College of Charleston 7, Georgia Southern 4
Georgia Southern 3, College of Charleston 1
STATESBORO, Ga. - Sophomore third baseman Kelley Dillon (Hanahan, S.C.) ripped a pair of homeruns in Game 1 as the College of Charleston (21-21, 8-8) split the first two games of a Southern Conference series at Georgia Southern (23-23, 8-8) on Saturday, April 24. CofC won the first game by a 7-4 score in eight innings before dropping the nightcap 3-1.
The Cougars wasted no time as they took advantage of a two-out double by senior designated hitter Kristie Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) in the top of the first inning of Game 1. Sophomore outfielder Amanda Lonergan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) then followed that with a triple to left field, her third of the season, to give CofC a 1-0 lead and run her team-leading RBI total to 26.
Senior pitcher Terri Mesko (McDonough, Ga.) continued to keep the Eagles off the scoreboard, working out of a two-out, two on jam in the second inning and first and second with no outs in the fourth inning. In that frame, she benefitted from a fly out to center, notched a strikeout and got a pop-up on a 3-1 pitch to end the inning.
Georgia Southern would finally break through in the bottom of the fifth as senior shortstop Nina Iduate led off with a single and eventually scored on a single by junior first baseman Megen Smith to tie the game at 1-1. It would not stay tied long, however, as Kristie Shifflett led off the sixth with a single and Lonergan reached on a fielder's choice when GSU attempted to get the out at third base. A throwing error on the play then allowed Lonergan to advance to second and put a pair of runners in scoring position.
Sophomore outfielder Katie Forbes (Odessa, Fla.) then lofted a ball to centerfield that allowed Shifflett to score from third and give the College of Charleston back the lead at 2-1. Following a second fly out, Kelley Dillon then blasted a two-run homerun out to left center to push the lead to 4-1.
Georgia Southern would respond with three runs of their own in the home half of the sixth inning as sophomore second baseman Hanna Ennis drilled a two-run homerun over the left field fence to close the gap to 4-3. The Eagles would then tie the game later in the inning as sophomore catcher Mackenzie Williams scored from third on an error.
CofC would mount a rally of their own in the top of the seventh as they loaded the bases with a walk and a pair of singles before Georgia Southern got out of the inning with a foul pop to first base. The Eagles then stranded a runner at second base in the bottom of the seventh inning. That would be a costly error as the Cougars exploded for three runs on four hits in the top of the eighth inning.
Dillon led off the frame with her second homerun of the game, a career-best, and Kristie Shifflett followed with a two-run single up the middle that gave the College of Charleston 7-4 lead. GSU would not go quietly in their half of the eighth, however, as they loaded the bases with two outs before Lonergan tracked down a long fly ball on the warning track in left center to secure the three-run victory.
Iduate led Georgia Southern with a 3-for-5 day that included a run and an RBI while Megen Smith finished 2-for-4 with an RBI. Hanna Ennis notched a pair of RBIs on a homerun and senior outfielder Kelly Burnett went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Megen Smith threw 1.1 innings of relief and allowed three runs on five hits to take the loss and drop to 5-13 on the season.
Kristie Shifflett went 3-for-5 with a double, two runs and a pair of RBIs for the College of Charleston while Kelley Dillon finished 2-for-3 with two runs, three RBIs and a career-high two homeruns. Katie Forbes notched a 3-for-4 performance with an RBI and Lonergan went 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI. Saylors pitched three scoreless innings of relief to pick up the win and improve to 5-2 on the season.
In the nightcap, Georgia Southern got on the board first, taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning as sophomore infielder Marie Fogle reached on a fielder's choice and eventually came around to score on a fielding error later in the inning. The score would stay that way until the fifth inning when the Eagles' notched a pair of runs on an RBI double by Fogle and a single to right by Megen Smith to stretch the lead to 3-0.
CofC would narrow the gap to 3-1 in the top of the sixth as junior shortstop Hillary Stringer (Summerville, S.C.) led off with a single and came around to score on an RBI single by Kristie Shifflett. That would be as close as they would get as the Eagles closed out the inning and set down the Cougars in the seventh for the two-run victory to knot the series.
Megen Smith had the clutch two-RBI single to led the Eagles while Marie Fogle notched a pair of runs scored. Nina Iduate finished the game 2-for-4. Smith pitched 5.2 innings and earned the victory, allowing only four hits, while Brianna Streetmon threw 1.1 innings of relief to collect her third save of the season.
Kristie Shifflett had the Cougars lone RBI of the day, finishing 1-for-3 while Stringer was 1-for-2 with the run scored. Junior pitcher Alexa Datko (San Diego, Calif.) started and went 5.2 innings, surrendering all three runs, to drop to 5-10 on the season.
The College of Charleston wraps up the series tomorrow afternoon with a 1 p.m. game against Georgia Southern.
NOTES
Kelley Dillon's two-homerun performance in Game 1 marks the first by a College of Charleston player since Kristie Shifflett belted two at Charlotte on March 10, 2009 ... Kristie Shifflett's first inning double moved her into a tie with Georgia Southern's Jenny Side and UNC Greensboro's Brittany Ausley for the league lead with 11.
Chattanooga 3, Appalachian State 1
Appalachian State 2, Chattanooga 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team took the first game 3-1 thanks to a three-run third, but were unable to come up with timely hits in the second half of the doubleheader falling 2-0. Junior Lyndsey Stiles (Hixson, Tenn.) went 3-for-7 pacing the Lady Mocs offensively on the day, while senior Kaiti Kelley (Chattanooga, Tenn.) registered a 2-for-3 performance in game one.
"Kandice [Irwin] pitched awesome today," said head coach Frank Reed. "She got us out of two innings where they were all over us and struck out seven. Normally, Kandice is not a notorious strikeout pitcher, but she had a great outing."
In the circle, junior Kandice Irwin (Knoxville, Tenn.) notched her eighth with of the season, while pitching 4.2 innings of relief and striking out a season-high seven.
"Actually, I like it," said head coach Frank Reed about his lineup shuffle after the doubleheader. "I like Kasey [Tydingco]at two [in the order] because she provides a little bit more pop there. Unfortunately, she was unable to get the squeeze down [in the seventh inning of game one]. I still think that I am going to stay with it."
The major move in the lineup was bumping freshman Kasey Tydinco (Fairfield, Calif.) up the second slot of the order as typical number two hitter Kelley was placed in the seventh hole. Thus, moving sophomore Jessica Traxler (Chino Hills, Calif.) down to the number nine position staggering the left-handed hitters throughout the lineup.
The Lady Mocs after the split are now 34-13 overall and 14-2 in the Southern Conference, while Appalachian State is 21-23 and 8-11 in conference games. After Samford knocked off Elon in game two, Chattanooga still has a three-game lead in the loss column and all the Lady Mocs have to do is secure series victories in the final three of the season.
The rubber match and finale of the series is set for 1 p.m. Sunday from Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium in Boone, N.C. Live stats and audio are available for the contest on GoMocs.com.
Game One: Chattanooga 3, Appalachian State 1
The UTC softball team rallied behind a three-run third inning to take a 3-1 lead as that was all Irwin needed to finish the contest. Stiles and Kelley each registered two hits in the contests.
Junior Nikki Waters (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) started for the Lady Mocs in the circle pitching 2.1 innings and gave up a run. She left the game in the third inning with the bases loaded and one out.
The Lady Mocs relief specialist Irwin came in during the jam and used a strikeout and groundout to end the frame. She continued to pitch well going 4.2 innings for her eighth victory striking out a season-high seven.
"It is kind of more of a boost, personally for me," said Irwin after starting off with a strike out looking. "It helps with your momentum and gets your adrenaline going. It definitely helped me gain some early confidence."
In the one-run second for the Mountaineers, McKenzie Phillips singled and advanced to second as left fielder Lauren Flores (Ft. Oglethorpe, Ga.) was unable to come up with the ball cleanly. After a walk, Megan Smith doubled up the middle as the ball got past the shortstop and torpedoed to the fence in left center as Phillips scored.
Leading off the third inning, Kelley beat out an infield single to first base and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Kelley moved to third on a throwing error by the shortstop as senior Brittany Eason (Chattanooga, Tenn.) was safe at first.
With runners on the corners, senior Tia Blosser (Knoxville, Tenn.) executed a textbook suicide squeeze and Kelley slide around the tag by the catcher Michelle Lighton. Stiles reloaded the bases with a single to the second baseman, Phillips, who made a diving play keeping Eason at third.
Chattanooga went up 2-1 on a walk drawn by freshman Kasey Tydingco (Fairfield, Calif.). An insurance run was added by senior Tia Blosser (Knoxville, Tenn.) on a sacrifice fly as UTC went up 3-1. The Lady Mocs only had one out at that point, but would leave the bases loaded.
After a hit in the fifth and sixth by Blosser and Kelley, Stiles tripled down the left field line in the seventh as the left fielder was unable to come up with a diving grab. It was the first career triple for the junior from Hixson, Tenn. She would be picked off at third as Tydingco failed to make contact on a squeeze play.
Every time that the Mountaineers felt like they were going to be able to push a runner across, Irwin had an answer as she used a wide variety of pitches including a looping change up that just baffled some of the hitters.
"When my pitches are all on, the different speeds helps to keep the hitters even more off balance," said Irwin. "It keeps them on their toes and they never know when it is coming. I only threw it one, but I am sure that the hitters were thinking that I could have thrown it again."
The starting pitcher for Appalachian State was Caitlin Wainwright, who went two innings and gave up two earned runs. Frannie Seader completed the game throwing five innings and striking out two keeping the Lady Mocs off balance to give ASU a chance to comeback.
Game Two: Appalachian State 2, Chattanooga 0
The UTC softball team was unable to generate much offense in the second game as Appalachian State pushed two across in the bottom of the sixth for the victory. Stiles and Tydingco had the only hits for the Lady Mocs, both in the top of the sixth.
"We were hitting the ball hard," said Stiles. "We had a lot of hard line drive hits that they just caught. I do not know that there was anything that we were doing because we made adjustments throughout the game. I just think that we hit the ball right where they were positioned."
Senior Brooke Loudermilk (Locust Grove, Ga.) held the Mountaineers in check for five innings, but a couple of strange plays led to two runs, one earned. Loudermilk struck out four in the six innings on the rubber.
The Lady Mocs looked ready to take an early lead as Stiles led off the game reaching on a throwing error by the second baseman that was off target. That was followed by a walk to Tydingco putting runners at first and second with no out. Two-straight strikeouts swinging and a groundout to the third baseman ended the frame for Chattanooga.
Appalachian State's Hannah Dow was superb for the next four innings holding the Lady Mocs hitless.
With one out in the sixth, Stiles singled through the right side and then Tydingco hit a drive high-off the tall 20-foot fence in right field. The high-fly ball kept Stiles as first until hitting the fence, when she just barely beat the throw to second by the right fielder.
"It was the first inside pitch that I had seen all day," said Tydingco. "Lyndsey got on and I know that I had to move her over at least to do my job. That was the first inside pitch all day, so I just jumped on it."
In a move that coach Reed would do differently if he had the chance, Blosser laid down a sacrifice bunt to put two runners in scoring position, but now there were two out. A first-pitch swing by junior Tiffany Baker (East Ridge, Tenn.) ended the scoring chance as the shortstop squeezed the pop up.
Megan Rembielak of the Mountaineers led off the bottom of the sixth with a double to center putting immediate pressure on Loudermilk. Then, Kaitie Boyd drew a hard fought walk and Allie Cashion flew out to first base in foul territory.
The inning change when Rembielak stole third base on a delayed steal. As senior Lynleigh Hurndon (McDonough, Ga.) threw the ball back to Loudermilk, the pitcher looked down and the base runner broke to third without a throw.
Now with runners on the corners, Phillips hit a hard grounder to Blosser, who was unable to make a clean grab and throw it home as the lefty was able to advance to second as the ball squirted behind second base. That play scored Rembiak and Boyd advanced to third.
During the next at bat, a wild pitch from Loudermilk allowed Boyd to score the second run of the game as Appalachian State took a commanding lead. The Lady Mocs would get out of the inning without further damage, but Chattanooga went down in order to end the game.
Phillips had the only RBI in the contest as Rembielak, Meghan Smith and Michelle Gorzelle registered hits for the Mountaineers. Hannah Dow went the distance to notch her sixth victory of the season, while striking out eight.
Elon 5, Samford 3
Samford 2, Elon 1
ELON, N.C. - Elon won the first game of Saturday's Southern Conference softball doubleheader against the Samford Bulldogs 5-3 before falling 2-1 in game two. The Phoenix is now 32-14 overall and 14-6 in the SoCon. Samford moved to 14-28 on the season and 5-12 in league play.
Game One - Elon 5, Samford 3
Samford loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the second inning on a pair of walks and a single down the left field line by Amanda Jordan. Elon's Erin O'Shea worked out of the bases-loaded jam by getting the final batter to pop up to Pam DelPizzo at first to end the inning.
With one out and a runner at first in the top of the third, Tomeka Watson robbed Katie England of a home run when she knocked down the ball as it was going over the left field fence. England managed a double, but was left stranded as Watson caught a fly ball in left for the third out.
The Phoenix waited until the bottom of the third inning to register its first hit. It was worth the wait as Kaitlyn Piazzolla hit a laser over the left field wall to give Elon a 1-0 lead. A pair of walks and a single loaded the bases with two outs for Emerald Graham. Once at the plate she took the first pitch she saw deep over the left field wall for a grand slam home run that put Elon on top 5-0.
Elon looked to extend its lead in the bottom of the fourth when Piazzolla and Ashlee Crewe registered back-to-back singles. Neither crossed the plate as the next two batters were retired.
Samford registered two singles in the top of the fifth but Piazzolla picked off a runner at first and O'Shea struck out the final batter before a run could cross.
The Bulldogs got on the board in the top of the seventh with a three-run home run by Aaren Fisher. A walk and a hit batsman put runners aboard for Fisher, who hit the first pitch over the left field wall for the homer.
O'Shea improved to 14-5 with the complete game win. It was the 10th complete game of the season for the sophomore. She gave up three runs on five hits and four walks, while fanning two.
Amanda Barrs suffered the loss to fall to 2-14 on the year. She gave up five runs on seven hits and three walks in six innings in the circle. She also struck out five.
Game Two - Samford 2, Elon 1
Elon picked up two hits in the top of the first, both one-out singles, to start the second game but neither runner was able to score as the final two outs were recorded.
Samford took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on a two-out, RBI-single up the middle by Rachael Reeves.
The Phoenix had a chance to plate a run in the bottom of the third inning when Crewe reached on a fielding error by Samford's shortstop. She was left stranded when Lauren Taylor grounded out to third base for the final out of the inning.
After loading the bases on a pair of walks and a fielder's choice, Samford took a 2-0 lead when England drew a walk that allowed Reeves to score from third. The Bulldogs were unable to get another run across as Alex Adams flew out to center.
Jackie Gonzalez led off the bottom of the sixth with a four-pitch walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Shelton. Watson laid down a perfect bunt single that put runners on the corners for Elon. The duo was left stranded as the final batters were retired.
Caitlin McGowan opened the bottom of the seventh with a single down the left field line. Piazzolla followed with a hard hit double to center that put runners at second and third. DelPizzo scored on a sacrifice fly to left. The Phoenix was unable to get the tying run across as the final batter struck out swinging.
Stephanie Royall improved to 7-7 on the year with the complete game shutout. She scattered just three hits and two walks, while striking out one. Kayla Burris picked up the save after throwing one scoreless inning in relief.
Taylor took the loss to drop to 14-5 overall. She allowed two runs on five hits and two walks. She also registered five strikeouts.
Elon and Samford will play the rubber game of three-game set Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. Fans are encouraged to arrive early as Elon will honor Ashlee Crewe, who will be playing her final home game in the maroon and gold.