Georgia Southern 4, College of Charleston 3
STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern Softball came back from a 3-2 deficit in the sixth inning to take a 4-3 win on Sunday to sweep College of Charleston at Eagle Field. Georgia Southern goes to 14-1 in league play and 28-14 overall with the win while Charleston falls to 28-16 and 11-7 in the SoCon. The Eagles trailed 3-1 in the sixth, but three-run inning gave the Eagles the 4-3 win. Georgia Southern wore pink jerseys for the game on Breast Cancer Awareness Day at Eagle Field.
In the bottom of the third the Eagles scored a leadoff hit from Lexi Allen, followed by a double by Alexa Lewis to put a pair of runners in scoring position. Marie Fogle was handed a intentional walk with one out, paving the way for Mackenzie Williams to drive in the Eagles' first run of the game with a walk. That, however, would be all the Eagles would score in the inning as three runners were stranded.
In the fifth Charleston got a run off three hits to tie the game at 1-1. With the bases loaded pinch hitter Lauren Pasquale hit a ball through the left side to plate Chloe Fletcher from third. The Eagles, however, got an out on the play as Kristy Giragosian was cut down over-running third base for the second out of the inning.
After the Eagles again loaded the bases in the home half of the fifth, Charleston scored its second run of the day on a single up the middle with runners on first and second. A throwing error after the run scored allowed runners to advance to second and third. The hit ended the day for Brooke Red who left having given up two runs off seven hits.
Sarah Purvis replaced Red and allowed an RBI single which gave the Cougars a 3-1 lead. The run, charged to Red was unearned while the Cougars stranded two runners in the frame.
A double by Allen, the first extra-base hit of her career, followed by a triple from Lewis cut one run off the Charleston advantage in the bottom of the sixth with two outs. The Eagles scored a leadoff hit, but 4-3 double play put the inning in jeopardy before Allen's double.
With Lewis on third, Hanna Ennis worked a walk to put runners on the corners with Fogle due up. Charleston made a pitching change, calling for Hope Flicker in relief. Fogle got the job done; hitting a ball down the right field line that found the ground after the Cougar defenders collided for an error. The play allowed Lewis and Ennis to score, giving the Eagles a 4-3 lead.
Purvis allowed runners to reach second and third with one out in the top of the seventh before the sophomore struck out the final two batters of the game for her 15th win of the season, one behind the league-leading total of 16. Red earned a no decision despite throwing great game. She had three strikeouts in her five and two-thirds with no walks.
Georgia Southern is back in action on Wednesday afternoon against North Florida. The Eagles look to avenge a 4-1loss to the ospreys in the final of the Eagle Classic on February 26th. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Furman 4, Samford 2
Greenville, S.C. – Hannah Pace belted a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to lift Furman to a 4-2 win and best-of-three series victory over Samford in Southern Conference softball action on Sunday afternoon at Pepsi Stadium.
The victory improved the Paladins to 17-28 overall and 6-12 in SoCon play. It marked the second SoCon series victory of the season for Furman. Samford slipped to 10-31 overall and 4-11 in league play.
With the game knotted at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth, Alexis Galinski reached base on an error by Bulldog shortstop Abby Adams and Pace followed two batters later with a two-out blast over the left field wall to put the Paladins in front 4-2.
Samford had used three consecutive one-out singles in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead as Robyn Harmon drove in Madison Dickey.
Furman rallied to take the lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Ambree Muller started the two-out rally with a single to center field and the Paladins stayed alive when second baseman Julianna Surane booted Nikki Legg’s grounder that would have ended the inning. Jessie Homesley battled in a 12-pitch at bat before lining an RBI single through the right side to tie the game and Natalie Clemmons put the Paladins on top by driving in Legg with a chopper over the third baseman’s head.
Samford managed to even the game in the top of the sixth as Dickey scored on Adams’ two-out single to center field off Furman hurler Hannah Bradley to set up Pace’s game-winning blast in the bottom half of the frame.
Bradley surrendered just two runs on seven hits in a complete-game effort to up her record to 5-9. The senior fanned four batters without issuing a walk in seven innings of work.
Pace, who notched her second homer of the season, went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI to lead Furman offensively.
Reliever Misha Aldridge suffered the loss for Samford allowing four unearned runs on four hits in 3 1/3 innings of work. She struck out three Paladins in the loss.
Furman plays its final non-conference games of the season on Wednesday when it hosts East Tennessee State in a 3 p.m. doubleheader at Pepsi Stadium.
Appalachian State 4, Elon 3 (11)
ELON, N.C. - Appalachian State University softball avoided the sweep in an 11 inning, 4-3, victory over Elon on Sunday at East Field.
The Mountaineers (17-19, 7-9 SoCon) out hits the Phoenix (19-14, 8-7 SoCon) 13-8 and ASU were able to prevail after leaving 14 runners on base.
Freshman Riley Carter pitched all 11 innings for the Mountaineers and only allowed eight hits and three runs (zero earned) with four strikeouts and three walks. The Jacksonville, Fla. Native pitched 10 scoreless innings with Elon scoring its three runs in the fifith.
Elon broke the scoreless contest in the fifth with three runs. Danielle Lafferty led off the fifth with a single through the left side and was pinch run for Charyssa Parent. Camille Hill singled to second and force the second basemen to make a tough play to first that resulted in an error to allow Parent to score. Ali Ford tried to sacrifice bunt but was able to beat out the throw to first and Hill scored on the throwing by the first basemen trying to get Ford out a first. The Phoenix scored their final run of the inning on fielder's choice by Tomeka Watson.
The Mountaineers tied the game up, 3-3, in the top of the sixth with one swing of the bat by freshman Caroline Rogers. Carter singled up the middle to move Allie Cashion to third, who reached on a throwing error by the third basemen. Rogers tied the contest with a three-run bomb to dead center for her seventh homer of the season.
In the 11th, with international tie breaker in effect, senior Megan Rembielak drove a two-out single past the shortstop to score Lindsay Whitlock the go-ahead run.
Appalachian had all nine batters record a hit with four of them recording two.
The Mountaineers travels to Greensboro, N.C. on Wednesday for a non-conference doubleheader with North Carolina A&T at 2 p.m.
Chattanooga 5, Western Carolina 4 (8)
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The Chattanooga Lady Mocs softball team tallied 16 hits and tied a season-high six doubles, but would leave 14 runners on base as the home team rallied twice at Frost Stadium to tie the contest at three in the seventh and eventually win in the eighth, 5-4, against Western Carolina. Game-tying singles were hit by junior second baseman Ninjja Suetsugu and freshman outfielder Cheyenne Willis, while senior catcher Vivian Morimoto sent home the game-winning run on a bases loaded hit by pitch.
The Lady Mocs improved to 27-13 overall and 11-2 in the Southern Conference, and Western Carolina dropped to 16-29 and 3-12 in the league.
Leading the offense with three hits each were senior pitcher Michelle Fuzzard and sophomore outfielder Stephanie Rieck. Three players - senior shortstop Jessica Traxler, sophomore outfielder Layne Rainey and Willis - each added two base knocks. Driving in three runs was Morimoto with a double and hit by pitch.
Fuzzard tossed seven strong innings in the circle, striking out a season-best six.
Freshman Taylor Deason came in during the eighth to claim her 16th win of the campaign.
With the Lady Mocs looking to close out the contest with a 2-0 lead going to the top of the seventh, Haley Pace started off the frame with a home run to left field, providing a spark for the Catamounts. The comeback was completed three batters later as Erin Foster sent the first pitch she saw over the fence down the left field line. It was the first lead of the day, 3-2, for Western Carolina.
In the first, Chattanooga began the scoring as Fuzzard and Morimoto registered back-to-back doubles in taking a 1-0 lead.
Tacking on another run in the second was Morimoto with a sacrifice fly after Rieck and Fuzzard notched consecutive singles. The Lady Mocs would end the frame with three runners left on base.
In the fourth, another opportunity presented itself as Rieck singled and Fuzzard delivered a double to right center, all with two outs. Both runners would be stranded in scoring position though.
After the Catamounts took a 3-2 lead in the seventh, junior first baseman Kasey Tydingco began the offense with a one-out double into the left center field gap. An out and walk set the stage for Suetsugu as she delivered a two-out single into center, providing Chattanooga with a second life.
Western Carolina would retake the lead, 4-3, in the top of the eighth as Morgan Wyatt ledoff the frame with a double off the fence in left center. Pinch runner Bekah Burkett eventually scored on the next play, a sacrifice bunt, which was thrown down the right field line. Another single from Shemekia Scotton kept the pressure on the reliever, Deason, but she would repond by retiring the next three in succession.
In the bottom-half, Rainey reached on an infield single to short and took second on a throw that landed in the WCU dugout. The next batter, Willis, knotted the contest at four with a single to right center and advanced to second on the throw to the plate. A single through the left side by Rieck put runners at the corners before Fuzzard was walked to load the bases. Morimoto took two-consecutive balls prior to being plunked by an inside pitch as the Lady Mocs secured the 5-4 win in eight.
The Lady Mocs return to action on Wednesday at 4 p.m. against UAB, completing a 10-game homestand at Frost Stadium.