0 and falling 4-3 in eight innings. Junior Nikki Waters (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) hit her fifth home run of the season to tie the second game at two in the sixth and then put the Lady Mocs on top 3-2 in the eighth with a RBI single.
After the day, Chattanooga record sits at 19-8, 3-0 in the Southern Conference, while Belmont has a 3-19 mark.
In the circle, senior Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) picked up her 12th victory of the season striking out eight on the day, while junior Kandice Irwin (Knoxville, Tenn.) registered her seventh save pitching 3.0 innings. Taking the loss was Waters in the second game surrendering a two-RBI double in the eighth after Chattanooga had the lead 3-2. She struck out seven and gave up five hits.
Registering four hits and driving in a run on the afternoon was senior Lynleigh Hurndon (McDonough, Ga.) to break out of an early season slump.
Game One: Chattanooga 6, Belmont 0
The Lady Mocs registered six hits including two by junior Lyndsey Stiles (Hixson, Tenn.) and Hurndon to defeat Belmont, 6-0 at Aquinas Field. Driving in two RBI was senior Tia Blosser (Knoxvile, Tenn.) with a single to put Chattanooga on the board in the third.
Starting for Chattanooga and notching the victory was Loudermilk, who fanned six bringing her career total to 780 just five shy of the UTC record held by Beth Alexander from 2002-05.
Earning the three inning save was Irwin striking out one for her seventh of the season. The next save by Irwin would tie the Southern Conference save records held by Maureen Flynn (UNCG) set back in the 2002 season.
In the first, Belmont had an opportunity to put Chattanooga in an early deficit by loading the bases with a single and two walks, but Loudermilk pitched out of the jam keeping the Bruins off the scoreboard.
The Lady Mocs played small ball after freshman Kasey Tydingco (Faircfield, Calif.) walked, two infield singles by outfielders Stiles and senior Kaiti Kelly (Chattanooga, Tenn.) to load the bases in the third. Scoring the first two runs for the Lady Mocs was second baseman Blosser driving a pitch through the right side.
In the fourth, the Lady Mocs put two more runners on base with two walks to Tydingco and Stiles, but a hard line out by Kelley right at the second baseman and a foul out by Blosser ended the threat. Aquinas Field used to be a baseball complex, so Blosser's foul was caught just shy of the Chattanooga dugout about 40-feet foul of third base, which would have been out of play in most softball venues.
In the fifth inning all with two outs, the Lady Mocs put two on base thanks to a Belmont error and a single by Hurndon up the middle. A fly out to left ended the threat for Chattanooga leaving its ninth runner on base.
Starting off the sixth was pinch hitter Kristin Holloway (Chickamauga, Ga.) singling to left center and Stiles followed with a hit and run through the right side. Holloway scored when the first baseman picked up a bunt by Kelley and hit her with the throw allowing for two runners to be in scoring position.
After Blosser walked, the bases were loaded for Baker, who reached on a fielder's choice by the second baseman and two runs scored when the throw went wide of first making the score 5-0 Chattanooga. Waters reached when the shortstop bobbled a grounder and Hurndon made the Bruins pay with a double into the right center field gap giving the Lady Mocs a 6-0 advantage.
The Bruins got the first two outs in the inning quickly, but ran into trouble walking the next two Lady Mocs, but Chattanooga was not able to take advantage as Baker struck out.
Pitching since the beginning of the fifth, Irwin was effective, but the Bruins were able to scatter four hits on the hard-throwing righty. She pitched out of a couple of jams including with two runners in scoring position, Hurndon picked off a runner at third.
Game Two: Belmont 4, Chattanooga 3
With the sun breaking through in the second game, the Lady Mocs were unable to consistently come up with key hits as they left the bases loaded in the eighth after grounding into a double play. The Bruins scored the first two runs of the game and made Chattanooga pay with a walk-off two-RBI double to right center for the 4-3 victory in eight.
Waters took the mound for Chattanooga and struck out seven in 6.2 innings pitched. Coming on for an inning of work was Loudermilk, who surrendered a run and struck out two.
The Bruins scored their first run of the day when Grier got a hold of a Waters pitch and pulled it over the left field fence in the fourth. Belmont tagged reliever Loudermilk for another run in the fifth on a walk, sacrifice bunt and double, but the veteran pitcher was able to limit the damage.
After a walk to lead off the sixth by Baker, Waters delivered a key two-run home run that curled around the left field pole to knot the score at two and give the Lady Mocs a new life. The long ball was the fifth of the season for the Soddy Daisy, Tenn., native with all of them coming in the last eight games.
Coming back into the game was Waters in the sixth, Loudermilk was called for five illegal pitches in the one inning, but was also working on a modified delivery, where she dragged her back foot.
With Blosser on second for the international tie-breaker in the eight, Waters drove in a run to take a 3-2 lead with a single through the right side with one out. Junior Lauren Flores (Ft. Oglethorpe, Ga.) continued the inning with a bunt single to third, and then Hurndon loaded the bases with a single through the left side. A double play to the pitcher ended the inning for the Lady Mocs.
Belmont knew that it dodged a bullet with the bases loaded and took advantage by moving the runner at second over to third with a sacrifice bunt for the first out. After a walk by Waters and with two outs, Ashley Smith, who was a replacement after Erin Grier was injured in the third inning, delivered a two out RBI double delivering the third win of the season for the Bruins.
Chattanooga now has the week off to regroup before heading back into conference play, when it heads to Samford for a three-game series starting March 27 at 2 p.m. EST from Birmingham, Ala. The Lady Mocs are back at the friendly confines of Frost Stadium on April 3-4 against Western Carolina.
Georgia Southern 2, Western Carolina 1
Georgia Southern 4, Western Carolina 3
STATESBORO, Ga. - Western Carolina softball (3-17, 0-5 SoCon) hung tough but dropped a pair of tight games at Georgia Southern (15-9, 4-1 SoCon), 2-1, 4-3, Saturday at Eagle Field.
The second game, in which Western Carolina lost 4-3 in the 10th inning, was the first extra inning game of the year for the Catamounts.
Tied at three in the 10th inning of the second game, and Georgia Southern's Stephanie Peet placed on second due to international tie-breaker rules, Nina Iduate, was walked intentionally placing runners at first and second with no outs. Kelly Burnett hit a frozen rope to right field, but Peet was gunned down at home, for the first out of the game. Megan Smith was the second Eagle to be intentionally walked in the inning to load the bases and try and force a double play. Sam Russo hit a sacrifice fly to center field scoring Iduate and clinching the win for the Eagles.
A pair of Georgia Southern homeruns, in the second and third innings of the second game, put the Eagles up 3-0. A solo homerun by Jenny Side and then a two run shot by Megan Smith accounted for the first runs of the game for GSU.
Catamount starting pitcher Amber Steinhardt was replaced by Katie King after tossing 2.2 innings in the second game. Steinhardt gave up three runs on five hits and struck out three. Down by three, when King came into the game, Western Carolina proceeded to tie the game with King on the mound, and she became the pitcher of record. She falls to 0-10 on the season. King went seven innings allowing one run on four hits and striking out three.
The Catamounts picked up one run in the fourth inning. Jordan Fulton led off the inning with a single up the middle and scored off an RBI double by Amber Hawkins.
Western Carolina knotted the game at three in the top of the sixth inning. Fulton led off the inning with a walk and a single by Hawkins put runners on first and second. A double steal by Fulton and Hawkins put them on second and third and the pair scored off an RBI single by Colby Liles.
Hawkins led the team with three hits in the game.
King tossed her best game of the season but was on the losing side in the first game. The south-paw tossed six scoreless innings before giving up two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, to give Georgia Southern the win. King went 6.1 innings allowing one earned run and did not allow a walk. King falls to 0-9 on the season.
Western Carolina took the early 1-0 lead in the top of the seventh inning. Steinhardt led off with a single but was thrown out at second on a fielder's choice. Robyn Burnette was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Liles hit into a fielder's choice and Haley Pace was out at third. The Catamounts scored when Burnette stole third and an errant Eagle's throw went past the third baseman and Burnette trotted home.
A Western Carolina miscue, allowing the Eagle's Smith, to reach first, started the Georgia Southern rally in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, Side singled up the middle to place runners on first and second, and then the bases were loaded when Mackenzie Williams reached on a fielder's choice. Pinch hitter Andrea Tarashuk hit a two RBI single to right field to win the game for the Eagles.
Western Carolina will complete the three-game series with Georgia Southern at noon on Sunday.