Furman 8, North Carolina Central 2
Furman 4, North Carolina Central 0
RALEIGH, N.C. - Junior Katie Michaels went 6-for-6 at the plate over two games and freshman Kayla Suskauer tossed a three-hit shutout in game two to lift Furman to a 8-2, 4-0 doubleheader sweep of North Carolina Central in non-conference softball action at North Carolina State's Dail Stadium on Tuesday evening.
With the sweep, Furman upped its record to 15-17 on the season while the Eagles slipped to 7-31.
Michaels fueled the Paladins' 12-hit attack in game one going 4-for-4 with a walk and scoring two runs to lift Furman to an 8-2 triumph.
After NCCU took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first with a pair of runs, one earned, Brythe Blankenship blasted a two-run homer to center field to give the Paladins a 3-2 advantage. In the third, Michaels collected her first of six consecutive hits on the evening and scored on Morgan Hughey's single down the left field line.
Furman added three runs in the fourth. Stephanie Field and Michaels opened the frame with singles and Jessie Homesley loaded the bases with a walk before Hughey singled up the middle to plate two runs. Lana Mackey followed with a base hit to center field to up the lead to 7-2. Field scored on Michaels' RBI single in the seventh to cap the scoring.
Mackey improved to 11-7 in the circle allowing just one earned run on eight hits over seven innings. The senior fanned 10 batters without issuing a walk.
Along with Michaels' 4-for-4 performance, Field scored three runs and Hughey went 2-for-5 with three RBI.
Kristen Schooler (2-10) suffered the defeat for the Eagles allowing seven runs on six hits in 3.1 innings of work. She walked five and did not record a strikeout. Shakemia Edwards and Andrea Searls each registered two hits for NCCU.
In game two, Suskauer (3-4) notched her first career shutout limiting North Carolina Central to just three hits and fanning a career-best nine batters without allowing a walk.
Furman opened up a 2-0 lead in the third inning when Field delivered an RBI single and later scored on a double steal. The Paladins put the game out of reach in the sixth as Hughey and Mackey belted back-to-back homers, the fifth roundtripper of the season for both players.
Michaels went 2-for-2 with a double and a pair of sacrifice bunts while Suskauer also added two hits.
Freshman Kayla McPeek (3-8) took the loss for the Eagles after surrendering four runs on eight hits over seven innings.
The Paladins continue non-conference play with a twinbill at Big South Conference member Presbyterian College on Thursday. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
College of Charleston 2, UNC Wilmington 1
College of Charleston 1, UNC Wilmington 0
WILMINGTON, N.C. - Freshman pitcher Stephanie Saylors (Easley, S.C.) threw a complete game shutout and sophomore outfielder Katie Forbes (Odessa, Fla.) belted a two-run homerun as the College of Charleston (17-18, 5-6) earned a double-header sweep of UNC Wilmington (7-29, 2-8 CAA) in a non-conference softball double-header on Tuesday, April 13. CofC claimed Game 1 by a 2-1 score before notching a 1-0 victory in the nightcap.
"Small ball" gave the Seahawks an early 1-0 lead in Game 1 as sophomore outfielder Ashley Shingleton singled to lead off the game and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. She would then score on a single to right field by sophomore first baseman Katie Houmard, who barely beat a throw from right field to reach first base.
After holding UNCW scoreless over the next two frames, the College of Charleston got on the board in a big way in the fourth inning. Redshirt-junior catcher Katie Pesature (Brewster, N.Y.) drew a leadoff walk before sophomore third baseman Katie Forbes (Odessa, Fla.) hit a towering fly ball to left field that cleared the fence for a two-run homerun to give CofC a 2-1 lead.
Senior pitcher Terri Mesko (McDonough, Ga.), who entered the game in relief in the third inning, then took control as she set down the next 10 Seahawk batters, including three in a row by strikeout in the fifth inning.
Freshman shortstop Lauryn Buckworth ended that streak with a one-out, seventh inning single to put the tying run on base for UNCW. A sharply turned 5-4-3 double play off the bat of senior catcher Michelle Harrison then ended any hope of a UNC Wilmington rally and gave the Cougars a 2-1 victory.
Houmard had the only RBI of the day for the Seahawks and was one of four players with a hit, all of which were singles. Sophomore pitcher Amanda Davenport went the distance and took the hard luck loss as she allowed only two hits, including the eventual game-winning homerun.
Katie Forbes led the College of Charleston as she produced the only two hits of the game, going 2-for-2 with a run and two RBIs on her second homerun of the year. Katie Pesature walked and scored the only other run to round out the offensive production. Mesko was masterful in relief as she threw five innings without allowing a run and only two hits to collect her eighth win of the season.
The pitching duel continued into Game 2 as neither team was able to notch a hit over the first three innings. During that time, the Cougars notched three walks and a hit-by-pitch to threaten in the first and third innings but would not be able to capitalize. Freshman pitcher Stephanie Saylors (Easley, S.C.) retired the first 11 batters she saw before allowing a single to senior second baseman Morgan Walters with two outs in the fourth inning.
The College of Charleston would be the first to get on the board as junior shortstop Hillary Stringer (Summerville, S.C.) drew a one-out walk in the fifth inning and then scored on the Cougars first hit of the game. That came off the bat of redshirt-senior second baseman Amber Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) who roped a pitch to right field to make it 1-0.
Stringer would play a key role in keeping the Seahawks off of the scoreboard the following inning as a strong throw from shortstop nailed junior pitcher Amanda Aditays at first for the third out and kept the tying run from scoring from third base.
CofC would threaten in the sixth with runners on second and third with two outs but UNC wilmington induced a ground out to second to get out of the jam. It was the Seahawks turn to put a runner in scoring position in the home half of the inning as back-to-back two-out singles by Sykes and Walters gave UNCW a chance to tie the game. That rally was then snuffed out by Saylors seventh strikeout of the game.
UNC Wilmington would keep the pressure on in the seventh inning however as Houmard lined a leadoff single and got all the way to third with two outs before Stringer made a terrific running, over-the-shoulder catch in left center to end the game and give the Cougars a hard fought 1-0 victory.
Walters and Houmard each went 2-for-3 for the Seahawks while Aditays pitched a one-hitter and struck out six but suffered the defeat to fall to 1-9.
Amber Shifflett had the lone hit for the College of Charleston and driving in the eventual winning run, while sophomore outfielder Amanda Lonergan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) and sophomore first baseman Kelley Dillon (Hanahan, S.C.) each drew a pair of walks. Stephanie Saylors pitched one of the best games of her young career, going all seven innings for the shutout and allowed only five hits while striking out seven batters. That was one shy of tying her career-high.
The College of Charleston is back in action this weekend when they return to Southern Conference play with a three-game series with Appalachian State. The Cougars will face the Mountaineers in the double-header portion of the series beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 17 before concluding the set at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 18.
NOTES
The Cougars have now won four straight games dating back to a 7-2 victory at Western Carolina on April 10.
No. 6 Georgia Tech 14, Georgia Southern 2
No. 6 Georgia Tech 5, Georgia Southern 4
ATLANTA, Ga. - The sixth-ranked Georgia Tech softball team rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning of game two to take the doubleheader sweep against the Eagles Tuesday (April 13) in Atlanta. Georgia Southern played with grit in game two, rebounding from a 14-2 in the first game, but the Yellow Jackets edged the Eagles 5-4. Senior shortstop Nina Iduate (Norcross, Ga.) led the Eagles at the plate, going 4-for-6 with two runs scored on the day, and Megen Smith (Springfield, Ga.) was 2-for-6 with a home run, three RBIs and a run scored.
Christy Jones singled to lead off the bottom of the seventh. A sacrifice bunt, sandwiched between a pair of intentional walks, loaded the bases with one out for the Yellow Jackets (37-6). Hope Rush delivered with a game-winning RBI-single, after Kristine Priebe was hit by a pitch.
The Eagles fell to 20-19 on the season after the heartbreaking loss.
The Yellow Jackets took the early lead in the second game, when Jen Yee scored on Kelsi Weseman's RBI-double in the bottom of the third inning. The Eagles answered with three in the top of the fourth for their first lead of the day, 3-1.
Senior Jenny Side (Loganville, Ga.) started the rally, reaching on catcher's interference with one out. Senior first baseman Sam Russo (Snellvilla, Ga.) singled, and Andrea Tarashuk (Flemington, N.J.) reached on a fielder's choice. Side was out at third, but Caitlin Jordan tried to turn the double-play and threw the ball to the fence, giving the Eagles runners at second and third with two outs.
Sophomore Hanna Ennis (Snellville, Ga.) came through with a two-out, two-RBI double, and sophomore Mackenzie Williams (Baxley, Ga.) hit an RBI-single to give Georgia Southern a 3-1 lead. The Eagles added another run in the top of the fifth when Megen Smith (Springfield, Ga.) doubled off the wall in left-center, scoring Iduate from first.
Georgia Tech scored two in the bottom of the fifth on a two-RBI single by Weseman, cutting the lead to 4-3.
Junior Brianna Streetmon (14-7) (Winder, Ga.) took the loss, allowing five runs on seven hits with three strikeouts in 6 and one-third innings. Hope Rush (20-4) earned the win for Georgia Tech, allowing one run on three hits with three strikeouts in three innings of relief. Kristen Adkins started for the Yellow Jackets, giving up three runs, all unearned.
Jessica Coan (11-1) pitched four split innings of perfect softball, striking out four Eagles to lead Georgia Tech to the win in game one.
The Yellow Jackets established the lead early, scoring early off seven hits in the bottom of the first inning. With an 11-0 advantage, Georgia Tech added two in the second, and Jen Yee hit a solo-home run in the bottom of the fourth to push the lead back to 12.
Iduate broke through with the Eagles first hit of the game in the top of the fourth inning, taking Rachel Glazebrook back up the middle. Two batters later, Smith took Glazebrook down the leftfield line for her 13th home run of the season, cutting the lead to 13-2 before Yee's shot in the bottom half of the inning.
The Eagles had an opportunity for more runs when a single by Side and a double off the centerfield wall by Russo gave the Eagles three straight hits, but Side was thrown out at the plate trying to score on Russo's double.
Smith took the loss in the circle, falling to 5-11 on the season. Glazebrook was charged with both Eagle runs, giving up four hits in one inning of work for the Yellow Jackets.
The Eagles will return to Southern Conference action when they travel to Birmingham, Ala., for a double-header against Samford on Saturday, April 17th with game times at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The Bulldogs-Eagles series finale is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. All times listed are Central time.
UAB 4, Samford 3
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford softball team dropped a thriller at UAB Tuesday night as the Bulldogs and Blazers played nine innings before UAB could claim the 4-3 victory. Samford falls to 11-23 on the year while UAB improves to 25-12.
"Overall, I was really pleased tonight with the team's effort," Samford head coach Beanie Ketcham said. "We had a couple of little mistakes that hurt us but overall, I thought we hit the ball better. We are starting to play better offensively and I thought we played solid defense with the exception of a couple of things. We also had solid pitching.
"It's just tough when you go that long with a good team and aren't able to pull out the win. But I was pleased with what I saw. I think if we work from here and take this momentum into Thursday, we will be fine."
Amanda Barrs led the Bulldogs with a 2-for-3 performance at plate while also pitching seven full innings for Samford. While in the circle, Barrs gave up just two earned runs on six hits and struck out four batters. Stephanie Royall took the loss, bringing her record to 6-6. She pitched one and one-third inning, giving up three hits and the winning run.
Katie England was 2-for-4 and had one of Samford's three RBI while five other Bulldogs grabbed one hit each. Kayla Shaffer's only hit of the game earned her an RBI while Amanda Jordan grabbed the third Samford RBI.
Lauren Webster (12-4) earned the win for UAB, striking out four batters and giving up just one hit in the last three innings. Amber Torres started in the circle for the Blazers, giving up three run on seven hits while striking out six batters.
Martina Landrum led the Blazers at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one run. Kayla Orr also had two hits in five appearances at the plate while also scoring one run. Five other Blazers had one hit while Catherine Douglass brought in two RBI.
Fisher led off for Samford in the first inning with a base hit to the shortstop before moving into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Barrs. Fisher then scored on a single up the middle by England. Adams then reached on a fielder's choice but England advanced to second on a throwing error by the shortstop. However, Jordan struck out looking before Gonzalez grounded out to the pitcher to end the first inning. The Bulldogs were able to retire the Blazers in the bottom of the inning, giving up just one hit and Samford led, 1-0, going into the second inning.
The Bulldogs went three-up, three-down in the top of the second inning before the Blazers loaded the bases with two outs. However, Samford was able to get out of the inning when Caley Walden grounded out to first base.
The Blazers finally got on the board in the bottom of the third inning when Kate Armstrong flied out with the bases loaded to drive in Cameron Skates from third base and tie the score at one run a piece. Then UAB took the lead on a run scored on a groundout to the shortstop before Barrs struck out Sisson looking to end the inning.
UAB took a 3-1 lead when Landrum scored on an error by the third baseman with one out but the Bulldogs were about to recorded the last two outs before the Blazers could do anymore damage.
Samford cut the lead to one in the top of the sixth on a sacrifice bunt by Jordan to drive in England from third base. Then Shaffer batted in Adams to tie the score at three with two outs. However, Landrum made a diving catch in centerfield to retire Robyn Harmon and get the Blazers out of the inning.
A scoreless seventh inning on both ends forced extra innings and the Bulldogs then pushed it to a ninth inning.
However, UAB retired Samford quickly in the top of the ninth with a groundout, a strikeout and a pop-up. Orr led off the ninth for the Blazers with a single and advanced to second on an error before advancing to third on a passed ball. Royall then struck out Armstrong swinging before Douglass reached first base on a fielder's choice to drive Orr home for the winning run.
Samford begins an eight-game home swing Thursday as it hosts Ole Miss for a doubleheader. The first game begins at 5 p.m., followed by the night cap approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first. The Bulldogs will then jump back into conference play and play host to Georgia Southern this weekend before reuniting with UAB on Wednesday. The homestand concluded with a doubleheader against Mississippi Valley State and Jackson State next Thursday.