North Carolina 19, Elon 7
ELON, N.C. – Struggles at the plate plagued the Elon softball team as it recorded two hits in a 6-0 loss to North Carolina today, March 14, at East Field. The Tar Heels improve to 19-7 on the season, while the Phoenix falls to 14-4.
Erin O’Shea (8-2) took just her second loss of the season after giving up four earned runs off six hits in five innings. The Tar Heels’ Lori Spingola improved to 13-6 on the season after an impressive complete game performance in which she allowed two hits and struck out eight.
Tomeka Watson and Carleigh Nester combined for Elon’s two hits of the game. UNC’s Kelli Wheeler went 3-for-4 with one run and two RBI.
The Tar Heels put the first run on the board in the top of the first off a score by Wheeler. The left fielder singled to start the inning and advanced to third on the play off an error by Elon right fielder Lauren Oldham. Wheeler scored on a wild pitch to put UNC on top early, 1-0.
After two scoreless innings, UNC added three more runs in the top of the fourth. Jordan Scarboro scored on a passed ball after reaching base on a bunt at the beginning of the inning. With two outs, Wheeler doubled to right field to score two more runs and give the Tar Heels a 4-0 lead.
With two on and one out in the top of the sixth, Karen Berna replaced O’Shea in the circle for the Phoenix. Kelsey Green then hit a two RBI single up the middle, which scored Paige Williams and Amber Parrish from second and third. Berna then got Wheeler to ground into a double play and record the final two outs of the inning.
Nester started a comeback attempt for Elon in the bottom of the seventh with a leadoff single to the shortstop. But the effort fell short as Springola ended the game without giving up another hit.
Elon will continue Southern Conference play with a three-game series at UNCG beginning on Saturday, March 17, with a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
College of Charleston 3, UNC Wilmington 0
College of Charleston 4, UNC Wilmington 1
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – The College of Charleston softball team restored its winning ways with a doubleheader sweep of UNC Wilmington at Patriots Point on Wednesday afternoon. The Cougars rallied behind solid pitching to come away with a 3-0 and 4-1 victory.
Stephanie Saylors and Hope Klicker both pitched complete games and only allowed one run between them. Saylors struck out nine batters and allowed just two hits in her shutout effort before Klicker pitched the second game with six strikeouts and just one base on balls.
Amanda Lonergan had three hits on the day in going 2-for-3 in the opener and 1-for-3 in game two. She stroked a triple in game two and scored on the play when the relay throw from left field scooted into the third-base dugout.
Carly Corthell was 3-for-3 with an RBI in game two.
Kristy Giragosian reached base in both games and extended her on-base streak to eight games.
GAME ONE: CofC: 3, UNC Wilmington: 0
Saylors didn’t require a lot of run support to earn the win in the opener but the Cougars gave her three runs which was more than enough as she went the distance and completely shut down the Seahawks.
The Cougars jumped on the board in the fourth when Lonergan legged out an infield single to second base. Lonergan alertly took off for second when the pitcher turned her back and slid in safely before the Seahawks could recover. The heads-up play put her in position to score which she did when Allison Pedigo singled back up the middle for the RBI.
Lonergan singled in the sixth and Giragosian drew a walk before the Seahawks committed a fielding error and Mackenzie Maples drove a one-out single into right center to score two more runs for the Cougars.
The three runs were ample as Saylors allowed just four batters to reach base in the game.
GAME TWO: CofC: 4, UNC Wilmington: 1
Klicker followed suit in the finale as the freshman limited the Seahawk offense en route to her sixth win in the circle this season.
The Cougars scored in the third when Ashton Jarrett reached on a bunt single and stole second base before Corthell singled to right field to bring her around.
UNCW quickly evened the score in the next half inning after a hit batsman and single put Casey Rowland in an RBI situation which she delivered on.
Just as quickly as UNCW tied the game, CofC took the lead right back in the bottom of the fourth with Lonergan’s triple and UNCW’s costly throwing error.
The Cougars plated the insurance runs in the sixth inning with a leadoff double from Corthell and RBI triple from Kelsey Hodgson. Pedigo’s sacrifice fly to right field allowed Hodgson to score two batters later.
Georgia Southern 5, Mercer 2
Mercer 3, Georgia Southern 2
MACON, Ga. – Georgia Southern Softball finished its six-day road swing on a winning note with a 5-2 victory in the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader at Sikes Field. Mercer rallied for a 3-2 win in the opener and led early in game two before the Eagle rattled off five unanswered runs. GSU improves to 14-9 on the season while Mercer falls to 12-13.
-GAME ONE-
The Eagles got on the board in the first inning as a double from Andrea Tarashuk scored Marie Fogle from second base. The run was the Eagles’ 11th run in the first inning this season and gave GSU an early 1-0 lead.
Sarah Purvis took a no hitter through four and two-thirds, but saw it broken up in the fifth by a swinging bunt that Mercer’s Krista Kennedy was able to leg out for a single.
Fogle opened the sixth inning with a leadoff home run to centerfield, her third long ball of the season. With the blast, Fogle moves into to sole possession of fourth place on the Georgia Southern career home runs list with 21 homers.
Mercer ended Purvis’ shutout bid in the sixth with a two-run double from Kristin Marko. The hit leveled the score at 2-2. She would get an out, but a walk ended her afternoon after five and a third innings and six strikeouts.
Mercer’s Sara Stukes laced a single to right to score the Bears’ third run of the game, giving the home team a 3-2 lead going into the top of the seventh.
In the seventh, the Eagles went quietly after a pair of line drives up the middle were snagged by the pitcher’s quick reflexes caught the line drives. The 3-2 defeat handed Purvis the hard-luck loss, dropping her to 7-4 on the season.
-GAME TWO-
Fogle opened game two with her fourth hit from as many at bats with two outs in the first and promptly stole second base to get into scoring position for the cleanup hitter Mackenzie Williams. Williams would draw a walk, but neither would advance, stranding a pair of runners in the first inning.
The Bears, however, got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second with a pair of runs to take an early 2-0 lead.
The Eagles got back on level terms in the top of the fourth inning with a pair of runs. A pair of walks put runners on first and second. Senior Jorie Walker laced a single through the left side to score pinch runner Brianna McLendon. A throwing error by the catcher on the same play allowed Tabby Douberly to scamper home and tie the game at 2-2.
Sophomore Kourtny Thomas gave the Eagles their first lead of the second game an inning later with a two-run home run over the scoreboard in left field. It was her fifth home run of the season.
The Eagles tacked on another run in the top of the sixth with an RBI single off the bat of Williams. Her rip plated Alexa Lewis from second base. The run extended GSU’s lead to 5-2 through five and a half innings.
Freshman Brooke Red pitched 5.2 innings of relief ball to improve to 5-0 on the season. She didn’t allow a hit while striking out seven and walking just one as she quelled the Mercer bats in the waning innings.
Georgia Southern is back in action on Saturday afternoon for a St. Patrick’s Day Doubleheader against Western Carolina. The games open a three-game set between the Eagles and Catamounts at the friendly confines of Eagle Field. Game one starts at 1 p.m.
Virginia Tech 3, UNCG 0
Virginia Tech 8, UNCG 4
GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNCG stranded 11 runners in game one and couldn’t hold a pair of leads in game two as Virginia Tech swept a doubleheader at the UNCG Softball Stadium on Wednesday, 3-0 and 8-4.
UNCG (8-16) hung tough with the Hokies (17-10) in game one, but just couldn’t get the timely hit it needed. After starter Cory Mattson induced a 1-2-3 double play with the bases loaded to end the top of the first inning, the Spartans seemed to be in business in the bottom half. Alex Emeterio led off the frame with a single through the right side, and one out later, Eileen Horsmon reached on a fielder’s choice that saw Emeterio safe at second on a Virginia Tech error.
The Spartans would not score in the frame, however, as Hokie starter Jasmin Harrell (10-6) got a flyout and a groundout to end the inning.
UNCG left the bases loaded the following inning after Dominique Madruga and Aubrey Baldwin led off with singles and Emeterio was issued an intentional walk with two outs. The Spartans stranded two more in the third and another in the fourth before the Hokies finally got on the board.
Virginia Tech batted around in the top of the fifth, with Lauren Gaskill hitting a two-run homer and Betty Rose’s RBI single making it 3-0.
Eileen Horsmon hit a leadoff triple in the bottom half of the frame but was stranded at third, while UNCG also stranded runners in the sixth and seventh innings.
UNCG out-hit the Hokies in the contest, 7-5, with Ashley Reetz going 2-for-3 with a stolen base to lead the team offensively. Dani Anderson was 2-for-3 for Virginia Tech.
Mattson (5-8) took the loss, allowing three runs on four hits and eight walks in five innings. Erica Navarette worked the final two innings, allowing a hit and two walks.
Harrell earned the shutout by allowing seven hits and one walk, striking out four.
Game two was a wild affair, with a combined 12 runs, 12 hits, 11 walks and seven errors.
The Hokies jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, getting just one hit but drawing four walks from UNCG starter Josie Felix. Gaskill and Kylie McGoldrick drew consecutive free passes to lead off the game, but after Felix settled down with a strikeout and a flyout, Kelsey Mericka singled to left center to bring in two runs.
Another pair of walks knocked Felix from the game, making way for Navarette, who got a flyout to end the inning.
The Spartans came right back in the bottom of the inning, with Emeterio leading off with a single and Tatiana Alcala reaching on an error on a sacrifice attempt. Horsmon followed with a home run to left center, a three-run shot that put UNCG on top and tied her for the team lead with six on the season.
The lead would prove to be short-lived, as the Hokies tied it in the top of the second on Anderson’s RBI single, but the Spartans had an answer in the bottom of the frame on Emeterio’s RBI single off of the glove of diving shortstop Bkaye Smith.
Smith would knot the game at the 4 in the top of the third inning, hitting an RBI double down the left field line to bring in Rose, who reached on an error to lead off the stanza.
Neither team would score in the fourth but Gaskill put the Hokies ahead for good in the fifth, hitting a towering solo home run to right field to make it 5-4.
Virginia Tech added some insurance in the top of the seventh, with a run coming in on a UNCG error, Anderson hitting another RBI single and Courtney Liddle hitting a sacrifice fly to right.
The Spartans had the top of their order coming up in the top of seventh, but Bailey Liddle retired the side in order to nail down her fifth win of the year.
Liddle (5-3) allowed four runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks, striking out five.
Navarette (2-6) was charged with six runs (four earned) on eight hits and four walks in 6 1/3 innings of relief. Felix allowed two runs on four walks and a hit in 2/3 of an inning.
Emeterio had two of UNCG’s three hits in the game, while Anderson and Mericka had two each for the Hokies.
UNCG is back in action this weekend when it hosts rival Elon for a three-game Southern Conference series. The teams will play a doubleheader Saturday and a single game Sunday, with 1 p.m. starts both days.