Georgia Southern 2, Chattanooga 0
Chattanooga 9, Georgia Southern 4
STATESBORO, Ga. – Mackenzie William’s sixth inning two-run home run gave the Eagles a 2-0 victory to open the series against Chattanooga. In game two, Chattanooga responded with a 9-4 victory to split Saturday’s doubleheader. The Eagles got to 7-0 in league play, the best start to Southern Conference play for Georgia Southern in program history, before dropping game two. The Eagles are 21-12 overall and 7-1 in league play. Chattanooga moves to 18-12 overall and 5-1 in the SoCon.
Mackenzie Williams went 4-for-7 in the doubleheader with a 3-for-4 effort in game two, finishing just a triple shy of becoming the first Eagle to ever hit for the cycle.
-- GAME ONE --
Starting pitcher Sarah Purvis took a no hitter through three and two-thirds of an inning. A Casey Tydinco double in the fourth ended the no-hit bid as the Mocs stranded two runners in scoring position in the frame. Purvis, however, had her string of 27-straight outs ended just one batter prior as she hit the Chattanooga designated player. The streak dated back to Wednesday’s game at No. 9 Georgia where Purvis retired the final 16 batters in order.
The Eagles stranded seven runners in the opening three frames with five runners left in scoring position. Marie Fogle earned hits in each of her three at bats of the game and upped her batting average in the month of March to .576.
Williams broke the deadlock in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run home run down the left field line. It was her fifth home run of the season which ties her for the team lead in long balls. It was also her 18th career home run, moving her into a tie with Aurora Johnson (2004-06) for sixth place all-time at Georgia Southern.
Purvis got into a jam in the top of the sixth with a runner on third with two outs. A walk to Tydinco put runners on the corners for Vivian Morimoto. Purvis got behind 1-0, but rallied with three-straight strikes to retire the Chattanooga catcher for Purvis’ 10th strikeout of the afternoon.
The Mocs opened the top of the seventh with a leadoff double as a light rain began to fall around Eagle Field. A wild pitch with one out put the runner on third base. A strikeout to a Chattanooga pinch hitter reduced the Mocs to their final out, which was recorded on a fly out to centerfield.
Purvis allowed just five Chattanooga hits which totaling 11 strikeouts in the contest for her 11th win of the season.
-- GAME TWO –
Williams opened game two with a two-run homer to centerfield. Her second long ball of the day gave the Eagles an early 2-0 advantage for her sixth home run of the season and 19th career four-bagger.
The lead lasted until the third inning when Chattanooga came roaring back with five runs off four hits in the inning. Starting pitcher Allie Miles was chased from the game after the first three runs scored. She was replaced by freshman Brooke Red. Two more runs crossed on a single down the right field line, both runs were charged against Miles. Red settled down to get out of the inning with no further damage and a 5-2 Chattanooga lead.
Two more Chattanooga runs came home in the fourth on a two-run home run from Tydinco, giving Chattanooga a 7-2 lead.
With no outs in the fourth, Williams came just a few feet short of her third home run of the day when she mashed a double to centerfield. The ball hit halfway up on the wall as Fogle reached third on the play. A walk to Andrea Tarashuk loaded the bases for Shelby Morrill, who hit a fielder’s choice up the middle to plate Fogle. The run cut the Chattanooga lead to 7-3 with three trips to the plate remaining.
With two outs in the sixth, Chattanooga’s Morimoto hit a home run down the line that scored two runs and extended the UTC advantage to 9-3.
In the bottom of the seventh, Georgia Southern mounted a rally, benefiting from a Chattanooga throwing error to score the run off Fogle’s double down the left field line. Fogle finished the afternoon at 4-for-7 along with Williams. Fogle completes her month of March at .554, hitting six doubles, three triples and three home runs to go with 12 RBI.
The run, however, would be Georgia Southern’s last of the game as the Eagles stranded runners on second third to end the game.
The teams return to the diamond on Sunday to conclude the series starting at 1 p.m. from Eagle Field. The game can be seen live on Eagle Vision with live audio commentary on 91.9-FM “The Buzz.”
Western Carolina 4, Furman 3
Western Carolina 5, Furman 0
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Big innings, and grand-slam homerun by freshman catcher Heather Chastain, shot Western Carolina softball (13-21, 3-5 Southern Conference) to a 4-3, 5-0 Southern Conference doubleheader sweep of Furman (12-23, 3-8 SoCon) Saturday at the Catamount Softball Complex.
The Catamounts also benefitted from strong pitching performances by both starting pitchers, Katie King and Amber Steinhardt. Western Carolina also got a strong short stint from Jordan Garrett, who came into relief in the first game to earn a save.
Game 1
Western Carolina was in the hole early, in the first game, when King gave up a solo homerun to Jessie Homesley in the first inning. It was the first of two homeruns by Homesley in the game, as she accounted for two-thirds of the Furman’s run production.
After Western Carolina went scoreless in the first inning, the Catamounts exploded for four runs with one mighty swing of Chastain’s bat. WCU found itself with bases loaded when Morgan Wyatt led off the inning with a single up the middle. Steinhardt followed with a single to left field placing runners at first and second. With one out, Makenzi McAteer singled to shortstop to load the bases. After Jordan Fulton flied out to shallow left field, Chastain took Furman pitcher Hannah Bradley’s offering over the left field wall. It was Chastain’s first collegiate homerun and the Catamounts’ first grand-slam of the season.
In the sixth inning, Homesley hit her second homerun of the game when she lead-off with a solo shot to right field. After a Catamount error and an RBI single by Emily Boyer, Furman cut the Western Carolina lead to one, 4-3. King was replaced by Garrett who ended the inning with a strikeout and forcing the final Paladin batter to pop up for the third out.
Garrett made things a little interesting in the top of the seventh, with WCU leading 4-3. After getting Hope Smith to strike out, she gave up a walk to Ambree Muller and Nikki Legg singled past the shortstop. This brought up Homesley who had homered in her previous two at bats. Garrett got Homesley to line out to second base and Lauren Collier to ground out to second base to end the game.
King picked up the win, improving to 4-6, going 5.1 innings allowing three runs on five hits and striking out six. Wyatt and Steinhardt each had two hits in the game.
Game 2
Steinhardt got the starting nod in the second game and picked up her first shutout of the season. She allowed six hits, struck out two, and evened her record to 4-4.
The offense and the defense were behind Steinhardt to assist her in her shutout. In the top of the third, Furman looked to strike first in scoring, after two scoreless outings. Alex Bimonte led off with a single for Furman and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. With two outs, Homesley singled to left field and Bimonte tried to go home on the play, but she was out at home from a perfect throw by Erin Foster, who gunned the throw to Chastain for the third out.
Western Carolina used the bang-bang defensive play high to turn it into an offensive excursion in its half of the third inning. Jordan Fulton led off with a single to right field and Chastain reached on a Furman error to place runners at first and second. With one out, Foster singled up the middle to score Fulton. Furman committed its second error of the inning, allowing Chastain and Foster to score. Kelly Braman’s RBI single, to right field, scored Wyatt for the fourth run of the inning.
The Catamounts added a run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Wyatt doubled past the shortstop to lead off the inning, and scored on an RBI double by Braman.
Steinhardt had a quiet fourth and fifth inning, sitting down six straight batters. She got into a bit of jam in the top of the sixth. She walked Alexis Galinski and gave up a single to Legg for runners at first and second. With one out Collier hit a single to load the bases. Steinhardt got out of the inning with a pair of nifty plays by left fielder Fulton.
Furman looked to rally in the top of the seventh when Muller led off with a single. Lakyn Shull hit into a fielder’s choice in which Steinhardt threw out Muller at second. Steinhardt came back to strike out Bimonte and forced Galinslki to ground out to third to end the game.
After struggling at the plate, Foster bounced back to go 3-for-3 in the second game with a run scored and an RBI. Wyatt and Braman each had a pair of hits.
Western Carolina will look for the series sweep of Furman on Sunday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
UNCG 5, Samford 3
Samford 2, UNCG 1
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- Samford softball split two games against UNCG Saturday at Bulldog Field, falling 5-3 in game one before bouncing back for a 2-1 game two victory.
Samford (9-26, 3-8 SoCon) was led at the plate by Madison Dickey, going 3-7 at the plate, including her team-leading ninth double of the season. Five other Bulldogs earned two hits Saturday, with Caroline Seay and Julianne Surane each adding a stolen base. The UNCG (13-22, 5-6 SoCon) offense was led by Toni MacReynolds going 2-5 and driving in three of the team's six runs.
Game One: UNCG 5, Samford 3
The first game saw three lead changes, with the Spartans edging out the Bulldogs 5-3 behind a three-run top of the sixth inning. Misha Aldridge (5-13) pitched a complete game, striking out four and allowing only three earned runs, but still taking the loss. Aldridge also accounted for one of Samford's three runs, going 2-4 at the plate. UNCG's Cory Mattson (10-11) earned the win, pitching 5.0 innings with one earned run.
UNCG got on the board first, scoring two in the top of the second. With two outs, a fielding error put a runner on first to extend the inning and Toni MacReynolds followed with a two-run homer, scoring two unearned runs. The Spartans threatened again in the fourth with two runners on, but a spectacular unassisted double play by Abby Adams ended the inning. The freshman shortstop dove towards second, snagging the line drive, and landed with her glove on second to pickoff the runner.
Samford took the lead from the Spartans in the bottom of the fifth, as the Bulldogs manufactured three runs to pull ahead 3-2. Surane led of the inning with a single and immediately stole second to put a runner in scoring position with nobody out. Madison Dickey reached on a fielding error by the second baseman, as Surane scored and Dickey advanced to second. Alex Adams hit a hard single to the shortstop and advanced on a bad putout attempt, which allowed Dickey to come home as well. Adams advanced to third on a groundout and came home off an RBI single to left field by Aldridge, giving Samford the 3-2 edge.
UNCG answered right back in the top of the sixth however, scoring three to pull ahead 5-3. A one-out single with two in scoring position put the Spartans up 4-3 and an RBI single following a fielding error gave them their fifth run of the game to pull ahead 5-3. The Spartans would hold the Bulldogs to only one hit in the remaining two innings as they held on for the two-run win.
Game Two: Samford 2, UNCG 1
Great pitching and defense by Samford was the difference in a low-scoring 2-1 victory in game two. Six of the nine Bulldogs in the starting lineup earned a hit, with Dickey going 2-3 at the plate. Shelby Scott (2-4) pitched a gem of a game to earn the win, allowing only one run off four hits. Erica Navarette (2-8) took the loss in the circle for the Spartans.
The teams were scoreless through three innings until, in the bottom of the fourth, Bickert roped an opposite-field RBI double to right center to score Scott from third and put Samford up 1-0. The Bulldogs added another run in the bottom of the sixth to pull ahead 2-0. Abby Adams led off the inning with a double. A groundout to the shortstop prevented her from advancing, but Seay hit a fly ball to right field that allowed Adams to tag up and advance. The Spartan right fielder made a putout attempt at third but the throw got past the third baseman, which let Adams come home for a run to put Samford up 2-0.
UNCG would hit a solo home run in the top of the seventh, but they could not score any more as Samford maintained the lead for the 2-1 victory.
The rubber match in the series is set for Sunday, April 1 at 1p.m. CT.
College of Charleston 7, Appalachian State 3
College of Charleston 6, Appalachian State 0
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – The College of Charleston softball team swept its Southern Conference doubleheader with Appalachian State at Patriots Point on Saturday evening. The Cougars’ bats were efficient in both games as CofC cruised to 7-3 and 6-0 victories.
The teams conclude the series with a single game on Sunday, April 1 starting at 1 p.m. at Patriots Point.
Saturday’s pair of wins got CofC head coach Shelly Hoerner to 200 total victories at CofC. Hoerner is in her seventh season with the Cougars.
Stephanie Saylors pitched her seventh consecutive complete game and saw her 29-inning scoreless streak broken when the Mountaineers plated a run in the fifth. Saylors struck out five hitters in the game.
Hope Klicker pitched a complete game as well and notched a career-high 10 strikeouts as she kept the Mountaineers off the scoreboard in the second game.
Kelsey Hodgson and Lizzy Vaughn both homered and Mackenzie Maples picked up a two-RBI double for the Cougars in the opener.
Allison Pedigo went 2-for-2 with two RBIs in the second game.
GAME ONE: CofC: 7, Appalachian State: 3
The Cougars were outhit, 10-6, in the first game but made better use of their base runners to come away with the win.
CofC got started early with back-to-back singles from Vaughn and Carly Corthell to start the game followed by a belted three-run shot to right center from Hodgson in the first inning.
CofC added to the lead in the third when Hodgson drew a walk and Kristy Giragosian got on base by way of a fielding error before Maples sent a ball deep into the gap in right center to score both runs.
The Mountaineers loaded the bases in each of the last three innings but the Cougars minimized the damage behind sound defense and precise pitching from Saylors. Appalachian State managed just one run in each of the frames.
Vaughn put the game out of reach when she homered to right field with Klicker on board from her base on balls in the sixth inning.
GAME TWO: CofC: 6, Appalachian State: 0
Klicker did not require a lot of run support to earn the win from the pitching circle but she got ample as the Cougars plated six runs on seven hits and took advantage of Mountaineer miscues in the night cap.
CofC got started with a two-out rally in the third inning which Corthell started by legging out a chopped groundball to the shortstop. Hodgson then singled, Amanda Lonergan reached on a fielding error and Giragosian walked to load up the bases. Maples was then hit by a pitch and Pedigo singled up the middle which all amounted to four runs in the inning.
In the Cougars’ next half inning, Klicker got on base with a single and Ashton Jarrett drew a base on balls and the two were able to score thanks in part to two passed balls, a wild pitch and a suicide-bunt play executed to perfection by Corthell.