Georgia Southern 5, North Florida 0
Georgia Southern 5, North Florida 0
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - After the Georgia Southern bats thrived in the finale at Western Carolina, the Eagle Softball pitching staff followed suit on Wednesday (March 23rd) to sweep past North Florida. The two-shutout day was the first for the Eagles since registering wins over UAB (2-0) and Birmingham Southern (3-0) on March 1, 2008. The wins also snap an eight-game skid against North Florida.
Freshman Allie Miles tossed a two-hitter in game one to take the 5-0 win while Sarah Purvis and Brianna Streetmon combined for a one-hitter to take the 5-0 win in game two. Purvis earned her first collegiate victory on her 19th birthday.
"We are really proud of the way the pitchers stepped up today," said Head Coach Maggie Johnson. "Our entire team played well in all three phases of the game. Our confidence is high as we return to league games this weekend against College of Charleston.
-GAME 1-
The Eagles (15-17) posted hits in each of the first two innings before loading the bases with no outs in the third frame. A Mackenzie Williams sacrifice fly to right field plated Marie Fogle. The next batter, Andrea Tarashuk, brought Hanna Ennis into score and give the Eagles a 2-0 lead.
In the fourth frame, the Eagles benefited from a pair of North Florida (15-14) errors as Fogle scored with two outs. The unearned run gave the Eagles a 3-0 lead through four innings.
Georgia Southern struck again in the fifth inning scoring two runs with two outs in the frame. Kelly Burnett came home off an RBI single by Jorie Walker. A muffed throw on a stolen base attempt by Walker allowed Purvis to score and put the Eagles up 5-0.
The Ospreys ended Miles' no-hit bid in the top of the seventh when the leadoff hitter laced a line drive through the right side. She struck out two of the next three batters to the cement the game one victory.
-GAME 2-
Georgia Southern took early control of game two with a two-RBI single by Williams that brought Fogle and Megen Smith across home. The Eagles tallied another run in the fourth when Fogle's RBI single drove in Burnett from second base to put them up 3-0.
Purvis started game two in the circle on her 19th birthday and worked the first five innings, holding the Ospreys to just one hit while recording three strikeouts. Streetmon went the final two innings for the win for the Eagles.
In the seventh inning, Fogle tacked on an insurance run with her 11th home run of the season. She leads the Southern Conference in home runs and is seven shy of matching the Georgia Southern's single-season home run record. Ennis doubled on her next at-bat and scored on Tarashuk's sacrifice fly to for the Eagles' fifth run as Georgia Southern held on for the shutout.
Georgia Southern returns to SoCon play this weekend with a three-game set against College of Charleston. The series begins on Saturday afternoon with a 1 p.m. doubleheader and concludes on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
Charlotte 10, Appalachian State 7
Appalachian State 9, Charlotte 1
BOONE, N.C.- Appalachian State University softball (11-14, 4-2 SoCon) split with Charlotte on a rainy Wednesday at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium, dropping the first game, 10-7, but recovering to win the second by run rule, 9-1.
The 49ers went up 6-0 before the Mountaineers broke into the scoring column in the bottom of the third inning. Charlotte got two in the first and four in the second.
After the Appalachian defense held the 49ers scoreless in the top of the third, senior Katie Boyd tripled off the right center fence for the first base runner of the third frame. Junior Megan Rembielak popped up for the second out of the inning, but sophomore Meghan Smith took a Katy Hackett pitch for a ride over the centerfield fence for her third home run of the season in the next at-bat, moving the score to 6-2. Sophomore Allie Cashion followed up with a double to left center, but senior Hannah Dow grounded out to the pitcher to end the inning.
Charlotte was able to scratch through for four more runs in the top of the fourth, but the Mountaineers put together their biggest inning of the game in the bottom of the fifth.
Senior Sarah Rappe singled through the right side of the 49er defense to begin the fifth. But during Boyd's at-bat, Rappe was caught trying to swipe second base, for the first out of the inning. Boyd ended up walking, but Rembielak reached on a 49er miscue to put Mountaineers on first and second. Smith came through again and singled through the right side to load up the bases full of Apps for Cashion. Cashion then teed off on another Hackett pitch for the first grand slam of her ASU career to close the Charlotte lead to a slim 10-6 margin.
The Mountaineers held the 49ers scoreless until the final stanza. Cashion began the last inning with a double to left center to get the ASU momentum going. Dow singled through the right side of the field, allowing Cashion to take third. With runners on the corners, junior Lindsay Whitlock lined out to first base, but senior McKenzie Phillips walked to load the bases once again. Sophomore Sheridan Phillips grounded out to first base in the next at-bat, but Cashion was able to cross the plate for a run.
That was the only run Appalachian would score as they fell to the 49ers, 10-7.
Sophomore Frannie Seader (1-4) was charged with the loss as Hackett (12-7) picked up her 12th victory of the season.
Cashion finished with three hits and a game- and career-high four RBIs for the second time this season. Rembielak, Smith and Dow also collected multiple hits for ASU.
But the Mountaineers recovered nicely in the second game to get their second run-rule win over an opponent within the last week by defeating the 49ers, 9-1.
Charlotte squeezed a single run through in the top of the first for their only run of the game and then it was all Appalachian from there.
Boyd led off the game with a walk and Rembielak singled through the left side of the field, advancing Boyd to second. Smith then launched her second home run of the doubleheader and fourth of the season to give the Mountaineers a 3-1 lead.
ASU got four more runs in the bottom of the third to extend its leverage to 7-1. Dow earned a leadoff walk and senior Morgan Price singled through the right side, putting Apps on first and second. M. Phillips reached base due to a 49er error for the second time during the contests and S. Phillips singled through the left side to plate Dow. While trying to grab extra bases, Price was thrown out on the play by Charlotte left fielder Briana Gwaltney. Sophomore Hayley Grabner tallied her first double of the season next, allowing S. Phillips and M. Phillips to score. The action forced the 49ers to make a pitching change to bring Kalie Lang to the circle, replacing Katie Watkins. Boyd was walked in the next at-bat, but after a pop out by Rembielak, Smith notched her seventh double of the season, scoring Grabner. But Cashion grounded out to shortstop to end the inning.
S. Phillips collected her second hit of the game to begin the fifth inning of play on a single to the right side of the 49er defense. Grabner struck out swinging for the first out of the inning, but Boyd came through big smashing a pitch over the left field fence and onto Jack Branch Drive to end the game before anticipated heavy rain made its appearance.
With today's games, this marks the sixth straight game that the Mountaineers have hit at least one home run, while it is the seventh multiple home run game for ASU.
Sophomore Louise Gibson (4-3) notched her staff-leading fifth complete game of the season with the victory.
Smith led the Black and Gold offense with three hits, while Price and S. Phillips added two.
Smith also had a team-leading four RBIs.
The Mountaineers return to the diamond this weekend in a pivotal SoCon series against Chattanooga, starting on Saturday (Mar. 26) at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. in Chattanooga.
NC State 8, UNCG 5
NC State 9, UNCG 0
RALEIGH, N.C. - NC State took advantage of seven UNCG errors Wednesday to sweep a nonconference doubleheader at Dail Stadium by scores of 8-5 and 9-0.
The Spartans (11-14) took a 5-3 lead into the sixth inning of game one, but saw the Wolfpack (15-12) strike for a run in the fifth and four in the sixth to rally for the win.
Sophomore Heather Robb's two-run home run in the fifth inning snapped a 3-all tie, putting UNCG on top for the second time on the day. NC State's Bridget Desbois scored on a passed ball in the bottom half to draw the Wolfpack within a run, and NCSU pounded out four hits to reclaim the lead for good in the next frame.
NC State turned two UNCG errors into unearned runs in the third inning to jump out to a 2-0 lead, getting RBI from Alyssa Allbritten and Bethaney Wells.
The Spartans returned the favor in the top of the fourth, using three NC State errors to grab the lead with three runs. Kristen Gabel's infield single scored Robb, and an error allowed Aisha Figueroa to score. One out later, another error allowed Gabel to come around.
NCSU tied the contest in the bottom of the frame as Allbritten scored on UNCG's third error of the game. The Spartans finished the contest with four miscues.
Cory Mattson (5-9) took the loss, allowing six runs on eight hits and five walks in 5 innings of work. Raeanne Hanks worked the final 2 innings, allowing two runs.
Jade Hennig (2-0) picked up the win with an inning of scoreless relief, while Kayla Cox struck out the side in the seventh for her first save of the season. Starter Morgan Peeler took a no-decision after allowing five runs on eight hits in 5 innings.
UNCG out-hit the Wolfpack in the contest, 11-10. Gabel, Kaitlin Merkt, Katelyn Bedwell and Eileen Horsmon had two hits each for the Spartans. Allbritten and Caitlin Dent had two hits each for NCSU.
Game two was all Wolfpack from the get-go. A Desbois RBI double put NC State up 1-0 in the first, and Alyssa Ishibashi, Toni Ann Williford and Landon Warren had RBI singles in a three-run second to make it 4-0.
The Wolfpack blew the game open in the third, plating five unearned runs thanks to another UNCG error. Allbritten had the big blast in the inning, a three-run home run down the left field line to put the game into mercy-rule territory.
The Spartans could never get their offense in gear against game-two starter Cox, as Alex Emeterio's fourth-inning single was UNCG's only hit in the contest.
UNCG starter Josie Felix (4-4) was tagged with the loss after allowing nine runs on 10 hits in 2 2/3 innings of work. Emeterio worked the final inning and a third, allowing just one hit.
Cox (7-6) allowed a hit and three walks in 4 innings. Hennig worked the final inning for NC State.
Williford, Warren and Allbritten - NCSU's top three in the batting order - had two hits each.
The Spartans return to action this weekend when they host Furman for a doubleheader Saturday and a single game Sunday. The action starts at 1 p.m. each day at the UNCG Softball Stadium.