UNCG 12, North Carolina A&T 4
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Katelyn Bedwell had a career-high five RBI in game one of UNCG’s doubleheader with North Carolina A&T at the UNCG Softball Stadium on Tuesday, leading the Spartans to a 12-4 win in six innings. Game two was suspended in the top of the second inning with UNCG leading 2-0 when lightning and rain settled into the area. The teams will attempt to finish the game later in the season.
UNCG (10-18) rolled in game one, banging out 13 hits to score a season-high 12 runs. Bedwell had three of them, missing the cycle by a single.
NCAT (5-16) drew first blood in the contest, putting up a pair of runs in the top of the first on Juanita Jernigan’s fourth home run of the season, a two-run shot to dead center.
UNCG answered with two in the bottom half, with Alex Emeterio hitting an RBI triple and later scoring on the first of the Lady Aggies’ four errors.
The Spartans took the lead in the third on Eileen Horsmon’s sacrifice fly and blew the game open with a five-run fifth. Bedwell hit a three-run homer in the inning, her team-leading eighth.
Heather Robb followed with a double and eventually came in on a wild pitch and Toni MacReynolds knocked in Tatiana Alcala with a single up the middle to make it 8-2.
NCAT got two of those runs back in the top of the sixth, scoring back-to-back runs on wild pitches.
UNCG put the mercy rule into effect in the bottom half, plating four for the walk-off win. Emeterio and Horsmon led off with singles and Bedwell brought them both in with a triple to right field. A passed ball let Bedwell score from third, and Heather Robb reached on an error to keep the pressure on. A steal and a groundout moved Robb to third, and Aisha Figueroa brought her in with an infield single to make it an eight-run spread and end the game.
Emeterio had two triples among her three hits, while MacReynolds and Figueroa had two each. MacReynolds and Horsmon were celebrating their birthdays Tuesday.
Cory Mattson (7-10) picked up the win, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk in four innings. Freshman Erica Navarette earned her second save of the season, allowing two runs on two hits and a walk in two innings.
Ashira Dobison (5-10) took the loss, allowing eight runs (seven earned) on nine hits and two walks in five innings. Alexandria McAfee worked the final 2/3 of an inning, allowing four runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk.
The Spartans put up two runs in the bottom of the first in game two, with Horsmon hitting an RBI double to score Emeterio and Dominique Madruga.
A lightning strike stopped play with the Lady Aggies batting in the top of the second inning, and after a rain and lightning delay of an hour and a half, the game was halted.
UNCG returns to action with a doubleheader at Gardner-Webb on Thursday. First pitch for game one is set for 2 p.m.
Ohio 10, Western Carolina 5
Western Carolina 9, Ohio 6
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Senior centerfielder Erin Foster hit two homeruns, in the second game against Ohio (10-13), to help Western Carolina softball (10-17) earn a split with the Bobcats on Tuesday. The Catamounts lost the first game 10-5 and won the nightcap 9-6.
Over the course of the doubleheader, Foster hit a total of three homeruns in the pair of games against Ohio. She was 2-for-4 with a homerun, three RBI and two runs scored, in the first game, and 2-for-3 with two homeruns, four RBI and two runs scored. She leads the team with eight homeruns for the season.
Western Carolina looked to be sitting pretty, in the first game against Ohio, after the Catamounts scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Jordan Fulton and Amelia Griffin drew back-to-back walks to lead off the first and Fulton scored on an RBI single by Foster. With Griffin on third, Kelly Braman laid down a beauty of a sacrifice bunt, allowing Griffin to score the second run of the inning. Shemekia Scotton’s shot to left center, was good enough for an RBI single that scored Foster.
USC Upstate 10, Appalachian State 2
USC Upstate 12, Appalachian State 4
BOONE, N.C. – The long ball doomed Appalachian State softball as USC Upstate swept the Mountaineers, 10-2, 12-4, on Tuesday at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium.
The Mountaineers fell to .500 (12-12) as the Spartans improved to 24-4 with the help of 33 hits and six home runs.
The Spartans struck first in the top of the first inning when Cheyenne Griffin attempted to steal second and a collision between Megan Rembielak and Meghan Smith at second base allowed Lindsay Kelly to score from third.
The Apps responded in the bottom half of the frame with two runs of their own to take a 2-1 lead. Rembielak reached on a single and stole second. She advanced to third on a single by Smith and scored when Smith attempted to advance to second and Upstate attempted to throw her out. Smith advanced to third on the play and scored on Allie Cashion’s RBI-single.
Upstate countered in the second inning, stringing together four-straight singles with two outs to tie the game at 2-2 when lightning and then rain caused a delay in the game. After the teams broke for a 1:08 delay, the game resumed with Upstate at bat and the bases loaded with two outs.
Upstate’s Griffin delivered an RBI-single off of the pitcher's leg with bases loaded to give the Spartans a 3-2 lead. Ashley Butler then cranked a grand slam that landed on top of the indoor practice football facility in center field to give the Spartans a 7-2 advantage.
Upstate increased its lead in the top of the fourth inning when Butler collected her fifth RBI of the game when she hit a single through the right side with runners on second and third to give the Spartans an 8-2 lead.
Upstate added to the lead in the sixth inning when Robinson (DeLand, Fla.) knocked a solo home run to right center with two outs to give the Spartans a 9-2 lead.
The Spartans closed out their scoring in the game with solo homer from Butler to give Upstate a 10-2 lead.
Appalachian starter Caroline Williams allowed eight runs on 12 hits to take the loss. She fell to 3-2 on the year.
Rembielak and Allie Cashion both recorded two hits to lead ASU’s offense.
In the second contest, Upstate jumped on top in the first inning when Shellie Robinson hit her second homer of the day with a two-run homer on a line drive over the left wall.
Appalachian took a run back in the bottom of the second when Cashion hit a solo home run to left for her ninth of the season. The Mountaineers threatened in the third inning, loading the bases with two outs. However, Upstate starter Lacey Dinney battled and forced Caroline Rogers to fly out to center to end the threat and keep the Spartans ahead, 2-1.
Upstate made it a two-run game with a run in the fourth inning with two outs and Kelly ripped a double to right to give the Spartans a 3-1 advantage.
Robinson went deep for the second-time of the game and the third on the day, a solo home run to right center to give the Spartans a 4-1 lead in the fifth inning. The Spartans added three more runs on an RBI-single, a bases loaded walk and on a bases loaded fielder’s choice.
Upstate made it a 9-1 lead with two runs in the top of the sixth. Robinson reached on an error with one out, and Butler and Janna Lewis each followed with singles to drive in a run.
Smith opened the bottom half of the sixth with a screaming double to left center and eventually scored on a on a sacrifice fly by Roger to get within 9-2.
With the game extended to the seventh inning on Appalachian's run in the sixth, Upstate added to its run total when Harris belted a three-run home run to right center to give the Spartans a 12-2 lead.
Appalachian State continued to fight to the bitter end as Sarah Warnock rocked a one-out double to left center and scored on an RBI-double by Smith. Smith scored the Apps final run on an RBI-double by Rogers.
Dinney was solid in the circle as she allowed four runs on seven ASU hits in 6.2 innings of work to earn the victory, allowing three late runs once the game was in-hand. She struck out five and improved to 9-2 on the year.
Appalachian’s Caroline Wainwright took the loss and allowed six runs on nine hits to fall to 5-4 on the year.
Cashion once again tallied a pair of hits while Smith record a pair of her own.
The Mountaineers look to bounce back quickly as they travel to Radford, Va. are a single game with the Highlanders on Thursday at 5 p.m.
Catamount starting pitcher Jordan Garrett was cruising along in the game, tossing three scoreless innings before she got into a jam. Ohio scored three runs, in the top of the fourth inning, to tie the game at three.
The Bobcats added two more runs, to take a 5-3 lead, in the top of the fifth inning. Ohio’s pair of runs knocked Garrett out of the game, and Amber Steinhardt came on to pitch.
Garrett lost the decision in the game, in the bottom of the fifth, when Western Carolina tied the game at five. With one out, Griffin singled to left field, setting up Foster’s first homerun of the doubleheader. Bobcat relief pitcher Lauren McClary’s offering was hit out of the park, to right centerfield by Foster, to tie the game at five with the two RBI shot.
Ohio tagged Western Carolina relief pitcher Amber Steinhardt for five runs in the sixth inning to seal the game. Midway through the inning, Steinhardt was replaced by Bekah Burkett. Steinhardt took the loss in the game and dropped to 2-4 on the season. Burkett completed the game allowing two hits and walking two.
In a complete opposite of the previous game, it was Ohio who jumped out to an early lead to start game two. The Bobcats got two runs, in the top of the first against Steinhardt, who started on the mound for the Catamounts in the second game.
Western Carolina looked to have a huge bottom of the first when the Catamounts opened the inning with bases loaded with no outs. Fulton hit a double down the left side, Griffin singled to the shortstop and Foster drew a walk to open the bottom of the first. Three straight outs by the next three Catamount batters would end the WCU threat.
Steinhardt would settle down in the ensuing innings, only giving up one run. This allowed Western Carolina to battle back, and battle back it did.
Foster’s solo homerun, in the bottom of the third helped Western Carolina trim the Bobcats lead to one, 2-1. Ohio pushed its lead back to two, when Alexis Joseph hit a sacrifice fly to score Erin Lashley.
Western Carolina again sliced into Ohio’s lead with a single run in the bottom o fourth. Scotton led off the inning with a single, and with two outs, Heather Chastain drew a walk. Fulton’s RBI single to left field scored Scotton.
It was Western Carolina’s explosive seven run fifth inning that clinched the game for the Catamounts. With one out, Steinhardt hit the first triple of her career when she smoked a shot to right field. Scotton hit into a fielder’s choice in which Ohio’s infield chose to try and get Steinhardt at home, the play failed and Steinhardt scored to tie the game at three.
With two outs, Pace singled to the left side and Heather Chastain walked to load the bases. Fulton struck again, with runners on, when she hit a bloop single into shallow left field, scoring Scotton and Pace. Griffin followed with an RBI single of her own, scoring Chastain and moving Fulton to third. After a pitching change, in which starting Ohio pitcher Kaylin Clarke was replaced by Caitlin Colven, Foster capped off the day with her third homerun on the day, a three RBI shot to left field.
Steinhardt gave up back-to-back singles to Ohio to start the sixth inning before yielding a homerun to pinch hitter Alexandria Basquez. The three RBI shot by Basquez trimmed Western Carolina’s six run lead to three. Steinhardt was replaced by Garrett who gave up a single before forcing a pair of groundouts to end the inning.
Steinhardt earned the win in the game, going 5.1 innings giving up six runs on nine hits improving to 3-4 on the year. Garrett picked up the first save of her career giving up one hit, and striking out the final batter of the top of the seventh to end the game.
Western Carolina had 12 hits in the second game. Fulton and Griffin led the Catamounts with three hits and Foster had two.
The Catamounts host their first Southern Conference series of the season beginning Saturday when WCU welcomes College of Charleston. Western Carolina faces the Cougars for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday and then wraps up the series with a single game at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Memphis 11, Samford 4
Samford 5, Memphis 0
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- Samford softball split two games with Memphis Tuesday at Bulldog Field, as Samford fell in game one, 11-4, but rebounded to take the back end of the double-header, 5-0.
Alex Adams led Samford (6-21) in hits, going a combined 4-7 including a grand slam in the second game. Madison Dickey went 1-4 at the plate, bringing in three RBI and scoring two herself. Rachel Bickert and Julianne Surane each earned a pair of runs as well. Memphis (7-23) was led at the plate by Morgan Mosby going 7-9 at the plate.
Game One: Memphis 11, Samford 4
The game was tied heading into the seventh inning and the Memphis offense surged in the top half of the inning, plating seven runs to pull ahead, 11-4, late. Shelby Scott (0-3) took the loss on the mound, as she came in the seventh inning to close the game and put the eventual winning run on base. Memphis’ Jordan Richwood (1-6) earned the win, pitching 2.1 innings in relief of starter Ellen Roberts.
Memphis would stretch ahead to a 4-0 lead, scoring one in both the first and second innings and then two more in the fifth. With two out and runners at the corners, Surane hit a clutch single to avoid the shutout and give the Bulldogs their first run. Dickey would bring both runners home with a two-run single, drawing Samford within one run. Adams would push a single up the middle to bring Dickey home and tie the game at 4-4.
The score would remain tied until the top of the seventh, when an error and a walk would put two runners on and a single would bring home the unearned run and put two runners in scoring position. A walk would load the bases and then Memphis’ Amber Lindahl would promptly unload the bases, hitting a grand slam to push the Tigers up 9-4. A two-run homer later in the inning would make the score 11-4, which ultimately proved final.
Game Two: Samford 5, Memphis 0
The Bulldogs were not fazed by the lopsided loss in game one, as they bounced back to shutout the Tigers, 5-0, in game two. Misha Aldridge (4-10) pitched a stellar game in the circle, going to full seven innings allowing five hits and striking out six, a season high. Starter Lauren Carley (0-1) took the loss for the Tigers.
The teams were scoreless through two and a half innings, before Dickey put Samford on the board courtesy of a sacrifice fly to left field, bringing home Bickert from third to move Samford up, 1-0. The Bulldogs’ big inning came in the bottom of the fifth, as the bases were loaded with one out for Adams. The McDonough, Ga., native came through in a big way, launching a grand slam, her first home run of the season, to put Samford up 5-0. Aldridge would only allow one hit in the remaining two innings, as she shut down the Tiger offense to preserve the shutout in Samford’s favor.
Next up, Samford plays a midweek game on the road, traveling to Kennesaw, Ga., to face Kennesaw State on Thursday, March 22 at 5 p.m. CT.