College of Charleston 7, Furman 3
GREENVILLE, S.C. - The College of Charleston softball team won its Southern Conference series against Furman with a 7-3 victory in the Sunday afternoon series conclusion at Pepsi Field.
The win improves CofC to 25-16 (5-9 SoCon) while Furman falls to 12-20 (6-6 SoCon).
Lizzy Vaughn, Kelsey Hodgson and Katie Pesature all homered for the Cougars with Hodgson and Pesature going back-to-back in the fifth.
Alexa Datko picked up her second win of the weekend in pitching 4.0 innings and allowing just one run while striking out three.
The Cougars started early when Vaughn homered in the first inning as the second batter of the game. The Paladins put two outs away and looked to get out of the inning but CofC wasn't done there. Hodgson and Pesature produced back-to-back doubles before Kristy Giragosian singled through the left side to put CofC up 3-0.
The Paladins took one back in the second with a walk and pair of singles to cut the lead to 3-1.
The Cougars distanced themselves from the Paladins once again in the top of the fifth with back-to-back solo home runs from Hodgson and Pesature putting CofC up 5-1.
Amanda Lonergan doubled to left center in the sixth which scored Giragosian from first base to extend the Cougars' lead yet again.
Furman responded in its half of the sixth, however, with a leadoff double and three singles plating two runs and cutting CofC's lead to 6-3.
CofC tacked on one more run in the top of the seventh when Katie Forbes led off the inning with a double and scored on Katie Nutaitis' RBI single.
The Cougars return to action with another SoCon series against Chattanooga on April 16-17 at Patriots Point.
Chattanooga 8, UNCG 0
CHATTTANOOGA, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team notched the series sweep of UNCG during Youth Day at Frost Stadium registering an 8-0 win after five innings. Junior pitcher Michelle Fuzzard provided the power for the offense with a three-run homer in the fourth, while the Lady Mocs registered 11 hits on the Sunday afternoon.
Chattanooga wore throwback jersey tops from the 1999-2000 seasons. The Lady Mocs improved their overall record to 29-9 and 11-0 in the SoCon, while UNCG fell to 17-21 and 6-6 in league play.
Recording multi-hit games for the Lady Mocs was sophomore second baseman Sara Poteat, senior right fielder Della Harrison and senior left fielder Lauren Flores.
Starting and notching the win for Chattanooga in the circle was Fuzzard (14-5), who tossed three innings only giving up a single and fanning three. Senior Nikki Water logged the final two frames allowing one hit and striking out one.
After the Lady Mocs retired the Spartans in order in the first, senior center fielder Lyndsey Stiles was hit by the first pitch and quickly stole her 24th base of the season. Poteat singled up the middle to put runners on the corners with no outs. Then, she stole her 10th base of the campaign.
A liner off the bat of Baker to center scored Stiles and Poteat was held at third. Harrison beat out an infield single with two outs allowing the Lady Mocs to take a 2-0 lead.
Chattanooga loaded the bases with two outs on singles from Flores and Poteat and a base on balls to Fuzzard, but it was unable to capitalize on the opportunity in the second. Stiles also added her second stolen base of the contest after she reached on a fielder's choice.
As Raeanne Hanks entered the circle for UNCG in the fourth, Flores led off with a single to right center and Stiles drew a four-pitch walk. After Poteat moved the runners up a base with a sacrifice bunt, Fuzzard connected on a home run off the scoreboard just to the left of center. It was her ninth of the season and put the Lady Mocs in control at 5-0.
Leading off the fifth Harrison drew a walk and Morimioto doubled into the left center field gap scoring the runner on first and taking third on the throw to the plate. A single to right center by Traxler extended the Chattanooga lead to 7-0.
Following a Flores walk and Stiles single just past the third baseman down the left field line, Chattanooga had the bases loaded once again. The contest ended with Fuzzard at the plate and a wild pitch allowed Flores to score the eighth run of the contest putting the run-rule into effect.
It was the 12th time this season that Chattanooga has run-ruled an opponent and 10th time after five innings.
Three UNCG pitchers saw time in the circle with Josie Felix, Hanks and Cory Mattson combining to throw the 4.1 innings. Felix notched the only strikeout of the contest for the Spartans.
Aisha Figueroa and Jordan Jewett registered the two hits on the scoreboard for UNCG. Jewett reached third base on an overthrow that landed the Spartans dugout with one out in the fourth, but Waters ended the threat with a strikeout and groundout.
Chattanooga returns to Southern Conference action on Saturday with a doubleheader against College of Charleston set to begin at 1 p.m. The finale of the series begins at 1 p.m. on April 17.
Elon 2, Georgia Southern 1
Elon 3, Georgia Southern 2
ELON, N.C. - After rain postponed the Phoenix's second game with Georgia Southern yesterday, the Elon University softball team picked up a win in a suspended game two, 2-1, and won the finale, 3-2, to earn the series win over the Eagles. Elon improves to 19-15 on the season and 4-8 in Southern Conference play, while GSU falls to 22-23 (10-5 SoCon).
Game Two
The teams resumed the second game of the series in the bottom of the sixth inning, where Elon held a 1-0 lead with the bases loaded with two outs and Tomeka Watson at the plate. GSU hurler Brianna Streetmon managed to get Watson to ground out and move the game to the seventh.
The Eagles managed to put a run across the plate in the seventh to make it a 1-1 game after a lead-off home run to right field by Mackenzie Williams gave GSU momentum. The Phoenix could not win it in the bottom half of the inning, sending the game to extras.
In the bottom of the eighth, Danielle Lafferty, who reached on an infield bunt, scored the winning run from third after Caitlin McGowan's two-out hit was misfielded by the GSU third baseman. Lafferty's run gave the Phoenix a 2-1 walk-off victory to force a game-three rubber-match.
Elon starter Lauren Taylor, who pitched the first six innings and came in the game again in the eighth in relief of Erin O'Shea, earned the win after giving up just one hit and striking out eight. Streetmon took the loss for Georgia Southern after going all seven and two-thirds innings, yielding two runs off nine hits. Jackie Gonzalez went 3-for-3 at the plate recording Elon's only RBI of the game.
Game Three
After two scoreless innings, GSU took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third off a solo home run to left field by Megen Smith. After reaching on an error and stealing second in the fourth, Kelly Burnett scored on a double to left by Andrea Tarashuk to put the Phoenix behind, 2-0.
But Elon responded immediately by scoring two runs off two hits in the bottom of the fourth inning. Kaitlyn Piazzolla was walked to start the inning and later stole second. With two outs, Gonzalez ripped a triple down the right field line to score Piazzolla and leave a runner in scoring position for Carleigh Nester. The rookie responded with a two-out single up the middle to bring Gonzalez home and make it a 2-2 game.
Pam DelPizzo relieved Taylor in the circle in the top of the fifth, fanning two Eagles to keep it a 2-2 game and take the game into the bottom of the fifth.
DelPizzo helped her own cause at the dish after recording a one-out single to left field to put the go-ahead run on base for the Phoenix. After O'Shea reached safely on a fielder's choice, which also found DelPizzo safe at second, Morgan Wright was walked with two outs to load the bases for Gonzalez. Gonzalez responded again with another key two-out base hit to push home pinch runner Hannah Shelton, giving Elon a 3-2 lead, one it would not relinquish.
DelPizzo earned the win after pitching three innings, giving up one hit while also striking out two. Allie Miles took the loss for the Eagles after going two and one-thirds innings and allowing one run off three hits. Nester finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate, recording the game-tying RBI.
After four victories this week, Elon head coach Patti Raduenz sits only four wins away from passing former head coach Sue Leonard for the most in school history.
The Elon softball team will play a mid-week doubleheader at Charlotte on Wednesday, April 10, with the first game scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.
Appalachian State 12, Western Carolina 0
CULLOWHEE, N.C.- Senior Katie Boyd slammed her fourth first-inning, leadoff home run of the season and 41st of her career to set the pace for Appalachian State University softball (15-17, 8-5 SoCon) to run rule Western Carolina (18-25, 3-12 SoCon), 12-0 in five innings, on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Catamount Softball Complex in Cullowhee, N.C.
After Boyd's seventh homer of the season, junior Megan Rembielak and sophomore Meghan Smith were put out, but sophomore Allie Cashion singled to right field. Senior Hannah Dow doubled to left field, but sophomore Sheridan Phillips struck out swinging to end the inning.
WCU's Jordan Fulton and Sara Spencer led off the bottom of the first by grounding out to senior McKenzie Phillips at shortstop, but Haley Pace broke through with Western Carolina's first hit of the game to shortstop. Morgan Wyatt ended the inning by flying out to senior Sarah Rappe in center field.
Junior Michelle Lighton kept ASU's hits coming in the second inning by singling back up the middle of the Catamount defense. M. Phillips tried to lay down a sacrifice bunt, but reached on an error by Spencer, an additional throw allowed Lighton to motor around to third base. Rappe confused WCU's defense and reached on the fielder's choice to load the bases for Boyd. Boyd singled to center field for her second hit of the day, bringing around Lighton and M. Phillips to score. Rembielak reached on another Catamount miscue and advanced to second on a throw as Rappe was crossing home. This caused WCU head coach Christine Homak to move Katie King to the pitcher's circle and send Amber Steinhardt to first base. King recorded back-to-back strikeouts against the Mountaineers in as many at bats. Dow reached on a WCU miscue by Makenzi McAteer at third base, allowing Boyd to score and Rembielak to move over to third. S. Phillips ended the stanza by popping up to shortstop, but not before ASU recorded four more runs to build its lead to 5-0.
Western Carolina's Shemekia Scotton walked to lead off the second, but she was the only base runner that Dow allowed in the inning, as she sat down the side afterward, capped off by striking out Amelia Griffin looking at strike three.
Lighton repeated her feat from the second inning in the third by singling through the left side to leadoff the inning. Following a strikeout, Rappe reached on another fielder's choice. Boyd reached on a fielder's choice, too, but Rappe was put out at second, placing Lighton and Boyd at third and first, respectively briefly. While trying to throw Lighton out at third, the Catamount defense committed another error, letting Lighton score and Boyd to move over to third. Rembielak then walked and Smith tripled off the right field fence to score Rembielak, extending Appalachian's run total to 8-0.
After neither team put up any runs in the fourth, ASU turned on the run production in the fifth.
M. Phillips struck out to open the fifth inning, but junior Lindsay Whitlock came in to pinch hit for Rappe and reached on an error. Rappe came back in to run and stole second on the first chance that she got for her team-leading 14th stolen base of the season. Boyd singled through the left side for her third hit of the afternoon, scoring Rappe, while advancing to second on a throw to attempt to get Rappe. Rembielak singled in the next Mountaineer at bat, advancing Boyd to third. Smith singled to right field, picking up a RBI for Boyd scoring and moving Rembielak to second. Cashion continued the hits by singling to shortstop to load the bases for Appalachian. Dow struck out swinging, but S. Phillips singled to left field and more Apps crossed home to cap off the four-run inning.
The Catamounts were not able to counter any of ASU's runs in the bottom half of the fifth as Dow completed the five-hit shutout of the Catamounts to pick up her seventh win of the season.
Dow (7-4) walked two and struck out three in her appearance, while Steinhardt (9-9) was charged with the loss.
Boyd's three-hit, four-RBI performance led Appalachian offensively, while Smith, Cashion and Lighton chipped in two. Smith also added three RBIs to the tally.
The Mountaineers have a quick turnaround as they prepare to travel to Knoxville, Tenn. to take on University of Tennessee on Wednesday (Apr. 13) at 6 p.m.