Furman 5, Western Carolina 0
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Freshman Lauren Collier tossed a three-hit shutout to lift Furman to a 5-0 victory over Western Carolina and complete a three-game series sweep of the Catamounts on Sunday afternoon at Pepsi Stadium.
With the victory, Furman improved to 7-12 overall and 3-0 in the Southern Conference while running its perfect home record to 7-0. Western Carolina slipped to 12-9 overall and 0-3 in league play.
Collier, who upped her record to 4-8 in the circle, scattered three hits over seven innings while fanning two batters and issuing just one walk to earn her second win of the weekend and this of the week..
Furman took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second as Morgan Hughey drew a base on balls and later scored on Nikki Legg's single back up the middle. The Paladins added two more runs in the fourth. Hannah Pace reached on an error, advanced to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on Emily Boyer's single to center. Stephanie Spain delivered a single to left-center to plate Pace and Boyer scored on Stephanie Field's sacrifice fly to stretch the lead to 3-0.
A couple of Catamount errors led to single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to give Furman its final 5-0 margin.
Legg went 2-for-3 with an RBI and swiped two bases to propel the Paladin offense. Collier helped herself out going 2-for-4 at the plate.
Katie King (6-5) suffered the loss for WCU allowing five runs, one earned, on seven hits. She walked three batters and did not record a strikeout in six innings of work.
Furman steps out of conference play on Tuesday to host the Providence Friars in a 3 p.m. doubleheader at Pepsi Stadium.
Elon 5, College of Charleston 2
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Lauren Taylor pitched 4.2 scoreless innings in relief for the Phoenix to earn a 5-2 win over College of Charleston today, March 13, at Patriots Point. Elon took the 2-1 series win over the Cougars, its first Southern Conference series of the season, after a split in yesterday's doubleheader. The Phoenix improves to 13-5 on the year (2-1 SoCon), while CofC falls to 17-8 (1-2 SoCon).
The Phoenix got on the scoreboard working in the first starting with a one-out single to center Jackie Gonzalez gave Elon momentum. Gonzalez then advanced to second after Caitlin McGowan was hit by CofC pitcher Stephanie Saylors. Emerald Graham reached on a fielder's choice that forced McGowan out at second but left runners on the corners for Carleigh Nester. During Nester's at-bat, Elon successfully pulled off a double-steal that moved Graham to second and scored Gonzalez to give the Phoenix an early 1-0 advantage.
But the Cougars answered in the second scoring one run to tie the game. After two walks by starting Elon pitcher Erin O'Shea, CofC's Kelsey Hodgson singled to left center to load the bases for Casey Corthell with one out. Corthell reached on a fielder's choice in an Elon attempt to get lead runner out at home. However, the throw home was wide and Katie Nutaitis managed to score the unearned run. Taylor came in to relieve O'Shea with the bases loaded and recorded the next two outs to end the inning to limit College of Charleston to just one run.
Elon's bats got hot in the third beginning with Tomeka Watson who hit a solo home run to left field, which flew over the fence just inches of the foul pole, to give the Phoenix a 2-1ead. After a one-out singly by McGowan, Graham reached on a fielder's choice to pit her senior teammate in scoring position. With two on and one out for the Phoenix, Nester hit a long single to left center to load the bases. At that point the Cougars were forced to make a pitching change, bringing in Jen Rosene from the bullpen for Saylors. Kaitlyn Piazzolla sent Rosene's third pitch to the shortstop for an infield single that scored McGowan and advanced all the runners. With the bases once again loaded for Elon, Taylor sent the first delivery from Rosene up the middle for a two-RBI single that scored both Graham and Nester. The Cougars were able to end the inning on a double play but the Phoenix had already pushed across four runs off five hits to take a commanding 5-1 lead.
The Cougars scored one run in the bottom of the seventh to make it a three-run game, but the Phoenix held off the CofC offense to win the rubber-match and win its first league series of the year.
Taylor earned the win after giving up six hits and no earned runs in 5.2 innings in the circle, including a six-pitch third inning, while striking out seven. Saylors took the loss for CofC giving up all five Elon runs, all of earned, in 2.1 innings of work.
Watson went 2-for-4 at the plate on the day for the Phoenix scoring one run with her solo home run, stealing one base and recording one RBI.
The Phoenix will play a mid-week game against the Wolfpack of NC State on Wednesday, March 16. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at East Field.
Chattanooga 10, Samford 4
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team defeated Southern Rail Rival Samford, 10-4, on Sunday afternoon under partly cloudy skies at Frost Stadium to open Southern Conference play with a sweep. Senior center fielder Lyndsey Stiles led the team with three hits at the plate and stole her conference leading 16th base of they year.
The victory improves the Lady Mocs record to 16-5 on the year and 3-0 in conference play. The Bulldogs dropped to 3-18 and 0-3 in the Southern Conference.
Senior third baseman Tiffany Baker, sophomores second baseman Sara Poteat and first baseman Kasey Tydingco and Stiles all batted in two runners apiece. Junior shortstop Jessica Traxler and freshman Natalie Powers both record multiple hits in the game.
In the circle, sophomore Michelle Fuzzad got the start. She went two innings, giving up one run, four hits and striking out one. Senior Kandice Irwin came in relief and went the final five innings to pick up the victory.
Irwin gave up three runs, with only one earned, as the Bulldogs scattered eight hits, while striking out seven. The victory improves her record to 6-1 on the season.
Samford got on the scoreboard first with a home run by Amanda Jordan, her second of the series, in the second to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.
To leadoff the bottom of the second, senior right fielder Della Harrison got her first career triple on a ball the right fielder lost in the sun. Traxler followed with a double to right center field to tie the game at 1.
Powers copied Traxler with a double to right center to give the Lady Mocs a 2-1 advantage. After a walk to freshman outfielder Kaiti Dutton, Stiles beat out a groundball to pitcher to load the bases.
Then, Poteat singled through the left side to plate two and give Chattanooga a 4-1 lead. After a Fuzzard fly out, Baker doubled to shallow left center bringing Stiles and Poteat home to increase the lead to five, 6-1.
Tydingco singled to right field and advanced to second on a fielding error by the right fielder. The error allowed Baker to score to give the Lady Mocs a 7-1 advantage after two innings.
In the third, Traxler and Powers leadoff with back-to-back singles and advanced into scoring position after Dutton nearly beat out a ground ball to the shortstop. Stiles followed with a single thru the middle to plate both runners and give Chattanooga an eight-run lead, 9-1.
The Bulldogs began the fifth with a single from Robyn Harmon and Nicole Bobrowski followed it up with double and advanced to third on the throw home. Harmon scored on the play on a muffed catch by Powers.
Briana Chambers grounded out to Poteat allowing Samford to put another run on the scoreboard and cut the Lady Mocs lead to 9-3.
In the sixth, the Bulldogs threatened to cut into Chattanooga's lead with back-to-back infield singles by Whitney Terry and Emily Waters and the advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. Julianne Surane grounded back to Irwin, who went home with the ball and Powers was able to hang on to tag Terry out.
During the bottom of the frame, Stiles lead off by beating a ground ball to the shortstop for an infield single and then stole second. Back-to-back walks to Poteat and Fuzzard loaded the bases.
Baker then reached base on a fielder's choice when Samford's shortstop went home to get Stiles. Tydingco grounded out to the first baseman allowing Poteat to score and give the Lady Mocs a 10-3 advantage.
The Bulldogs lead off the top of the seventh with a double from Harmon who advanced to third on a ground ball to Traxler. She scored when Jordan beat out a single on a ball hit a few feet in front of the plate to cut the lead to 10-4.
On the rubber for Samford, Harmon started and lasted only 1.1 inning before being pulled. She allowed six runs on fives hits and two walks. Waters threw the last 4.2 innings surrendering six hits, four runs, while walking two and striking out one.
In the batter's box, Harmon led the team with three hits and Bobrowski, Jordan and Terry all had two hits apiece.
Next weekend, the team will be in Clearwater, Fla. for the USF The Game Tournament March 18-20. Live stats and audio will be available through GoMocs.com. Chattanooga returns home March 26 to face Appalachian State in a weekend series with game one of a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
Appalachian State 5, Georgia Southern 2
STATESBORO, Ga.- Senior Hannah Dow drilled a pitch over the left centerfield fence at Eagle Field for her team-leading third homerun of the season to put the game out of reach for Georgia Southern (10-15, 2-1 SoCon) in the series finale and secure Appalachian State University softball's (7-13, 1-2 SoCon) first SoCon victory, 5-2.
Senior Katie Boyd popped up to third base to start off the first inning, but junior Megan Rembielak singled to shortstop in the next at-bat for the first baserunner of the game. Sophomore Meghan Smith struck out swinging, but Rembielak stole second base for her fifth stolen base of the season. Sophomore Allie Cashion came through in the clutch, doubling down the left field line, to score Rembielak, putting ASU up, 1-0.
Neither team was able to push across anymore runs until GSU plated a run due to two Mountaineer miscues, tying the game up at 1-1.
Errors came back to bite Appalachian again in the bottom of the fifth when the Eagles were able to push one more run across and take the lead, 2-1 after Jorie Walker scored off a throwing error.
But the Apps fought back in the top of the sixth. Boyd, who had been hitless, came through with her biggest hit of the game by shooting a leadoff single to left field. Once on base, Boyd stole second for the sixth time this season to put herself in scoring position. Boyd advanced to third on a wild pitch and Smith walked to give the Mountaineers runners at first and third. Cashion confused the Eagle defense, tallying a fielder's choice and allowed Boyd to score to tie the game at 2-2. It was then that Dow launched a pitch from two-time SoCon Pitcher of the Year Brianna Streetmon over the fence to give ASU a 5-2 that they would not relinquish.
Sophomore Louise Gibson shut down the side to notch the complete-game four hit win for Appalachian.
Gibson finished the game only allowing two earned runs and two walks, striking out three to improve her overall record to 2-3 on the season. Streetmon was credited with the loss, moving her record to 5-5.
ASU got multiple hits from Rembielak and Cashion, but the three key game-high multiple RBI's came from Dow.
The Mountaineers return to the diamond for its home-opener Mar. 19-20 against SoCon-foe Elon. The doubleheader from Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium is slated to begin at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. with the finale set for 1 p.m. on Sunday.