Furman 5, Western Carolina 2
Furman 8, Western Carolina 7
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Junior Katie Michaels and sophomore Stephanie Field each collected four hits while senior Lana Mackey posted a win and a save as Furman stretched its Southern Conference winning streak to five games with a 5-2, 8-7 doubleheader sweep of Western Carolina on Saturday at the Catamount Softball Complex.
With the sweep, Furman claimed its second straight SoCon series victory and improved to 7-11 overall and 5-3 in league play. Western Carolina dipped to 4-21 overall and 0-8 in the SoCon.
In game one, Mackey tossed a complete game to earn the victory and drove in the game-winning run in Furman's three-run seventh inning as the Paladins topped the Catamounts 5-2.
Jessie Homesley started Furman's rally in the seventh with a one-out double to center field and Morgan Hughey followed with an infield single. Mackey then singled to right-center to plate Homesley and give Furman a 3-2 lead before Brythe Blankenship ;aced a double into the gap to drive in two runs and up the lead to 5-2.
Mackey stopped a Catamount rally in the bottom half of the inning to preserve the win and improve to 4-6 in the circle. She surrendered just two runs on five hits while walking five Catamounts and recording 11 strikeouts over seven innings.
Furman took the early lead on Field's first homer of the season in the third inning. After Western Carolina's Amber Hawkins answered with a solo home run, Furman's Taylor Beam belted her first career homer in the sixth to give the Paladins a brief 2-1 lead before the Catamounts pulled even in the bottom of the sixth to set up Furman's seventh-inning rally.
Field went 3-for-4 with a double and a home run to pace the Paladins 11-hit attack. Homesley, Blankenship and Megan Schonhar added doubles while Beam went 2-for-4.
Katie King (0-13) took the loss for the Catamounts allowing five earned runs on 11 hits in 6.1 innings. Hawkins went 2-for-2 with a homer and a walk to lead the WCU offense.
In game two, Furman pounded out eight runs on 12 hits and Mackey stranded the tying run on third in the seventh inning to give the Paladins an 8-7 victory.
Trailing 3-2, the Paladins, keyed by Katie Michaels three-run double, plated five runs in the top of the fourth inning to open up a 7-3 lead. Three consecutive walks to Emily Boyer, Alex Bimonte and Field forced in thew first run of the inning and Michaels split the gap with a line drive to clear the bases before Homesley capped the rally with a sacrifice fly.
The Catamounts opened the seventh inning with three straight base hits off of Paladin reliever Hannah Bradley to trim the lead to 8-7 and put runners at second and third with nobody out. Mackey entered the game and got a ground out to second, strikeout and foul pop to end the game and secure her first save.
Freshman Kayla Suskauer (2-2) earned the victory after allowing six runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings. She walked three batters and fanned two. Michaels went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI while Mackey, Blankenship and Bimonte each collected two hits.
Amber Steinhardt (3-5) surrendered six runs on five hits and four walks over 3.1 innings to absorb the loss. Leadoff hitter Jordan Fulton went 3-for-4 at the plate for WCU.
Furman looks to finish off its second straight three-game SoCon series sweep when it battles Western Carolina in the series finale at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
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.
Elon 8, College of Charleston 0
College of Charleston 4, Elon 1
ELON, N.C. - Morgan Wright sealed Elon's 8-0, six-inning win over Southern Conference foe College of Charleston with a single to right field in the first game of Saturday's softball doubleheader. The win came before a 4-1 loss in the second game of the day. Elon is now 19-7 overall and 6-2 in SoCon action. CofC moved to 9-15 overall and 1-3 in league play.
Game One - Elon 8, College of Charleston 0 (Six Innings)
Kaitlyn Piazzolla got things started for Elon in the bottom of the second inning with an infield single before Caitlin McGowan drew a walk. The pair scored on an error by CofC shortstop Hillary Stringer to take a 2-0 lead. The Phoenix put up two more runs to make it a 4-0 game when Jackie Gonzalez laced the ball down the right field line for a triple that scored Hannah Shelton and Ashlee Crewe. Gonzalez crossed home plate for Elon's fifth run of the inning on Stringer's second miscue of the stanza.
The offenses remained quiet over the next two-and-a-half innings, with CofC registering the only hit. Still holding a 5-0 lead, Elon tacked on another run in the fifth inning after Tomeka Watson singled to right field and moved all the way to third on an error by the right fielder Katie Nutaitis. She scored one batter later on a groundout by Emerald Graham.
The Phoenix added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. A walk to Erin O'Shea was followed with a single by McGowan that put runners on first and second. The duo moved up on a sacrifice bunt by Crewe. With runners at second and third, Morgan Wright came on to pitch hit for Shelton. The decision proved wise as she sent a 3-1 pitch to right field, scoring both O'Shea and McGowan and sealing the 8-0 shutout.
O'Shea's complete game stint helped her improve to 9-2 on the season. She allowed just two hits and one walk while striking out four batters.
Alexa Datko gave up eight runs, only two of which were earned, on seven hits. She also struck out three batters and allowed four walks. Datko is now 2-6 on the year.
Game Two - College of Charleston 4, Elon 1
Elon wasted no time in getting on the board in the second game, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Gonzalez laid down a bunt double and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Watson. The run came on a suicide squeeze as Graham put down a bunt that scored Gonzalez from third.
CofC looked poised to strike in the top of the second, putting runners on second and third with just one away. Elon pitcher Lauren Taylor settled in and got the final two batters to ground out to end the scoring threat.
The Cougars tied the game in the top of the fifth, 1-1, with a solo home run off the bat of Amber Shifflett.
In the top of the sixth inning, Amanda Maurer worked the count full before she laced a triple down the right field line that scored Kelly Dillon from first to give the Cougars their first lead of the day, 2-1.
The Phoenix put the tying run on third when Shelton belted a one-out triple to center field. She was left stranded as the next two batters were retired.
Charleston took a 4-1 lead in the top of the seventh on one hit and an error. With two outs, CofC loaded the bases on two walks and an error before Dillon doubled to left field, scoring Kristie Shifflett and Kristi Woodall.
Terri Mesko improved to 4-7 with the complete game shutout. She allowed one run on three hits and struck out nine batters.
Taylor fell to 8-3 on the season after giving up four runs, two of them earned, on six hits in 6.2 innings of work. Pam DelPizzo struck out one batter in a third of an inning in relief.
Elon and the College of Charleston will face off in the rubber game of the series tomorrow at 11 a.m. The game, originally schedule at 1 p.m., was moved up due to the threat of rain.
Georgia Southern 3, Appalachian State 0
Appalachian State 5, Georgia Southern 4
BOONE, N.C. - Michelle Lighton hit a line drive in the left center gap to score Sarah Rappe and give Appalachian State University softball a 5-4 eight inning win over Georgia Southern Saturday night at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium. Georgia Southern won game one 3-0.
Rappe led off the eighth by reaching base when the GSU first baseman dropped the ball. She advanced to second on a Megan Rembielak sacrifice bunt and moved to third on a Katie Boyd ground out. Cashion followed with a walk to lead up to Lighton's heroics. It is the second time this season that Lighton had a game-winning hit in extra innings, as she hit a grand slam in the eighth inning to beat Samford.
The win snaps ASU's six-game losing streak to the Eagles.
Appalachian (15-10, 4-4) snapped a nine inning scoreless streak in the third, when Cashion hit a single to score Rappe and Rembielak.
Georgia Southern (17-12, 6-2) tied the score when Megen Smith hit a two-run homer over the right field fence.
The Eagles took the lead in the top of the sixth when MacKenzie hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Hannah Ennis.
ASU stormed back in the bottom half of the inning to retake the lead at 4-3. Hayley Grabner led off with a bunt single and Rappe reached when the GSU pitcher threw the ball away trying to get Grabner. Rembielak sacrificed to move each runner up a base, and after a Boyd intentional walk, Cashion delivered again with a two-run single.
Nina Iduate led off the top of the seventh for GSU and reached on an error, moved to second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on a Kelly Burnett strikeout. Smith tied the score again with a single up the middle.
Caitlin Wainright picked up the win in relied, allowing one unearned run in two innings while striking out two. Frannie Seader pitched six solid innings for ASU, allowing eight strikeouts, three runs, two earned with one strikeout.
Smith started for GSU, giving up nine hits in four innings. Bri Streetmon suffered the loss, going 3.2 innings giving up four hits and three runs, one earned.
Streetmon scattered just six hits in the opener as Georgia Southern won game one 3-0.
The Eagles got on the board in the top of the third on a Jenny Side two-run homer.
ASU's best chance to score was in the fifth, when Sheridan Phillips and Rappe delivered two-out singles followed by a Rembielak walk, but Streetmon was able to induce a ground out to end the inning.
Wainright pitched her eighth complete game of the season, allowing seven hits and three runs.
Tomorrow's series finale has been moved up to an 11 a.m. start time due to the impending rain expected to hit the High Country.
Chattanooga 3, Samford 2
Chattanooga 7, Samford 4
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Senior Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) surpassed the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga strikeout record with eight strikeouts in the first game and junior Tiffany Baker (East Ridge, Tenn.) led off the eighth with the 25th home run of her career to tie the career home run record as the Lady Mocs defeated Samford 3-2 in extra innings. Chattanooga used a grand slam by senior Tia Blosser (Knoxville, Tenn.) in the second game to cap a six-run sixth inning as the Lady Mocs won 7-4 at Bulldog Field in Birmingham, Ala.
With a total of 790 career strikeouts, Loudermilk passed Beth Alexander (1999-02) in the third inning fanning her 786th career hitter. The Locust Grove, Ga., native broke Alexander's mark in 119.2 less innings pitched then Loudermilk, who missed half of the 2009 season recovering from off-season shoulder surgery.
Another milestone was tied in game one as Baker blasted a homer over the left center fence to put the Lady Mocs on top 3-2 in the eighth. It tied the UTC all-time career home run record with Melissa Ramirez (2002-05) and Laci Upchurch (2009-10) at 25.
The sweep by the Lady Mocs improved their record to 21-8 on the season and 5-0 in the Southern Conference, while the Bulldogs fell to 9-16 and 1-5 in conference play
Game One: Chattanooga 3, Samford 2 (8 innings)
The UTC softball team overcame a two run deficit in the seventh to tie the contest with Samford at two heading into the bottom of the inning. Junior relief pitcher Kandice Irwin (Knoxville, Tenn.) retired the Bulldogs in order and Baker provided a home run to lead off the top of the eight to put Chattanooga on top for good, 3-2.
Earning the win was Irwin, who pitched two innings and gave up just one hit, while striking out two. Loudermilk started the game for the Lady Mocs and gave up just two runs in six complete innings, striking out eight on the day.
Heading into the fourth inning Loudermilk had two strikeouts to tie Alexander, she fanned Katie England looking by painting the outside corner for number 786 and the record.
After striking the first two Bulldogs in the fourth, Amanda Jordan hit a mistake by Loudermilk over the centerfield fence giving Samford an early 1-0 lead. Jordan scored the second run of the game in the sixth, when Anna Kimbrell singled up the middle.
With their backs against the wall, the Lady Mocs made another remarkable comeback scoring twice to tie the contest at two just as they did against Rutgers and Eastern Illinois earlier in the year.
Starting the seventh, pinch hitter Sara Poteat (Thomaston, Ga.) beat out an infield single to the shortstop to ignite the rally. Then, junior Lauren Flores (Ft. Oglethorpe, Ga.) put Chattanooga in business with a double down the left field line that glanced off the third baseman's glove placing two runners in scoring position.
Another pinch hitter Della Harrison (Nashville, Tenn.) came up and delivered a single through the left side plating Poteat to cut the Samford lead to 2-1. Head coach Frank Reed went to his bench again at the top of the order and sophomore Jenni Martin (East Ridge, Tenn.) made him look like a genius with a single through the right side knotting the score at two.
After an infield single by senior Kaiti Kelley (Chattanooga, Tenn.) to load the bases, Blosser hit a hard liner to the third baseman, who caught it and doubled off Harrison, who danced off third ending the threat.
With Irwin retiring the side in the bottom-half, Baker, who had been hit twice earlier in the game and walked another, was clearly being pitched around by the Bulldogs. She took a first pitch strike before pitcher Amanda Barrs threw three-straight balls and then a strike for a full count. Baker then fouled off two before sending a pitch over the left center field fence for her seventh home run of the season.
Samford starter Stephanie Royal went 6.1 innings striking out one and yielding eight hits. Barrs came on to finish the contest and received the loss.
Game Two: Chattanooga 7, Samford 4
After taking the first game in dramatic fashion, Chattanooga used a six-run sixth inning along with a grand slam by Blosser to take a 7-0 lead on the Bulldogs en route to a 7-4 victory.
In the circle, junior Nikki Waters (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) picked up the victory pitching 5.1 innings and fanning five Bulldogs before Irwin came on to complete the contest.
Putting the Lady Mocs up early was sophomore Jessica Traxler (Chino Hills, Calif.), who stroked a solo home run over the left field fence for her second of the season.
With the game seaming to be low scoring at 1-0 heading into the sixth inning, the Lady Mocs use five hits to break the game wide open with six runs. Singles by Traxler and junior Lauren Flores (Ft. Ogelthorpe, Ga.) put Chattanooga in good position to extend its lead to begin the inning. Another single by senior Lynleigh Hurndon (McDonough, Ga.) put Chattanooga up 2-0 and a double by Stiles plated the third run of the game.
After Kelley drew a walk with two runners in scoring position to load the bases, Blosser took no time to unload them crushing a 1-0 pitch high and deep over the left field fence giving Chattanooga a 7-0 lead. It was the fourth home run for Blosser on the season. The last time a Lady Moc hit a grand slam was last season when Baker hit one against Belmont (4/18/09).
A double play ended the inning for the Bulldogs, who mounted a rally of their own in their half of the inning. After the first out, Samford came out with three-straight singles and a hit by pitch to score its first run of the game. Irwin struck out the next hitter and would have gotten out of the inning, but a fielding miscue gave the Bulldogs two more runs cutting into the 7-3 lead.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Katie England caught up with an Irwin fastball and put it over the center field fence. England went 2-for-4 in the second game scoring twice, while Alex Adams added a two singles.
The Lady Mocs are back in action against Samford tomorrow at 2 p.m. (E.S.T) pending weather that is supposed to blanket the southeast on Sunday. Live statistics and an audio broadcast (pending weather) will be available on GoMocs.com for the contest.