Elon 13, Coastal Carolina 1
Coastal Carolina 2, Elon 0
CONWAY, S.C. - The Elon softball team split a non-conference doubleheader with Coastal Carolina on Tuesday afternoon. The Phoenix (18-6) took the first game 13-1 before falling 2-0 to the Chanticleers (11-11) in the second game.
Game One - Elon 13, Coastal Carolina 1
A five-run fourth inning and a seven-run seventh helped Elon to a 13-1 win in the first game of the doubleheader.
Tomeka Watson started the bottom of the fourth with a bunt single that was followed by an infield single off the bat of Emerald Graham. Following a pair of stolen bases, Kaitlyn Piazzolla belted a three-run home run over the left field wall that lifted Elon to a 3-1 lead. With runners at second and third, Hannah Shelton singled up the middle to score Erin O'Shea and give Elon a 4-1 edge. Jackie Gonzalez was the second Phoenix batter to be hit by a pitch in the inning, loading the bases for Watson, who drove in Elon's fifth run of the game when she drew a walk.
O'Shea opened the top of the sixth with a double to left field and later scored on a passed ball.
Elon extended its lead to 13-1 in the top of the seventh. After loading the bases on a pair of walks and an error, Kari Pervell reached on a fielder's choice. A throwing error during the fielder's choice allowed Piazzolla and Graham to cross home plate, making it an 8-1 game. Elon added a run when Ashlee Crewe singled up the middle that scored Danielle Lafferty. A walk and wild pitch scored two more Phoenix runs, making it an 11-1 game. A single by Watson scored the 12th Elon run, as Crewe crossed the plate. Graham picked up a RBI on a groundout that scored Shelton and gave Elon its final run of the game.
Coastal Carolina scored its only run in the top of the third inning on a RBI-single by Stacy Snellings that scored Ashley Pisone.
O'Shea picked up the win to improve to 8-2 on the season. She allowed just one run on six hits in five innings of work. She also struck out four batters. DelPizzo gave up just one hit in two innings in relief.
Katelin Edwards suffered the loss to fall to 5-6 on the year. She gave up six runs on nine hits in five innings in the circle. Michelle Evans gave up six runs, five of them earned, on one hit and three walks in two innings of work.
Game Two - Coastal Carolina 2, Elon 0
Elon registered just four hits as the Chanticleers took the second game 2-0.
With one away in the bottom of the first, Snellings doubled down the left field line and scored one batter later when Jazmin Daigle singled to right field. A single by Evans put runners at first and second, but Elon hurler Lauren Taylor settled in and retired the final two batters to end any threat of another CCU run.
The Chanticleers put two on in the in the top of the second on a walk and a single. After the runners advanced on a sacrifice bunt, a Phoenix error allowed Cass Stuart to score to make it a 2-0 game. CCU left two runners on after Taylor ended the inning with a foul out and a strikeout.
Elon was poised to strike in the top of the fifth inning after Caitlin McGowan drew a walk. With a runner on, Crewe doubled to left field. The pair was left stranded as the final two Elon batters were retired.
With one away in the top of the seventh, McGowan reached on a CCU error. O'Shea followed with a single to center field. Neither of the base runners was able to score as CCU pitcher Ashley Frederick struck out the final Elon batter.
Taylor suffered just her second loss of the season and is now 8-2. She allowed two runs, one of which was earned, on four hits in six innings of work. She also struck out six batters and walked two.
Frederick allowed just four hits and struck out nine batters to improve to 9-7 on the year.
The Phoenix returns to Southern Conference action when it welcomes the College of Charleston Cougars to East Field on Saturday afternoon for a doubleheader that is slated to begin at 1 p.m.
USC Upstate 1, Furman 0
USC Upstate 3, Furman 1
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Junior Morgan Childers limited Furman to one hit in 10 innings of work over two games and struck out 20 batters to lead USC Upstate to a 1-0, 3-1 doubleheader sweep of the Paladins in non-conference softball action on Tuesday afternoon at Pepsi Stadium.
The right-hander from Kings Mountain, N.C., improved to 15-2 on the season while USC Upstate upped its record to 17-4 by winning for the 14th time in its last 15 games. Furman slipped to 5-9 on the season and saw its three-game winning streak come to an end.
The Spartans 1-0 victory in game one came at the expense of Furman starter Lana Mackey (3-5) who tossed her first career no-hitter but allowed the game's only run on a bases loaded walk in the top half of the first inning.
The senior issued two walks and hit a batter to load the bases with one out before Cheyanna Ohlrich drew a base on balls to force home Kim Brasil with the only run of game one. Mackey retired 20 of the final 21 batters she faced and fanned five hitters overall, but Childers held Furman to just one hit and struck out 13 Paladins to garner the victory.
With her five punchouts on the day, Mackey became just the fifth pitcher in Southern Conference history to surpass 600 strikeouts in a career. The no-hitter marked the first by a Paladin since Tabitha Dease no-hit Savannah State on March 9, 2003.
In game two, USC Upstate rallied from a 1-0 deficit with two runs in the sixth and one in the seventh to down the Paladins 3-1.
Furman grabbed a first-inning lead when Katie Michaels reached base on an infield single and scored on Morgan Hughey's two-out double to right-center field.
The Spartans put runners on second and third with two outs in the sixth after an error, Crislyn Chewning single and stolen base. Furman's game two starter, Kayla Suskauer, got Katie Zauner to pop up to right-center, but the right fielder dropped the fly ball allowing two unearned runs to score. USC Upstate added to its cushion in the seventh. Monica Hall hit a fly ball down the left field line that hooked foul but was ruled a homer giving the Spartans a 3-1 advantage.
Childers, who entered the game in relief of starter Amber Hamilton, fanned seven of the nine batters she faced over four innings of scoreless work to pick up her second victory of the day. Ohlrich went 2-for-3 at the plate for USC Upstate.
Suskauer (1-2) suffered the loss despite allowing just one earned run on five hits in a career-high seven innings of work. Leadoff hitter Stephanie Field collected a pair of game-two hits while Alyssa Williams notched a hit in each game for Furman.
The Paladins host Mercer in a 3 p.m. doubleheader on Thursday before returning to league action this coming weekend at Western Carolina.
Most 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.