Elon 3, Chattanooga 2
Elon 7, Chattanooga 6
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The Elon softball team used Kaitlyn Piazzolla's three home runs and a round-tripper by Emerald Graham to power its way to a doubleheader sweep of the Southern Conference-leading Chattanooga Lady Mocs in league action on Saturday afternoon. The Phoenix handed Chattanooga its first SoCon loss of the season with a 3-2 decision in game one before taking game two 7-6. Elon is now 30-11 overall and 13-4 in league play. Chattanooga is now 32-12 on the year and 12-2 in the SoCon. The Phoenix also picked up its sixth conference series win of the year with the pair of decisions over Chattanooga.
Game One - Elon 3, Chattanooga 2
Chattanooga took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on an RBI-single off the bat of Nikki Waters that scored Lyndsey Stiles from third.
The Phoenix answered with two runs in the top of the second inning that put it on top 2-1. Graham got things started with a single to short and then swiped second and third. Piazzolla belted her first home run of the day when she took a 2-2 pitch over the right field wall that gave Elon the lead.
Lauren Taylor led off the top of the third inning with a single up the middle. A Chattanooga fielding error allowed Jackie Gonzalez to reach and move Taylor to second. The runners moved up on a sacrifice bunt by Hannah Shelton. Taylor made it a 3-1 game when she crossed the plate on a Tomeka Watson sacrifice fly to center field.
The Lady Mocs made it a 3-2 game on a leadoff solo home run by Brittany Eason in the bottom of the fifth inning. It was the last run of the game for Chattanooga, as Elon's Kari Pervell came on in relief of Erin O'Shea in the bottom of the seventh to pick up her second save of the year.
O'Shea got the win for Elon to move 12-4 on the season. She allowed just two runs on six hits and one walk, while striking out five batters in six innings in the circle. Pervell gave up just one hit and struck out one in one inning of work.
Brooke Loudermilk fell to 15-8 on the year with the loss. She gave up three runs, two of them earned, on three hits. She also struck out seven batters. Kandice Irwin came on in relief of Loudermilk, giving up just one hit and a walk, while striking out two Elon batters.
Game Two - Elon 7, Chattanooga 6
After giving up five runs in the sixth inning, Elon entered the top of the seventh trailing 5-3. With one away, Piazzolla picked up her third round-tripper of the day with a grand slam home run that allowed Elon to retake the lead, 7-5. Watson opened the inning with a single through the left side that prompted a pitching change for the Lady Mocs. O'Shea greeted Loudermilk with a single to right field that was followed by a walk to McGowan that loaded the bases for Piazzolla.
Chattanooga did not give up without a fight as it loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Taylor came back on to pitch for Elon and issued a walk to Kasey Tydingco that scored Lauren Flores and made it a one-run game, 7-6. Taylor got the final batter to hit into a fielder's choice that sealed Elon's win.
A pair of Phoenix miscues put runners aboard for Tiffany Baker who homered to tie the game at three in the bottom of the sixth. The Lady Mocs took the lead following a trio of singles and a fielder's choice that scored Lauren Flores from third and put the Lady Mocs up 4-3. Pervell came on in relief of Taylor with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning. She surrendered a pair of walks that scored Chattanooga's fifth run of the game that gave the Lady Mocs a two-run cushion at 5-3.
Elon opened up to a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning by way of a two-run home run by Graham. With two away, Watson singled to center that brought Graham to the plate. Once there, she got ahead in the count before sending the 2-0 over to left field wall for the first two runs of the game.
The offenses remained quiet until the top of the sixth inning when Piazzolla hammered a home run, her second of the day, that gave Elon a 3-0 lead. Piazzolla fell behind in the count 0-1 before drilling the ball to left field for the home run.
Taylor got the start and threw six innings for the Phoenix. She gave up five runs, only one of which was earned, on eight hits and two walks. Taylor earned her first save of the year after leaving the game with two outs in the sixth inning and coming back in to record the final out of the game with the tying run on base. Pervell got the win to move to 1-0 on the year. She threw one inning and gave one run on no hits and five walks.
Chattanooga used three pitchers in the game. Loudermilk suffered her second loss of the day to fall to 15-9 on the year. She gave up three runs on two hits and a walk in a third of an inning in relief. Nikki Waters got the start and allowed two runs on six hits in 4.2 innings of work. Irwin also saw time in the circle for the Lady Mocs, allowing two runs on five hits in two innings of work.
Elon will go for the sweep of Chattanooga tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m.
College of Charleston 5, Appalachian State 2
Appalachian State 8, College of Charleston 2
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Senior designated hitter Kristie Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) went 2-for-4 with her fourth homerun of the year and senior pitcher Terri Mesko (McDonough, Ga.) earned her fourth straight win as the College of Charleston (18-19, 6-7) notched a double-header split with Appalachian State (22-18, 7-9) in Southern Conference action at Patriots Point on Saturday, April 17. CofC posted a 5-2 victory in the Game 1 before dropping an 8-2 decision in the second contest.
In Game 1, the Mountaineers jumped ahead early as they scored a run on a sacrifice fly by junior second baseman McKenzie Phillips to go up 1-0. That lead would not last very long as deep double to center by junior outfielder Kristi Woodall (Huntersville, N.C.) and a single to right by senior designated hitter Kristie Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) put runners on second and third with one out. Following a pop up, Woodall scored from third on an errant throw by the second baseman to tie the score at 1-1.
Freshman designated hitter Meghan Smith then gave the lead right back to Appalachian State on her first career homerun, a powerful shot over the left centerfield fence. That 2-1 lead would hold up until the bottom of the third when Kristie Shifflett pounded her fourth homerun of the season, and 29th of her career, to tie the game at 2-2.
After keeping ASU off the scoreboard in the top of the fourth, the Cougars took full advantage in the home half of the inning as a leadoff single and a sacrifice bunt around an out put a runner on second base with one gone. Junior shortstop Hillary Stringer (Summerville, S.C.) then laced a 3-1 pitch back up the middle for her only hit of the day to score the go-ahead run. Another deep double to center, this time by redshirt-senior second baseman Amber Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.), then scored her and gave CofC a 4-2 lead.
They would add a single run in the fifth on a hard shot to shortstop by sophomore outfielder Katie Forbes (Odessa, Fla.), making it 5-2. That would be all they would need as Mesko retired the last six batters in a row to lock up the three-run victory and stretch the Cougars season-high win streak to five games.
Junior centerfielder Sarah Rappe led the way for the Mountaineers with a 2-for-4 day that included her sixth double of the season while Smith and Phillips delivered an RBI apiece. Freshman pitcher Frannie Seader pitched three innings of relief, allowing six hits and three earned runs, to suffer the loss and drop to 5-4 on the season.
For the College of Charleston, Kristie Shifflett went 2-for-4 with a homerun and RBI and was joined by junior outfielder Kristi Woodall (Huntersville, N.C.) who also went 2-for-4 with her eighth double of the year. Amber Shifflett was 1-for-2 with an RBI double to go along with two walks while Forbes finished the day 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Stringer rounded out the offensive production for CofC with her seventh RBI of the season. Mesko threw her ninth straight complete game in as many starts and earned her fourth straight win as she gave up a pair of runs while scattering seven hits and striking out nine batters. She improves to 9-7 on the season.
The second game was a far different story as neither team could notch a run over the first two innings of play. That would change in the top of the third as Appalachian State took the lead on an RBI groundout by freshman outfielder Allie Cashion and made it 2-0 on a RBI single by Phillips.
Phillips then keyed a three-run rally in the fifth as she led off with a single to left that brushed past the fielder for a three-base error, allowing her to score and make it 3-0. A double by Lighton then put another runner in scoring position for the Mountaineers. A groundout advanced the runner to third before junior first baseman Hannah Dow drew a 10-pitch walk and sophomore outfielder Michelle Gorzelle earned a 13-pitch walk after being down 0-2. That loaded the bases for Rappe, whose single to third base made it 4-0. A two-out walk by Boyd on a 3-2 pitch then made it 5-0 before the Cougars got out the inning.
CofC would scratch a run in the bottom of the sixth when Kristie Shifflett ripped a two-out triple to left center and scored on a wild pitch to narrow the margin to 5-1. In the top of the seventh the Mountaineers put the game well out of reach with an RBI single by Boyd, a bases loaded walk by Cashion and a sac fly from Phillips. Trailing 8-1 entering the bottom of the seventh, the Cougars pushed a second run across the board on an error before ASU wrapped up the 8-2 victory.
McKenzie Phillips was one of three Mountaineers to notch two RBIs as she went 3-for-4 with a run scored. Boyd and Cashion each added two RBIs while Rappe went 2-for-5 with the other RBI. Sophomore shortstop Megan Rembielak finished the day 2-for-4 with a pair of runs and her 14 stolen base of the season. Sophomore pitcher Caitlin Wainwright pitched six strong innings, allowing only three hits and one run while striking out seven to earn the victory and move to 11-6 on the season.
Amanda Lonergan led the Cougars with a 2-for-3 day and Kristie Shifflett was 1-for-3 with a run scored. Katie Forbes had the only other run for CofC. Junior pitcher Alexa Datko (San Diego, Calif.) started and went four innings, allowing four runs, two of which were earned, to take the loss and drop to 4-9 on the year.
The College of Charleston wraps up the series with an 11 a.m. first pitch on Sunday, April 18. The change was made from 1 p.m. in order to accommodate traffic issues associated with the performance by the Blue Angels.
NOTES
The Cougars five game win streak was their longest of the season.
UNC Greensboro 15, Western Carolina 1
Western Carolina 4, UNC Greensboro 1
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Senior Amber Harrell struck out nine batters to set UNC Greensboro's career strikeout record and carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning before settling for a 15-1 win over Western Carolina in game one of a Southern Conference doubleheader on Saturday. The Catamounts picked up a 4-1 win in game two to salvage the split.
Kaitlin Merkt just missed a school record of her own with six RBI in just five innings in the game-one win, but it was Harrell that stole the show.
Entering play Saturday needing just four strikeouts to set the record, Harrell wasted little time, striking out four of the game's first five batters to push her career total to 566, one more than UNCG pitching coach Vanessa (Oakes) Williams had from 2004-07. Harrell whiffed Amber Steinhardt swinging for the record-setting K.
Harrell would add five more strikeouts on the day, including two each in the third and fourth innings, and was just three outs from tossing the first no-hitter of her career.
The Catamounts (7-34, 2-14 SoCon) avoided the no-no and the shutout with a fifth-inning rally, getting a walk and a fielder's choice to lead off the inning. Danielle Reese followed with a clean single to center to plate pinch-runner Morgan Gardner and make it a 15-1 game. Harrell would retire the next three batters in order for the mercy rule win.
UNCG (18-22, 7-6 SoCon) gave Harrell all the offense she would need in the first inning, with Merkt hitting a two-run single to plate Alex Emeterio and Kristen Gabel.
The Spartans would blow the game open with a six-run second, with Emterio getting an RBI single, Merkt a two-run double and Emily Akiyama an RBI double.
UNCG added three in the third on Gabel's first home run of the season, a three-run shot to left. The Spartans added four more in the fourth on a two-run single from Eileen Horsmon and another two-run double by Merkt.
Merkt's six RBI fell one short of the single-game school record of seven, set by Kelly Councilman in 1988 and matched by Karyn Thompson in 1996.
Harrell (7-10) finished with an impressive pitching line, allowing an unearned run on one hit and three walks in five innings.
Katie King (2-20) took the loss for Western, allowing six runs - five earned - on five hits and a walk in 1 1/3 innings.
Emeterio and Merkt finished with three hits each for UNCG in game one, while Gabel, Horsmon and Whitney Sirois had two hits each.
Game two was an entirely different story, as Steinhardt and UNCG's Cory Mattson were locked in a pitchers' duel for much of the contest.
Mattson started out strongly, striking out seven of the game's first 11 batters, including fanning the side in the third. But Western got to her in the sixth inning, with Robyn Burnett reaching on a bloop double that dropped in front of left fielder Brittany Ausley and coming in on Shemekia Scotten's RBI single.
With runners on the corners and no one out, Haley Pace sent a drive out to right center for a three-run home run, putting the Catamounts on top 4-0 and knocking Mattson from the game. Harrell came in and stopped the bleeding, however, giving UNCG six outs to rally.
UNCG brought up the heart of the order in the bottom half of the inning, and Emeterio drew a leadoff walk. Horsmon smoked a ball right at second baseman Scotten, who fired over to first to double off Emeterio. Merkt then lined out to Missy Wills at first to end the inning, with Western getting three outs in a span of just three pitches.
The Spartans would also get something going in the bottom half of the inning, as Akiyama reached on an error to lead off, and pinch-hitter Chelsea D'Ambrosio drilled a double down the left field line to score Akiyama.
Pinch-hitter Katie Stripling reached on a fielder's choice, but Heather Robb, who re-entered for D'Ambrosio, was safe at third. Laura Olenderski followed with a safety squeeze, but Steinhardt fielded the ball cleanly and tossed it home for the out at the plate. One out later, Gabel was hit by a pitch, bringing up Emeterio - UNCG's leading hitter on the season - with the bases loaded and two outs.
Steinhardt got a couple of quick called strikes, then with a 1-2 count, Emeterio grounded out to first to end the game.
Steinhardt (4-11) picked up the win, allowing just an unearned run on six hits and two walks, striking out two. Mattson (9-11) allowed four runs on six hits and no walks, striking out eight. Harrell worked two innings of no-hit relief, allowing just meaningless walk in the sixth.
Pace finished 3-for-3 with three RBI for the Catamounts.
The Spartans stranded eight runners in the contest, leaving two on in the second and fourth innings in addition to leaving the bases loaded in the seventh. Horsmon and Merkt singled to lead off the second before Western got a pair of fielder's choices and a lineout to end the frame.
The teams will play the rubber game Sunday at 1 p.m. UNCG will be looking for its second straight SoCon series win after taking two of three from Appalachian State last weekend.
Georgia Southern 1, Samford 0
Samford 6, Georgia Southern 5
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford softball team split its Saturday doubleheader with Southern Conference No. 4-ranked Georgia Southern in a thrilling eight-inning closer after falling, 1-0, in the series opener. Anna Kimbrell's two-out single drove in Amanda Jordan to lift the Bulldogs over the Eagles, 6-5, and snap Samford's five-game skid. The Bulldogs improve to 12-26 overall and 3-10 in league play while Georgia Southern falls to 21-10, 7-6 SoCon.
"In the first game, we pitched great," Samford head coach Beanie Ketcham said. "We did exactly what we said we were going to do pitching-wise. They are a very aggressive team so I thought Emily (Waters) could keep them off-balance. She did a great job. We just struggled offensively."
Georgia Southern came out of the gate in the first inning of the first game and put its only run up on the second batter. Nina Iduate led off for the Eagles and reached on an error by the Samford shortstop before advancing to second base on the throw. Kelly Burnett then doubled to left field to drive in Iduate but the Bulldogs recorded three quick outs to move to the bottom of the inning.
Kayla Shaffer had the first of only two hits for Samford with a double in the fifth inning before getting thrown out at third base. Alex Adams had the other hit on a two-out single in the bottom of the seventh.
Emily Waters pitched 4.1 innings, giving up just one run on two hits. She struck out three batters and walked two before being relieved by Kayla Burris. Burris pitched 2.2 innings and only had one walk.
Iduate and Burnett had the only two hits for the Eagles while Iduate scored the run and Burnett had the RBI. Brianna Streetmon pitched a complete game, giving up just two hits while striking out six batters.
In the second game, it was Samford who jumped out to the early lead, putting up three runs in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, Samford put together three consecutive singles to start off the inning. With runners on first and second, Adams singled and then advanced to second on the throw which drove in Aaren Fisher for the first run. Amanda Barrs reached on a fielder's choice to score England and then Amanda Jordan was walked to load the bases before Shaffer reached on an error to drive in the pinch runner Madeline Baker. Samford was up, 3-0.
Georgia Southern scored its first run on a home run to centerfield by Sam Russo in the top of the fourth to cut the lead to 3-1. However, Samford extended its lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the fifth when Amy Gonzalez scored from third base on an error by the second baseman.
The Eagles tied the score at four in the top of the sixth inning on a three-run home run by Russo. Then with two outs and runners on first and second, Iduate singled to center field to advance the runners. Mackenzie Williams, who was on second, was called out at third on a throw from center field to third base. Meanwhile, Kaitlynn Szczepanski stole home to put Georgia Southern ahead, 5-4.
The Bulldogs tied the score in the bottom of the inning on a two-out single to centerfield by Kimbrell. A scoreless seventh inning forced an eighth inning and Samford relief pitcher Burris and the Bulldog defense retired the Eagles in the eighth inning on two fly outs and a strikeout.
Jordan led the inning off with a double to center field before Shaffer laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Jordan to third. Reeves grounded out to third base for the second out, but Kimbrell came up and singled to left field for the walk-off RBI to solidify the win for the Bulldogs.
Four Bulldogs had two hits each in the second game including Fisher, England, Adams and Kimbrell. Jordan and Shaffer each had one hit while five different Bulldogs scored runs. Kimbrell led the Bulldogs with two RBI while Adams, Barrs and Shaffer had one each.
Stephanie Royall started the game for the Bulldogs and pitched five complete innings, giving up four earned runs on six hits with two strikeouts and one walk. Burris (1-1) pitched the final three innings and earned her first win of the season, giving up just one hit while striking out two batters.
"Stephanie (Royall) gave us five solid innings, we just got into a little trouble there and gave up a big hit," Ketcham said. "I was very proud of Kayla Burris, too - getting some good outs for us when we needed them."
Iduate and Russo led the Eagles, each going 2-for-4 at the plate in the second game. Russo scored two runs and had four RBI while three other GSU players scored runs as well. Burnett, Megen Smith and Williams also had one hit each.
Smith started the game for the Eagles, giving up two earned runs on five hits in five innings of play. She also had two walks and two strikeouts. Streetmon pitched the final 2.2 innings and took the loss after giving up the last two Bulldog runs.
"Overall, I was really proud of them," Ketcham said. "Obviously, that is huge for us to be able to come back after having a lead and stick in there. We scored twice when we had to, and off of (Brianna) Streetmon, who is a very good pitcher.
"One of two today was big. Now if we can get a second one tomorrow, we can get on a bit of a roll and take the monkey off our back a little bit."
Samford and Georgia Southern will close the series out Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Bulldog Field. The contest will be broadcasted live locally on Samford's radio station, 91.1 FM WVSU, and online at www.samford.edu/wvsu. Fans can also watch online for FREE via live streaming at www.samfordsports.com. A full recap and results will be available on www.samfordsports.com upon the completion of the game.