UNCG 9, Liberty 1
UNCG 7, Liberty 6
GREENSBORO, N.C. - UNCG swept a doubleheader from Liberty on Wednesday, taking game one 9-1 in 5 innings and holding on for a 7-6 win in game two.
Josie Felix and Cory Mattson combined to three-hit the Lady Flames (12-16) in game one.
The Spartans jumped out to a 3-0 lead in game one, with Aisha Figueroa knocking in the first run with a bases-loaded walk in the second inning and Alex Emeterio knocking in another with an infield single. The Spartans (17-18) picked up another run on Emeterio's hit on a Liberty throwing error.
The Lady Flames got a run back in the fourth on Kelly Strickland's mammoth home run to center, but UNCG blew the game open with four runs in the bottom half.
Heather Robb's RBI single brought in the first run of the inning and Kaitlin Merkt came around on another Liberty error. Katelyn Bedwell followed with a two-run single to make it a 7-1 contest.
The Spartans put the mercy rule into effect the following inning, with Kristen Gabel and Figueroa leading off with infield singles and Emeterio lacing an RBI single to the gap in left center. One out later, Robb singled through the right side to knock in Figueroa with the game-ending run.
Despite getting just three hits, Liberty stranded seven runners, including leaving the bases loaded in the top of the fifth. Back-to-back two-out walks loaded the bases for the Lady Flames, but Mattson retired Jenny Law on a flyout to center to end the threat.
Emeterio was 3-for-4 with two RBI to pace the Spartans at the plate in game one, while Figueroa and Robb had two hits each.
Felix (5-7) worked 3 1/3 innings, allowing a run on two hits and three walks. Mattson picked up the save with 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
Tiffani Smith (4-9) worked 2 innings, allowing three runs on three hits and four walks. Katrina Johnson was tagged for six runs on eight hits in 2 1/3 innings.
Game two again saw UNCG get out to a 7-1 lead, but this time the Lady Flames had an answer.
UNCG drew first blood in the first inning on Merkt's RBI double, but Liberty came right back with a sacrifice fly off the bat of Amber DePasquale to tie things at 1 after an inning and a half.
The Spartans responded with a pair in the bottom half of the second on Bedwell's first career homer, a two-run shot to center that made it 3-1.
UNCG seemed to blow it open with four runs in the fourth, banging out five hits to make it a 7-1 game. Bedwell and Robb had RBI singles, while Jordan Jewett scored on an error and Figueroa knocked in a run with a groundout.
Looking at the possibility of being mercy-ruled for the second time on the day, Liberty came roaring back with five runs of its own in the bottom half. Also on five hits.
Strickland got the scoring started with her second homer of the day, a two-run shot. A single, a double and a walk loaded the bases, and DePasquale knocked in a pair with a sharp single off of Robb's glove at second.
Liberty crept even closer in the sixth on a Grace Nordan's bases-loaded walk, but UNCG would hang on for the win.
Bedwell, Gabel and Merkt had two hits each for the Spartans, while Katie Zavodny and Strickland had two each for the Lady Flames.
Raeanne Hanks (4-2) earned the win, allowing five runs (four earned) in 4 1/3 innings. Mattson picked up her second save of the day by allowing a run in 2 2/3 innings.
Alyssa DiMartino (1-3) took the loss, allowing five runs on five hits in 3 innings.
UNCG returns to action this weekend at Southern Conference leader Chattanooga. The teams will play a doubleheader Saturday followed by a single game Sunday.
College of Charleston 6, Coastal Carolina 1
College of Charleston 4, Coastal Carolina 0
CONWAY, S.C. - The College of Charleston softball swept its Wednesday night doubleheader against Coastal Carolina at the Coastal Carolina Softball Field. The Cougars claimed a 6-1 victory in the opener and followed with a 4-0 win in the second half of the twinbill.
The Cougars improve to 23-15 while the Chanticleers fall to 14-21.
Alexa Datko pitched all seven innings of the opening game and held the Chanticleers to just two hits to earn her 11th win of the season. Datko took four Coastal hitters down on strikes.
Katie Forbes, Kelsey Hodgson and Kristi Woodall all tagged their third homerun of the season in the opener, temporarily tying the trio for the team lead with Katie Pesature.
Stephanie Saylors went the distance for CofC in the circle in the second game and limited the Chants to just two hits while keeping them off the scoreboard. Saylors struck out six hitters.
Hodsgon and Woodall each added their second home run of the day and fourth of the year to ensure the sweep.
GAME ONE: CofC: 6, Coastal Carolina: 1
CofC outhit Coastal, 10-3, and three Cougars hit home runs in order to snap the Cougars' three-game losing streak in the first game.
The Cougars started early when Lizzy Vaughn beat out an infield single to produce the game's first base runner. The next batter, Forbes, crushed a line drive over the fence in straight-away centerfield to give CofC the early two-run lead.
Hodgson extended CofC's lead to 3-0 in the third with her slicing homerun to the opposite field in right center.
The Cougars added another pair of runs in the fourth when Amanda Lonergan and Carly Corthell legged out infield singles and Vaughn's hard-hit groundball was too quick for Coastal's shortstop to handle, allowing both runners to score.
Woodall's solo shot to right field in the fifth extended the Cougars' lead to 6-0.
Chelsea Pineda put Coastal on the board with a solo shot of her own in the bottom of the sixth but Datko would allow no further damage as CofC came away with the 6-1 win.
GAME TWO: CofC: 4, Coastal Carolina: 0
The Cougars continued the offensive surge into the second game and amassed 10 hits once again while Saylors shut down the Chants en route to the 4-0 win.
Both teams' bats were silent until Hodgson's second homerun of the day gave CofC a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning. After Pesature slapped a single through the right side, Woodall followed suit with her second homerun of the day as well to put CofC up 4-0.
NEXT UP:
The Cougars return to Southern Conference action with a three-game set at Furman on Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11. The teams play a doubleheader Saturday and single-game series conclusion on Sunday.
Winthrop 14, Western Carolina 4
Winthrop 9, Western Carolina 3
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina softball (17-23) was swept by Winthrop (11-22) 14-4, 9-3 Wednesday, in the final non-conference doubleheader of the season, at the Catamount Softball Complex.
The Eagles opened game one with four runs in the opening frame of the contest and Western Carolina could never recover. Winthrop was held scoreless in the second and third inning, before the Eagles rocked starting Catamount pitcher Katie King for five runs in the fourth inning. King was replaced by Bekah Burkett who gave up a run before getting out of the fourth inning.
Before Winthrop's scoring frenzy, in the fourth inning, Western Carolina looked to make the game interesting in the second. The Catamounts scored three runs in the bottom of the second, to pull within one run, 4-3.
Erin Foster's one out single to right field started the scoring for Western Carolina in the second inning. Amelia Griffin earned first base off a Winthrop error and moved to second. On the same play, Foster moved to third and scored off the second error, by the Eagles, on the same play that allowed Griffin to reach first. Back-to-back singles by Amber Steinhardt and Jordan Fulton had the bases full of Catamounts. With two outs, Haley Pace picked up an RBI single, past third base, scoring Griffin. A single through the left side, by Morgan Wyatt gave her an RBI and scored Steinhardt.
The rest of the game was all Winthrop. The Eagles ended the contest with 12 hits while Western Carolina had nine. King takes the loss, falling to 8-10 on the season.
In the second game, Steinhardt got the start, and things looked promising as she tossed a scoreless first inning. The Catamounts were down just one run, after the Eagles scored a lone run in the second inning, but still looked to be hanging in the game.
Just like the first game, Winthrop benefitted from a huge inning to put the game out of reach. The Eagles had five runs in the top of the third to knock Steinhardt out of the game. Burkett came into the game and closed out the third with two hits and a run scored.
Western Carolina managed to score a run in the bottom of the third inning. Singles by Fulton and Burnette placed runners at first and second, and an RBI single by Pace scored Fulton.
King came into the game for the Catamounts to pitch the final four innings. She gave up two runs on three hits and didn't give up a walk. Steinhardt took the loss and falls to 8-8.
Winthrop got two runs in the top of the seventh inning. Western Carolina also picked up two runs in the bottom half of the seventh.
The pair of runs for the Catamounts, in the seventh, began with Shemekia Scotton drawing a lead-off walk. Kelly Braman singled to the right side and both she and Scotton moved to second and third on passed ball to put the Catamounts in scoring position. The second straight passed ball by the Winthrop pitcher Natalie Becker allowed Scotton to score. A sacrifice fly by Erin Foster, who came into the game as a pinch hitter, scored Braman for the second run of in the inning.
Fulton had a pair of hits in both games and is currently on a four-game hitting streak.
Western Carolina hosts Appalachian State on Saturday and Sunday in Southern Conference action at the Catamount Softball Complex. The doubleheader, on Saturday, begins at 1 p.m. and the Sunday single game also begins at 1 p.m.
Georgia State 4, Furman 1
Georgia State 8, Furman 0
Atlanta, Ga. - Georgia State held Furman to just one run on a combined eight hits over two games as the Panthers swept the Paladins 4-1, 8-0 in non-conference softball action on Wednesday at Bob Heck Field.
In game one, Alana Thomas (5-6) hurled four innings of three-hit ball to earn the victory and Erin Collins tossed three scoreless innings to pick up her seventh save of the season.
Paige Nowacki belted a solo homer in the bottom of the second and Tiffany Bess followed four batters later with an RBI single to stake the Panthers (21-16) to a 2-0 lead. After Stephanie Spain cut the lead in half with an RBI double in the Furman (11-18) half of the third, Megan Kallatsa pushed the lead to 3-1 with an RBI double in the fifth. Pinch runner Emily Whitaker scampered home on a double steal to provide the final 4-1 margin.
Freshman Nikki Legg went 2-for-3 with a stolen pace and Spain and Hannah Pace each added a double in the loss for Furman. Sophomore Kayla Suskauer (6-6) suffered the loss for Furman allowing three earned runs on six hits. She fanned two batters and walked three.
In game two, Georgia State pounded out 18 hits en route to a 8-0 triumph in six innings.
Whitaker and Chelsea Sparks totaled three hits apiece and four Panthers tallied two hits each as Georgia State completed the sweep. The Panthers tallied three unearned runs in the third inning before Lauren Jones' solo homer highlighted a four-run fourth inning that included six hits.
Kaitlyn Medlem (6-1) shut down the Paladins allowing only two hits in four innings of work to earn the win. She issued just one walk while striking out three batters. McCall Langford completed the game hurling two no-hit innings of relief.
Freshman Lauren Collier (5-12) took the loss for Furman after giving up five earned runs on 18 hits in 5.2 innings of work.
Furman returns to Southern Conference play this weekend when it hosts College of Charleston in a three-game series at Pepsi Stadium. First pitch for Saturday's doubleheader is set for 1 p.m. with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m.