Appalachian State 4, Gardner-Webb 3
Appalachian State 6, Gardner-Webb 3
BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University softball snapped a six-game losing streak to Gardner-Webb by sweeping the Bulldogs 4-3 and 6-2 Thursday afternoon in a non-conference doubleheader at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium.
With the wins, ASU improves to 14-9 on the year while G-W falls to 10-15.
Gardner-Webb took an early lead in game one, when Jordyn Arrowood reached on a single and advanced to second on an error. She scored on a RBI single by Christa Fullwood to give the Bulldogs' a 1-0 lead.
ASU came right back in the bottom half of the inning, when Katie Boyd reached on a two-out walk, stole second and scored on an Allie Cashion single.
Appalachian tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the second. Maria Gulas drilled a double to right field and Hannah Dow followed with a walk. Michelle Gorzelle dropped down a sacrifice bunt but reached on a Bulldog error that also scored Gulas and advanced Dow to third. Sarah Rappe drove in Dow with an RBI ground out to give ASU a two-run lead.
The Apps got another run in the fourth and the eventual winning run when Dow drove in McKenzie Phillips with an RBI single.
Gardner-Webb scored two runs in the top of the seventh, but Dow came back into pitch and slammed the door on the comeback.
Dow pitched 6.2 innings, allowing just three hits and one unearned run, with four strikeouts.
ASU hit three homers in game two to grab a 6-3 win to complete the sweep.
The Apps took advantage of Gardner-Webb mistakes to take an early lead in game two. Rappe led off the game with a single up the middle, stole second and scored on an error by the G-W second baseman when she threw away a Megan Rembielak bunt. Rembielak scored two batters later on a Michelle Lighton RBI single.
Gardner-Webb tied the score in the third with RBI hits from Fullwood and Mandy Ward, however, regained the lead when Lighton launched a homer over the left field fence to give ASU a 4-2 lead.
ASU increased the lead to 5-2 when Gorzelle led off the fourth with a towering home run to right field for her first career homer.
The Apps tacked on another run in the fifth when Cashion hit a homer down the left field line.
The Bulldogs got a run in the seventh, but it wasn't enough as ASU hung on for the 6-3 win.
Lighton and Gorzelle had two hits apiece for ASU, while Lighton had three RBI.
Caitlin Wainright earned the win to move to 7-2 on the year. Fullwood and Lindsea Hutchinson had two hits apiece to lead Gardner-Webb.
ASU hosts Georgia Southern on Saturday in a 1 p.m. doubleheader to open up its home SoCon schedule.
North Carolina State 10, UNC Greensboro 0
UNC Greensboro 5, North Carolina State 1
GREENSBORO, N.C. - NC State scored eight unearned runs in a 10-0 game-one win, but UNC Greensboro got three hits from Eileen Horsmon and a home run from Emily Akiyama for the second straight day to win the nightcap 5-1 as the squads split a doubleheader Thursday.
After NC State (18-14) took advantage of four UNCG errors to grab the 5-inning, mercy-rule win in game one, game two got off to an ominous start for the Spartans (13-15) when the Wolfpack scored an unearned run in the top of the first on another UNCG error.
Unlike in game one, however, UNCG had an answer this time. With runners at first and second and two out in the bottom of the second inning, Brittany Ausley reached on an infield single to short. Horsmon never stopped running from second, scoring on the play to tie the game at 1.
The next inning, Akiyama put the Spartans on top to stay, hitting a two-out solo shot to left center for her second homer of the season. She also had one Wednesday against Marshall.
UNCG picked up a trio of insurance runs in a wild sixth inning. With one out, Horsmon stroked her third straight single, and pinch-hitter Heather Robb walked to put runners on first and second. One out later, pinch-hitter Katie Stripling - who has made a habit this season of coming up with clutch pinch-hits - singled to left field to score Horsmon.
With Robb now at third, Stripling danced off of first base, trying to induce a throw from third baseman Claudia Cooper, who had cut off the throw from the outfield. Cooper threw the ball back to pitcher Stephanie Call, and Stripling took off for second, beating Call's throw by an eyelash.
Robb then broke for home, and second baseman Alyssa Ishibashi's throw was way off the mark, allowing Robb to score and Stripling to take third.
Just when it seemed the dust had finally settled, Stripling scored on a wild pitch to the next batter to make it a 5-1 game.
Down to its last three outs, the Wolfpack would make it interesting in the top of the seventh. Walks to Landon Warren and Cooper put runners at first and second, and Kristine Bechtholdt was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs. UNCG starter Amber Harrell got the ground ball she needed to escape the jam, inducing a fielder's choice from Alyssa Allbritten to end the game.
Harrell improved to 4-7 on the year, striking out eight and allowing just one unearned run on two hits. The senior worked her way out of trouble of her own making in several innings, however, as she walked eight and was responsible for the first-inning error that allowed Warren to score.
Call (5-4) took the loss, allowing five runs - three earned - on six hits and four walks in 6 innings.
Game one got off on a sour note for UNCG and never got better, as NCSU batted around and took advantage of two Spartan errors to plate six runs before UNCG ever got an at-bat. Call had a two-run single in the frame, while Bechtholdt hit a three-run homer.
The Wolfpack added another run in the second on Allbritten's RBI single, then tacked on two more in the third on an Allison Presnell sacrifice fly and a Cooper single. Presnell added a solo home run in the fifth for the final margin.
UNCG, meanwhile, could manage just one hit in the game, Kaitlin Merkt's double to the gap in right center in the second inning. The Spartans still managed to threaten in the fourth inning, leaving the bases loaded.
Consecutive one-out errors by Cooper put runners on first and second and Kayla Hensley was hit by a pitch with two down to load the bases. NC State starter Lindsay Campana worked out of the jam, though, getting a fielder's choice to end the inning with no damage done.
Campana improved to 12-5 on the season, allowing just one hit and a walk in 5 innings of work.
Cory Mattson (7-7) took the loss for UNCG, allowing six runs - one earned - on three hits and a walk in an inning of work. Raeanne Hanks worked the final 4 innings, allowing four runs - one earned - on eight hits and three walks.
The game was not completely without its highlights for UNCG, as Ausley made a sensational grab against the fence in left center to end the fifth inning, robbing Bechtholdt of what would have been a grand slam.
Call had three hits in the game to lead NCSU, which got two-hit games from Presnell, Cooper and Allbritten.
UNCG will have the weekend off before returning to action on Tuesday, March 30, when it hosts a doubleheader against East Carolina at 3 p.m.
Brevard College 2, Western Carolina 1
Western Carolina 7, Brevard College 3
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina softball (4-19) split a doubleheader with Brevard College (12-13), dropping the first game 2-1 and winning the nightcap 7-3.
Sophomore shortstop Chelsea Schaffer hit two homeruns in the pair of games. It was her fourth and fifth long balls of the season. All five of her homeruns have come in the month of March.
For the third time in four games, sophomore lefty hurler Katie King was on the losing end of a one-run game. King got the decision on two one-run losses at Georgia Southern on March 20, and dropped the first game against Brevard, 2-1. King allowed two runs, one earned, on five hits and struck out one.
Brevard's first one run, in the opening game, was off a wild pitch by King. Maddie Fletcher reached first after King hit her and sent her to first, and she moved to second and third off Tornado player's ground outs. With two outs, King sailed a pitch over catcher Danielle Reese's head to allow Fletcher to score.
In the third inning, Brevard scored what would become the winning run when Becca Curlee reached on a Catamount error. An RBI single by Kristina Clayton scored Curlee.
Schaffer hit her first homerun of the doubleheader in the bottom of the third inning, to pull Western Carolina within one run, 2-1. With two outs, Schaffer towered a shot over the center field wall.
Western Carolina had just three hits in the game, with Colby Liles and Kristen Gay also picking up hits.
In the second game, Western Carolina got on the board first. Back-to-back singles by Amber Hawkins and Haley Pace, in the second inning, put runners at first and second. Bekkah Burkett hit an RBI single that scored Hawkins.
Brevard took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third inning. Clayton hit a sacrifice fly RBI to right field and Chelsi Mallory knocked an RBI double.
The Catamounts took the lead for good with one swing, in the bottom half of the third inning, as Hawkins hit a three RBI homerun over the right field wall. It was her second homerun of the season and second in three games. Western Carolina tacked on a single run in the bottom of the fourth thanks to an RBI single by Megan Gardner.
Western Carolina had two homeruns in the fifth inning. Schaffer hit a one out homerun over the right field wall. With two outs, Pace hit her second homerun of the season to left field.
Brevard added a run in the top of the seventh. The second RBI double by Mallory plated the Tornados' third and final run of the game.
Freshman pitcher Amber Steindhardt went seven innings and improves to 3-4 on the season. She allowed three runs on nine hits and struck out two. Schaffer, Hawkins and Pace each had two hits in the game.
Western Carolina will host Furman, at the Catamount Softball Complex, in a Southern Conference series Saturday and Sunday. The doubleheader is set to begin at 1 p.m. Saturday and the single game at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Mercer 7, Furman 3
Mercer 2, Furman 0
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Mercer pitching limited Furman to just three runs on five hits over 15 innings on Thursday to complete a doubleheader sweep of the Paladins 5-3, 2-0 in non-conference softball action at Pepsi Stadium.
The sweep improved Mercer to 16-14 on the season while Furman slipped to 5-11 by suffering its third and fourth consecutive defeats.
In game one, Kristin Marko hammered a two-out, two run homer down the left field line in the top of the eighth inning to power Mercer to a 5-3 victory over the Paladins.
The Bears jumped into the lead with single runs in the second and sixth innings. In the bottom of the sixth, Katie Michaels drew a leadoff walk and Jessie Homesley reached on an error. After Mercer retired Morgan Hughey, Lana Mackey belted a three-run homer, her third of the season, over the left field fence to give the Paladins a 3-2 advantage.
Sara Stukes led off the top of the seventh with a solo home run to set up Marko's game-winning blast in extra innings.
Mercer hurler Jenni Holtz (10-9) held Furman to three runs on two hits while walking five and fanning 12 to earn the victory. Holly Oglesbee went 2-for-3 at the plate with a triple and Marko totaled a pair of RBIs.
Lana Mackey (3-6), who provided Furman's only runs at the plate, suffered the loss in the circle. She allowed four earned runs on six hits in eight innings of work while striking out eight batters. Mackey and Brythe Blankenship were the only Paladins to record hits against Holtz.
In game two, Marko went 3-for-3 with two doubles to lift the Bears to a 2-0 victory. Kari Chambers improved to 4-1 in the circle holding Furman scoreless on two hits over five innings. Chambers fanned five Paladins before giving way to Holtz who earned the save by tossing two scoreless innings of relied.
Mercer tallied two runs in the top of the third on a sacrifice fly by Amanda Santa Maria and RBI single from Marko. Furman stranded eight runners on base and managed just three hits, including a double from Alyssa Williams.
Sophomore Hannah Bradley (0-2) took the loss despite allowing only two runs on seven hits in a complete-game effort. Bradley registered one strikeout and did not issue a walk in her longest outing of the season.
Furman returns to Southern Conference play on Saturday when it opens a three-game series at Western Carolina with a 1 p.m. doubleheader. The Paladins and Catamounts conclude their series with a single game on Sunday.