Championship Bracket
Championship Page
College of Charleston 6, Western Carolina 2
BOONE, N.C. - With a late-game rally, third-seeded College of Charleston was able to secure a 6-2 win over the sixth-seeded Western Carolina Catamounts Wednesday evening in the opening day of the 2012 SoCon Softball Championship.
Western Carolina was able to take an early lead after Cougar starting pitcher Stephanie Saylors walked junior Jordan Fulton, scoring junior Amber Steinhardt in the second. The Catamounts were able to extend their lead to 2-0 in the third inning when freshman Heather Chastain singled through the left field scoring sophomore Kelly Braman.
The Cougars got on the board in the bottom of the sixth when freshman Mackenzie Maples singled up the middle to score junior Ashton Jarrett.
Jordan Garrett came into the circle to relieve Katie King in the bottom of the sixth when the Cougars lone senior Amanda Lonergan blasted a three-run homer to center field to take a 4-2 lead. Pitcher Hope Klicker stepped up to the plate to hit a two-run homer to center, extending the Cougars lead, 6-2.
Klicker (15-8) gets the win in the circle while King (4-8) takes the loss. In three innings of work, Klicker only gave up one hit while striking out three.
College of Charleston improved its season record to 33-21 (14-9), while the Catamounts fall to 24-33 (9-15). The Cougars will face Chattanooga tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. in the winner's bracket, while Western Carolina will face Elon at noon.
Georgia Southern 3, Samford 0
BOONE, N.C. - The top-seeded Georgia Southern Eagles shutout Samford 3-0 Wednesday evening at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium.
The Eagles, who won the league's regular season title, jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first when freshman Kaitlyn Johnson homered to left field plating three runs.
Samford eliminated Furman in the opening game of the tournament and became the first nine-seed to win the play-in game. The Bulldogs recorded a game-high five hits and left six on runners stranded.
The Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year, Sarah Purvis (21-9), earned the win in the circle while Robyn Harmon (5-11) takes the loss. Purvis went the distance in the circle striking out nine.
Georgia Southern improved its season record to 39-17 (22-2), while the Bulldogs fall to 14-41 (6-18) on the season. The Eagles will face the winner of the UNCG and Appalachian State in the winner's bracket at 7:00 p.m. The game between the Spartans and the Mountaineers will be the first game tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. Samford will play the loser of that game at 2:00 p.m.