Georgia Southern 12, Samford 3
BIRMINGHAM. Ala. – Georgia Southern Softball closed the opening weekend of Southern Conference play with a 12-3 run rule victory over Samford. The Eagles slugged four home runs in the contest to go 3-0 in the league and 13-7 overall. Samford with the loss falls to 4-16 overall and 0-3 in the SoCon.
Georgia Southern took an early lead for the third time in the series, taking advantage of a leadoff error to put Alexa Lewis on first base. She went to second on a sacrifice bunt, but it was Marie Fogle’s RBI single up the middle that sent Lewis in for the first run of the game. Fogle reached third, but was cut down for the second out of the inning at the plate. The Eagles would strand two more runners in the first, but took the 1-0 lead.
A leadoff home run in the bottom of the second inning for Samford leveled the score line at 1-1 as Madison Dickey hit a homer to left center.
The Eagles didn’t waste any time in the third inning loading the bases with no outs. Mackenzie Williams plated two runs with a single down the leftfield line. The RBIs were her 11th and 12th of the season as the senior cleanup hitter put the Eagles ahead 3-1.
An inning later, the lead grew to 4-1 on Kourtny Thomas’ fourth home run of the season. She blasted the towering shot off a 3-1 pitch. Lewis made it 5-1 later in the frame with a solo shot to right. Hanna Ennis matched the feat two pitches later with her second home run of the season to dead centerfield. It was the first time the Eagles went back-to-back since last year’s Western Carolina series when Fogle and Ennis went back-to-back.
Samford answered in the bottom of the fourth with a home run of their own to make the score 6-2. A single down the left field line in the bottom of the fifth further cut into GSU lead, making the score 6-3.
With no outs in the sixth, Georgia Southern put runners on second and third, setting the table for Fogle to smash her second home run of the season. The three-run job gave the Eagles a 9-3 lead and was her 20th career home run, moving Fogle into a tie with Sam Steiner (2003-06) for fourth place all-time at Georgia Southern.
Following the home run, Samford surrendered three-straight walks to load the bases before a sacrifice fly by Thomas plated a run to make the score 10-3. Thomas’ effort nearly got out of the park for what would have been the Eagles’ first grand slam of the season. A two-RBI double by Tabby Douberley extended the advantage to 12-3 and put the Eagles in position for the run rule victory.
The Eagles continue their road swing on Tuesday afternoon against No. 3 Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn. The midweek doubleheader starts at 4 p.m. and concludes with a 6 p.m. contest.
Elon 3, Furman 0
Elon, N.C. – Elon’s Erin O’Shea fanned six batters and worked out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the seventh to toss a complete-game shutout as the Phoenix downed Furman, 3-0, to secure a three-game series sweep of the Paladins on Sunday afternoon at East Field.
The loss, Furman’s fourth straight, dropped the Paladins to 7-13 overall and 0-3 in Southern Conference play. Elon improved to 14-3 overall and 3-0 in the league.
Johanna Spencer put the Phoenix in front in the bottom of the second inning by driving an RBI double into the right-center field gap to plate Danielle Lafferty who reached on a two-out walk. Lauren Oldham followed with an infield single to score Spencer who had moved to third on an errant throw to the plate on the previous play.
The Phoenix added to their lead in the third inning. Carleigh Nester lined a one-out double past Paladin second baseman Emily Boyer and O’Shea followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Cyra Cottrell delivered a sacrifice fly to drive in Nester to extend the lead to 3-0.
Furman threatened to spoil O’Shea’s shutout bid in the sixth and seventh innings. In the sixth, the Paladins put two runners on with two out, but leftfielder Tomeka Watson reached over the fence to glove a potential three-run homer off of the bat of Boyer. With two out and nobody on base in the seventh, Stephanie Spain reached on an infield single and pinch hitter Alexis Galinski singled to right-center. Nikki Legg drew a base on balls to load the bases, but O’Shea got pinch hitter Alex Bimonte to pop out to second to end the game.
O’Shea, who improved to 8-1 in the circle, scattered five hits and struck out six while walking just two batters in seven innings of work.
Lakyn Shull (4-3) suffered the loss for Furman after allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits in six innings. She fanned four and walked three in her second loss of the weekend.
The Paladins, who stranded eight runners in the game, were led at the plate by Legg who went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks.
Furman returns to Pepsi Stadium to open a homestand on Thursday when it hosts Charlotte in a 2 p.m. doubleheader.
UNCG 7, Appalachian State 2
BOONE, N.C. – Heather Robb homered for the second straight day and Cory Mattson and Erica Navarette kept Appalachian State off the board until the seventh inning as UNCG took a 7-2 win Sunday at Swassink/Lloyd Family Stadium on Sunday to claim the Southern Conference weekend series.
UNCG (8-14, 2-1 SoCon) was nursing a 3-0 lead late before blowing the game open in the fifth inning. Katelyn Bedwell and Toni MacReynolds hit back-to-back two-out singles to set the stage for Robb, who took the ball out to right field for her second home run in as many days. She had a grand slam in UNCG’s 9-4 win in game two of Saturday’s doubleheader.
The Spartans put three runs on the board in the second inning to take an early lead it would not relinquish. A MacReynolds walk, a Tatiana Alcala double and a Dominique Madruga walk loaded the bases with two outs, and Ashley Reetz drew another walk to knock in UNCG’s first run of the day. Alex Emeterio followed with a two-run single to center to make it 3-0.
Singles by Kiah Ruffin and Eileen Horsmon put a pair of runners on in the seventh as UNCG looked for insurance, and a MacReynolds groundout brought in Ruffin to make it 7-0.
The Mountaineers (10-9, 1-2 SoCon) got on the board in the bottom half of the frame to spoil the shutout. After Meghan Smith’s one-out single, Allie Cashion hit a two-run homer to left center to make it 7-2.
Mattson improved to 5-7 on the year, pitching four innings of shutout ball. She allowed five hits and three walks and struck out three. Navarette worked three innings, allowing two runs on five hits and striking out two to pick up her first career save.
Caitlin Wainright (4-4) took the loss, allowing seven runs on nine hits and three walks. She struck out five.
Robb was 2-for-4 with three RBI to lead the Spartans at the plate, while Smith, Dani Heichen and Sarah Warnock had two hits each to pace the Mountaineers.
UNCG hosts Virginia Tech for a nonconference doubleheader at the UNCG Softball Stadium on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
Chattanooga 11, College of Charleston 1
CHATANOOGA, Tenn. - The College of Charleston softball team fell victim to a high-octane offense of Chattanooga in an 11-1 loss in the Southern Conference series finale at Frost Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Cougars claimed an early lead in the first but allowed the Lady Mocs to put up big numbers in the second and fourth innings en route to running away with the game.
CofC got long balls out of Kelsey Hodgson and Carly Corthell but couldn't match the three homers and nine RBIs hit by Chattanooga. Hodgson continued her personal dominance over Chattanooga pitching and now has four career home runs in two years against the Lady Mocs.
Mackenzie Maples reached base every time she stepped into the box on the day with a second-inning double to the warning track and fifth-inning base on balls.
The Cougars were plagued by a pair of unfortunate double-play balls and a pickoff play which erased base runners and changed the complexion of the game.
The Cougars were able to take their early lead when the Chattanooga second baseman dropped a popup in foul territory which prolonged an at bat for Hodgson. The sophomore continued her afore-mentioned success against Chattanooga pitching and punished the Lady Mocs for the miscue with a long fly ball to center which soared out of the ballpark into the backdrop of the American flag beyond the outfield.
The lead evaporated quickly when Kasey Tydingco led off the second inning with a triple to the wall in left and later scooted across the plate on a Cougar fielding miscue. Jessica Traxler and Nicole Osterman both homered in the inning to make the score 4-1 after two completed innings.
The third inning saw Chattanooga expand its lead with a solo homerun to right by Vivian Morimoto.
Chattanooga blew the game open when they batted around and put eight consecutive batters on base - one of which was a fielder's choice - in a fourth inning which yielded six more runs and brought the run rule into effect.
Corthell's line-drive homerun to left field in the fifth brought the Cougars closer to extending the game to regulation but wouldn't prove to be enough of a spark in the end.
The Cougars pause from league play to host UNC Wilmington in a doubleheader at Patriots Point on Wednesday, March 14.The Seahawks currently sit at 4-15 with a pending Sunday result in the Winthrop Invitational in Rock Hill, S.C.