Elon 6, Middle Tennessee 1
ATHENS, Ga. - Hannah Shelton went 2-for-3 with two runs as the Elon Phoenix handed Middle Tennessee State a 6-1 loss on the first day of the UGA Bulldog Invitational in Athens, Ga. With the win, Elon improves to 9-1 on the season while MTSU falls to 3-7.
Elon pitcher Erin O'Shea picked up the complete game win to remain undefeated on the year at 4-0. She allowed just one run on six hits and two walks. She also struck out two.
Lindsey Vander Lugt of Middle Tennessee fell to 2-5 on the season after allowing five unearned runs on three hits in four innings of work. Janele Robinson allowed one run on two hits in two innings of relief.
Jackie Gonzalez got things started for the Phoenix with an infield single in the bottom of the first. The Phoenix loaded the bases after Tomeka Watson drew a walk and Caitlin McGowan reached on a fielding error. With one away, O'Shea drove in Gonzalez with a groundout to short for Elon's first run of the game. Elon was unable to push another runner across the plate as a popup to first ended the inning.
MTSU threatened in the top of the third inning after Kandra Shingleton drew a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Shingleton moved to third on a double by Caitlin McLure. O'Shea pitched her way out of the jam as she retired the final two batters in order.
Watson greeted the bottom of the third with a single to left field. A stolen base and a pair of MTSU miscues allowed Watson to round the bases and gave the Phoenix a 2-0 lead. The Phoenix stretched its lead to 3-0 when McGowan scored on a throwing error by the pitcher. The third Blue Raider error of the inning scored Emerald Graham from third, putting Elon up 4-0.
Elon made it a 5-0 game when Shelton crossed the plate on a RBI groundout. Shelton opened the bottom of the third inning with a single to right field and later stole second. With one out, Watson reached on a fielder's choice that moved Shelton to third due to a throwing error. She scored one batter later when McGowan grounded out to short.
Middle Tennessee avoided the shutout with a run in the top of the sixth. McLure singled to center and stole second and third. Natalie Ysais put the ball into play with a two-out single to left field that scored McLure. MTSU left two stranded as the final batter of the inning popped up to short.
The Phoenix answered with a run in the bottom half of the sixth inning to that made it a 6-1 game. Shelton led off the inning with an infield single and moved into scoring position on a groundout before a wild pitch allowed Shelton to make it to third. With one out, Watson plated Shelton with a groundout to second.
O'Shea allowed just one hit in the final half-inning of the game that sealed Elon's 6-1 win.
Middle Tennessee committed six errors, the most by an Elon opponent since March 8, 2009 when Michigan State tallied five miscues.
The Phoenix will face Minnesota on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. on the second day of the Bulldog Invitational. Elon will also take on No. 4 Georgia at 4:45 p.m.
Georgia Southern 3, Providence 2
Harvard 1, Georgia Southern 0
ORLANDO, Fla. - Georgia Southern resumed its 2010 campaign with an opening day split at the UCF Tournament.
Georgia Southern began the tournament opening against Providence. The Friars struck first plating one run in the top half of the first off a Teresa Bartels fielder's choice. Georgia Southern would respond with two runs in the bottom half of the second inning. Jenny Side (Loganville, Ga.) got the Eagles rolling with a double to left center. Alexa Lewis, pinch running for Side, advanced to third on a sacrifice by Eagles second baseman Hanna Ennis (Snellville, Ga.). Kelly Burnett (Boynton Beach, Fla.) reached base on a walk and stole second, putting two Eagles in scoring position. A wild pitch by Friars pitcher Julie Fowler advanced Burnett to third and brought Lewis in to tie the game. Florida Gulf Coast Tournament MVP Nina Iduate (Norcross, Ga.) singled thru the left side bringing in Burnett.
Providence would tie the ballgame at two runs in the top of the fifth inning off a Michelle Huber single to right field. However, the Eagles again would have an answer. Megen Smith (Springfield, Ga.) opened the bottom of the fifth inning with a double to right center. Side would drive in Smith from second, the game winner, on a single to right field as the Eagles downed Providence 3-2.
Georgia Southern had a quick turn around. Playing 30 minutes after their first game, the Eagles struggled to find an answer to Harvard pitcher Rachel Brown. Brown would strike out 15 of the 27 Eagle batters she faced. However, Eagle pitcher Brianna Streetmon (Winder, Ga.) was just as brilliant. Streetmon allowed only three hits while striking out seven to continue to build on her strong performance from the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament. Streetmon has now gone nine and two- thirds innings without allowing an earned run.
Georgia Southern returns to action at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. It opens play for the day against Southern Conference opponent College of Charleston then returns for the night cap at 8 p.m. against Boston College.
Akron 4, UNC Greensboro 0
UNC Greensboro 1, Howard 0
WOODSTOCK, Ga. - UNC Greensboro earned a split on the first day of the Buzz Classic, falling 4-0 to Akron and topping Howard 1-0 Friday. Amber Harrell moved into second place in UNCG history in career strikeouts against the Zips.
Harrell (2-5) took the loss for UNCG (4-10) in the circle against Akron (4-2), allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits and four walks in 6 innings of work. Her four strikeouts give her 486 for her career, moving her past former teammate Hannah Angel, who had 484 from 2005-09. Harrell now trails only current UNCG pitching coach Vanessa Williams, who had 565 from 2004-07.
Brittany Ausley had UNCG's lone hit in the game, a leadoff single in the fourth.
The Spartans never got a runner past first after the first inning, when UNCG had its best chance to score. Jordan Jewett drew a one-out walk, and one out later, Alex Emeterio was hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second. The pair would be stranded, however, as Akron starter Andrea Arney got a popup to first to escape without damage.
The Zips got the only run they would need in the bottom of the first, with Krista Hansen reaching on a leadoff walk and later coming in on Monica Shorter's RBI single.
Akron added two more in the second, with Sarah Stromack singling and then scoring on a UNCG error, and Alex Felts stroking an RBI single. The Zips would tack on an insurance run in the fifth on Crystal Hernandez's RBI single.
Felts was 3-for-3 with an RBI to lead the Zips' offense. Arney allowed just one hit and two walks in 7 innings of work.
Against Howard (1-5) later in the day, Cory Mattson pitched a four-hit shutout, her second of the season.
The Spartans got the only run they would need in the third inning, when Kristen Gabel and April Langley rapped out back-to-back two-out doubles.
Mattson (2-4) made the lead stand, retiring the side in order in the third and fourth innings and avoiding trouble for most of the afternoon.
Howard's best scoring chance came in the fifth inning, when the Bison loaded the bases on an Aisha Ledet walk, a Rebecca Kirshner single and a hit batter. Mattson recovered to get a groundout to end the inning, keeping the shutout intact.
Gabel and Emeterio both went 2-for-3 in the game. Kirshner led Howard with a 2-for-3 effort of her own.
The Spartans return to action Saturday against Bowling Green at 11 a.m.
Creighton 1, Samford 0
Samford 11, Northern Iowa 7
TEMPE, Ariz. - The Samford softball team split a pair of thrilling contests in day one of the Wilson/Demarini Invitational at Arizona State on Friday. The Bulldogs dropped an eight-inning 1-0 decision to Creighton in the first game of the day before taking a 10-inning 11-7 win over Northern Iowa Friday evening.
Against Creighton, Samford (6-6) forced the international tiebreaker after seven scoreless innings on both sides of the ball. In the top of the eighth inning, Samford failed to get its extra runner home as the Blue Raiders retired the first three Samford batters. Creighton then ended the game with a walk-off double to bring home the runner on second.
Robyn Harmon (1-2) took the loss for the Bulldogs. She pitched her second complete game of the season, striking out four batters and giving up just one unearned run on four hits. Amanda Barrs led the Bulldogs, going 2-for-3 at the plate while Harmon and Anna Kimbrell had the other two hits for Samford.
Tara Oltman (5-2) grabbed the win for Creighton in the circle. She pitched four innings of relief, giving up just one hit and striking out three batters. Four Blue Raiders had one hit in the contest. Renae Sinkler, Creighton's best hitter, had the game-winning double.
In the second game against Northern Iowa, the Bulldogs took a quick 5-0 lead after two innings. Samford scored one in the top of the first inning when Amy Gonzalez came home as Katie England grounded out to first base. The Bulldogs then added four more in the second inning. With two outs, Tessa Frates singled up the middle before Rachael Reeves singled to right field and advanced to second base on an error by the right fielder. With runners in scoring position, Gonzalez singled to score Frates then Harmon brought in Reeves and Gonzalez to make it a 4-0 game. The last Bulldog run of the inning was scored when Barrs singled to bring home Harmon.
The Panthers got on the board when Mackenzie Daigh singled with the bases loaded. NIU then tied the ballgame with a follow-up grand slam by Jen Larsen before Samford could record the final two outs of the inning.
The score stayed tied at five for the next five innings, forcing the game into extra inning. Each team put a run on the board in the eighth inning before going scoreless in the ninth.
Finally in the tenth inning, Samford tacked on five to take an 11-6 lead. With one out and runners on second and third, Gonzalez reached first base on an error by the second baseman before advancing to second base on an error by the catcher and then advancing to third. Meanwhile, the runners advance, scoring Reeves and Amanda Jordan. Harmon then walks before England singles to bring home Gonzalez. Barrs doubled to left center, scoring England and Harmon, before the Panthers could end the inning.
NIU scored one more run in the bottom of the inning to bring the final score to 11-7, but the Bulldogs were able to hold the lead to grab their sixth win of the season.
Barrs lead the Bulldogs again with a 2-for-5 performance and three RBI. England was 3-for-6 with one run and two RBI while Gonzalez was 2-for-5 with three runs and two RBI. Harmon added two hits, two runs and three RBI in four at-bats while Frates added a hit and a run and Reeves had a hit and three runs.
Stephanie Royall (5-1) earned the win after retiring the final two batters. Barrs started the game, striking out three batters and giving up five runs on 10 hits in four innings of play. Harmon pitched the next six innings, striking out five, walking three and giving up just two unearned runs on two hits.
Melissa Tillett (2-3) took the loss after giving up six unearned runs on four hits in eight and one-third innings of play. She also struck out five batters and walked three.
Larsen led the Panthers, going 4-for-6 at the plate with one run and six RBI. Kim Wachholder was 2-for-4 on the night and Sarah Bakey went 3-for-5. Hannah Borschellf had two runs on two hits in four at-bats for NIU.
Samford is back in action Saturday as it takes on No. 9 Arizona State at 4:30 p.m. CST, before finishing the day out against UC Santa Barbara at 8:30 p.m. A full recap and results will be available on www.samfordsports.com upon the completion of the day's action.
Maine 2, Appalachian State 0
Stetson 8, Appalachian State 2
DELAND, Fla. - Appalachian State University softball dropped a pair of games at the Stetson Invitational on Friday, falling to Maine 2-0 and Stetson 8-2.
ASU is back in action tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. when they play Bethune-Cookman and at 6:30 p.m. when they play Stetson.
The Apps had trouble at the plate all afternoon, managing just five hits combined in the two games.
Caitlin Wainright was outstanding once again in the circle, pitching a complete game, giving up seven hits while striking out six, but gave up the games only runs with a two-run homer in the sixth to Stephanie George.
ASU had two hits off Black Bears pitcher Alexis Souhlaris, with Megan Rembielak and Hayley Grabner each picking up singles.
The Mountaineers' once again had trouble getting the bats going in game two, falling to Stetson 8-2.
Michelle Lighton gave ASU a 2-0 lead in the second with a two run-homer, her first of the season.
The lead would be short-live as the Hatters scored three in the bottom half of the inning, two in the fourth and three more in the fifth to take control.
McKenzie Phillips and Katie Boyd had the other hits for ASU, who dropped to 7-5 with the losses.
Boston College 3, College of Charleston 1
Central Florida 4, College of Charleston 1
ORLANDO, Fla. - The College of Charleston (5-10) dropped a pair of close decisions at the UCF Invitational on Friday, March 5 as the Cougars fell 3-1 to Boston College (7-4) before suffering a 4-1 defeat to Central Florida (9-8) in the night cap.
Boston College struck early in Game 1 as a first inning single from senior third baseman Dani Weir set the stage for a two-run homerun by senior second baseman Renee Ramos on the next play. That shot gave the Eagles a 2-0 lead that they would add to in the third as they made it 3-0 with a run on a wild pitch.
That score would hold up until the sixth inning when the Cougars pushed across an unearned run on a fielding error to narrow the margin to 3-1. That would be as close as they would get though as senior Taylor Peyton set down the side in order in the seventh to collect the save and give junior Allison Gage (2-0) the victory.
Junior pitcher Alexa Datko (San Diego, Calif.) suffered the loss for the Cougars and fell to 1-5 despite five innings in which she allowed only two earned runs. At the plate, senior designated hitter Kristie Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) and sophomore outfielder Katie Forbes (Odessa, Fla.) each went 2-for-3. Redshirt-senior second baseman Amber Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) added her seventh stolen base of the season to move to a perfect 7-for-7.
It was the College of Charleston's turn to get on the board early in the night cap as they went up 1-0 in the first inning as Amber Shifflett reached on a hit-by-pitch, stole second and scored on an RBI double by her sister Kristie. Senior pitcher Terri Mesko (McDonough, Ga.) made that lead hold up through the first four innings as she did not allow a hit. That changed in the fifth inning as the Golden Knights pounded out four runs on three hits to take a 4-1 lead. Senior pitcher Ashleigh Cole then retired the final six batters in order to lock up the victory and move to 7-4 with a complete game, four-hit, one-run performance.
Senior outfielder Morgan Bullard and junior catcher Abby McClain accounted for UCF's two RBIs with one apiece while Kristie Shifflett went 2-for-2 with an RBI for the Cougars, raising her average to .495. Forbes and junior outfielder Kristi Woodall (Huntersville, N.C.) delivered the other two hits for CofC as each went 1-for-3. Mesko (2-4) took the loss following a six inning outing.
The College of Charleston is back in action tomorrow morning when they take on Harvard at 11 a.m. for the first time in program history. They will finish the day with a rare non-conference meeting with league opponent Georgia Southern at 3:30 p.m.
Massachusetts 3, Chattanooga 0
Virginia Tech 4, Chattanooga 0
CLEARWATER, Fla. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team struggled at the plate as they dropped both games Friday at the USF Under Armour Invitational in Clearwater, Fla. The Lady Mocs only recorded five hits on the afternoon highlighted by junior Lyndsey Stiles' (Hixson, Tenn.) 2-for-3 performance against UMass.
UMass defeated Chattanooga 3-0 in a game that had one of the craziest starts in recent memory offensively and defensively. An interesting call by the home plate umpire ended the bottom of the first with a double play on a strikeout swinging and batter's interference on the same pitch.
In the second game, the offense continued to have a hard time finding consistency as freshman Kasey Tydingco (Fairfield, Calif.) had the team's only hit, an infield single to short.
Senior Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) took both losses in the circle for Chattanooga, but struck out 10 Hokies in a classic pitcher's duel before Virginia Tech exploded in a four-run sixth.
The Lady Mocs return to action Saturday when they battle Bradley and Rutgers starting at 9:30 a.m. Chattanooga concludes the USF Under Armour Invitational on Sunday at 9 a.m. against Villanova.
Game One: UMass 3, Chattanooga 0
The UTC softball team dropped the first game of the USF Under Armour Invitational to No. 24 UMass, 3-0. Stiles went 2-for-3 in the game with two singles.
The Lady Mocs took a difficult loss as they fall to 11-4 on the season and the Minutewomen raise their record to 7-4.
The story of the game was the start as Loudermilk was called for eight illegal pitches and UMass took an early 1-0 lead. Strange plays for Chattanooga continued as Stiles started off the game with a single up the middle. Junior Michelle Fuzzard (Huntington Beach, Calif.) struck out, but also was called for interfering with the catcher's throw to second as she swung over top a nasty curveball over the outside part of the plate.
Loudermilk started for the Lady Mocs and pitched just over an inning before junior Kandice Irwin (Knoxville, Tenn.) relieved her. Irwin pitched well for Chattanooga striking out four, but gave up two runs, only one of the earned. Junior Nikki Waters (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) finished the contest for the Lady Mocs pitching three scoreless innings.
Stiles beat out a ball hit to the shortstop for her second hit of the game in the fourth. Junior Tia Blosser (Knoxville, Tenn.) lined a single into the right center field gap giving Chattanooga its third base runner of the game in the fifth.
Senior Kaiti Kelly (Chattanooga, Tenn.) hit a double that eluded the shortstop and left fielder as they converged for an attempted catch, but was left on base.
In the second inning, Meghan Carta drove a ball over the left field fence to make the score 2-0 UMass. A wide throw by the shortstop led to the third Minutewomen run in the top of the fourth.
UMass pitcher Sara Plourde struck out 13 Lady Mocs on the game and gave up four hits. Only four runners for Chattanooga reached base.
Game Two: Virginia Tech 4, Chattanooga 0
The second game of the day was similar to the first as a pitcher's duel ensued between Chattanooga and Virginia Tech, but the Hokies found a way to score four runs in the six to break the game open on the first day of the USF Under Armour Invitational in Clearwater, Fla.
With the bats silenced through five innings by Chattanooga's Loudermilk and Virginia Tech's Kenzie Roark combining for 20 strikeouts, Virginia Tech broke through with four runs in the bottom of the six.
The Hokies improved to 5-10 on the season, while the loss dropped the Lady Mocs to 11-5.
Tydingco posted the only hit in the game for Chattanooga. It was an infield single during the bottom of the third.
Loudermilk hit double digits in strikeouts for the fourth time this season. She set a season high with 13 strikeouts against Northern Iowa.
The hardest ball hit for the Lady Mocs came off the bat of senior catcher Lynleigh Hurndon (McDonough, Ga.), but the center fielder had a great jump on the ball and made the diving catch.
With one out in the six, Bkaye Smith for the Hokies singled up the middle and was driven in for the first run of the game on a single by Ashton Ward. After a walk and with two outs, Courtney Liddle drove a Loudermilk pitch over the left field fence giving Virginia Tech a 4-0 lead.
Roark was stellar for the Hokies in her complete-game shutout victory. She fanned 10 batters and only gave one hit.
Tennessee Tech 11, Western Carolina 0
Rhode Island 5, Western Carolina 2
WOODSTOCK, Ga. - Western Carolina softball dropped a pair of games, Friday, in the opening day of the Buzz Classic hosted by Georgia Tech at the Twin Creeks Complex. The Catamounts (3-7) fell to Tennessee Tech 11-0 and Rhode Island 5-2.
Tennessee Tech scored five runs in the first, one in the third and five more in the fifth to force a shortened five inning game. Sophomore pitcher Katie King went the whole game and took the loss, falling to 0-4 on the season.
Western Carolina picked up four hits in the game against the Golden Eagles. Chelsea Schaffer, Kristen Gay and Robyn Burnette each got singles in the game and Danielle Reese picked up a double.
In the second game of the day, Western Carolina took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning. Freshman Shemekia Scotten got hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. After back-to-back steals, Scotten scored on a sacrifice fly by Amber Steinhardt.
After tossing three scoreless innings, freshman hurler Steinhardt gave up four runs on four hits, in the bottom of the fourth inning, to Rhode Island to give them a 4-1 lead. The Catamounts picked up one run in the top of the sixth inning, thanks to Steinhardt. With two outs, Scotten drew a walk and scored off an RBI double by Steinhardt.
Leading 5-2, Rhode Island picked up an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning off an RBI double by Leah DiBussolo. The Catamounts Jordan Fulton and Steinhardt each had a pair of hits in the game.
In day two of action at the Buzz Classic, on Saturday, the Catamounts will face Dartmouth at 1 p.m. and Kentucky at 6 p.m.