­Elon 6, #8 Georgia 2

Ohio State 10, Elon 2

ATHENS, Ga. – The Elon softball team opened its 2013 campaign on Friday, Feb. 8, splitting a pair of games at the Red and Black Showcase including an upset of eighth-ranked and host Georgia, 5-2, in the second game of the day. It is the Phoenix’s first-ever win over a top-10 opponent and against Southeastern Conference competition.

Game 2

The Phoenix responded in the second game of the day against host and eighth-ranked Georgia with sophomore Chelsea White toeing the rubber. The Salisbury, N.C.,  native had a great day in the circle and was aided by the maroon and gold defense behind her.

After walking UGA’s Tina Iosefa to load the bases in the first, White retired the next seven batters she faced and did not allow a hit until the fourth inning. The Bulldogs would finally get on the board in that inning with Anna Swafford scoring on a wild pitch to move ahead 1-0.

In the top of the sixth with runners at first and second and only one out, Tomeka Watson hit a three-run home run down the left field line to give the Phoenix its first lead of the game, 3-1. It was the Jackson, Ga., native’s second hit of the day. In the bottom of the inning, White struck out her sixth and seventh batters of the afternoon before causing Kaylee Puailoa to ground to advance to the seventh.

Elon would add two more runs to go up 5-1 in the top of the seventh. After Grace Eng was hit by a pitch, freshman Emily Cameron drove her home with a two-run home run over the right-center field wall.

Georgia added a run in the bottom of the seventh to cut the deficit to 5-2, but could not get any closer as the Phoenix gave the Bulldogs its first season-opening loss since 2005.

White (1-0) pitched a complete game in the win, allowing only one earned run and establishing a new career-high in strikeouts. The loss went to UGA’s Chelsea Wilkinson (0-1) who went six innings with five hits, four earned runs and six strikeouts.

Watson went 2-for-4 with three RBI and a home run. Nester also went 2-for-4. All of five Elon’s runs were scored by different players.

The maroon and gold face a rematch with the Bulldogs tomorrow with the opening pitch set for 12:30 p.m. The Phoenix will close the tournament against Winthrop at 5:30 p.m.

Game 1

Elon lost its opening game of the Red and Black Showcase at the hands of Ohio State in a 10-2 setback on at Jack Turner Stadium.

The Phoenix fell to the Buckeyes (1-0) in the first ever meeting between the two schools, despite the first career home run from sophomore Grace Eng in the top of the second inning.

Ohio State jumped ahead to an early 3-0 lead after the first when two of the first three runners advanced on a free pass. Evelyn Carrillo singled to right field to drive in two and gave the Buckeyes a 2-0 advantage. After consecutive strikeouts by Elon’s Kayla Caruso, Ohio State’s Megan Coletta tacked on another run with a single to left field before Cammi Pranti flied out to end the inning.

After the Phoenix’s Camille Hill reached base on balls, Eng hit a shot off OSU’s Olivia O’Reilly over the center field wall to bring Elon within one, 3-2. The maroon and gold could not add to the momentum as the next three batters went down in order.

Caruso would settle in and allow only two hits over the next three innings, but Elon could not get back on the board. The maroon and gold threatened in the top of the third when Johanna Spencer and Aly Quintana reached base on two outs, but Hill would pop up to the left fielder to end the inning.

After Elon went down in order in the top of the fifth, the Buckeyes plated seven runs in the bottom half.

Caruso (0-1) went 4.1 innings with three strikeouts in her first collegiate game and ended up taking the loss. Caitlin O’Shea pitched in relief for Elon.

O’Reilly pitched all five innings and had five strikeouts and allowed four hits.

Furman 4, Army 2

Auburn 9, Furman 1

Auburn, Ala. – Junior Lauren Collier allowed just one earned run over six-plus innings to give first-year head coach Kyle Jamieson a win in his Paladin debut as Furman (1-0) topped Army, 4-2, in the season opener on Friday morning at the Plainsman Invitational at Auburn University.

Collier plated the first run on a double down the left field line with one out in the first inning to score Nikki Legg.  In the third inning, Stephanie Field lined a leadoff double to left-center and Legg followed with a base on balls.  After Collier flew out and Hannah Pace drew a walk, freshman Sieara Bishop ripped a two-run double into the left field corner to up the Paladin lead to 3-0.  Sophomore Ambree Muller increased the margin to 4-0 with a sacrifice fly to plate Pace.

Collier, a native of Maineville, Ohio, scattered seven hits over six scoreless before running into trouble in the top half of the seventh.  Amanda Nguyen opened the frame with a single and Army put runners on first and second when Collier’s throw on Kasey McCravey’s chopper back to the circle sailed high.  April Ortenzo singled to drive in Nguyen and drive Collier from the game.

Freshman reliever Meaghan Houston allowed an RBI single to Alex Reynolds before getting Paige Vallejos to bounce into a double play.  First baseman Stephanie Spain stabbed Rae Anne Payleitner’s hard grounder and stepped on first to seal the victory.

Collier, who fanned four batters and issued three walks, picked up the victory while Houston earned a save in her first career outing.  Field, Collier and Bishop all doubled for the Paladins who collected just four hits to go with five walks.

Morgan Lashley allowed three runs on four hits in five innings to suffer the loss for Army (0-1).  Ortenzo and Vallejos each registered two hits for the Black Knights.

The Paladins play Auburn at 1:30 p.m. ET before facing Kent State on Saturday and Austin Peay on Sunday at the Plainsman Invitational.

Auburn, Ala. – Auburn pounded out nine runs on 11 hits to down Furman, 9-1, in five innings in game two of the 2013 Plainsman Invitational on Friday afternoon at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn, Ala.

The Tigers (1-0) exploded for four runs against Paladin starter Shelby Parker in the bottom half of the first inning, highlighted by Brooke Lathan's RBI triple, to build a 4-0 lead.  Branndi Melero added two more runs to the Auburn lead with a two-out, two-run double to right-center in the bottom of the fourth inning, and the Tigers triggered the eight-run mercy rule by scoring three runs on two hits and a pair of Paladin errors in the fifth.

Sophomore Taylor Jenkins provided the lone offense for Furman (1-1) in the top of the fifth when she stroked an RBI double to right-center to score Natalie Clemmons who was hit by a pitch to start the inning.

Auburn freshman Marcy Harper (1-0) limited the Paladins to the lone run on two hits to pick up her first collegiate win.  She fanned five Paladins while issuing two walks in five innings of work.

Leadoff hitter Morgan Estell went 2-for-3 with a base on balls and two runs to lead five Tigers with two hits apiece.

Parker suffered the loss for Furman, allowing eight runs, five earned, on 11 hits in four-plus innings in the circle.

Furman, who downed Army 4-2 in the opening game on Friday, continues tournament play on Saturday when it faces Kent State at 4 p.m. ET before battling Austin Peay on Sunday at 10 a.m. ET.

UMKC 6, Western Carolina 2

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Western Carolina softball (0-1) dropped its opening game of the season Friday, 6-2, to the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) (1-0) at the Subway Upstate Classic at Cyrill Stadium.

The Catamounts couldn’t overcome a four-run fourth inning by UMKC. The Roos scored a pair of runs off a Western Carolina fielding error and also got a pair of runs from Emily Otto. UMKC also added one run in the bottom of the sixth.

UMKC scored first in the bottom of the first inning. With two outs, Marlee Maples doubled to left center and scored off an RBI double by Otto.

Western Carolina took a short-lived lead in the top of the third. Freshman first baseman Taylor Sigmon picked up the first hit of her career, a single through the left side. A sacrifice bunt by Kayla Myers moved Sigmon to second. With one out, junior left fielder Amelia Griffin singled to left field and Sigmon advanced to third. After Griffin stole second, senior Shemekia Scotton hit a two RBI double to give the Catamounts a 2-1 lead.

Sophomore hurler Jordan Garrett took the loss in the game as she tossed a complete game, falling to 0-1. She allowed nine hits, five earned runs and recorded three strikeouts. Amber Steinhardt and Griffin each had two hits in the game.

Western Carolina will face Maine at noon and North Carolina Central at 6 p.m. in second day action of the Subway Upstate Classic.

Georgia Southern 5, St. John’s 1

STATESBORO, GA. – Georgia Southern Softball opened the 2013 season on a winning note with a 5-1 victory over St. John’s in the opener of the 2013 Eagle Round Robin. Starting pitcher Sarah Purvis took a no-hitter through five and two-thirds and struck out 14 batters en route to the victory.

Georgia Southern began defense of its 2012 Southern Conference Championship with a pair of runs in the first inning off a two RBI single by Andrea Tarashuk to left field. The Eagles added more runs in the second and third innings to extend the lead to 4-0. Lexi Allen doubled home a run in the second, while a fielder’s choice pop up in the second allowed Tabby Douberley to score in the third frame.

The story of the game, however, was the pitching performance of Purvis. She fanned 14 batters and carried a no-hitter through five and two-thirds of an inning. The no-hitter came to an end on a line drive to third base. Her shutout bid came to an end in the bottom of the seventh as St. John’s Jackie Reed hit a home run to left field. Purivs’ strikeout total tied her for seventh place on the single-game strikeout chart, three back of Aimee Littlejohn’s 2002 school record. It was the fourth time in Purvis’ career that the junior struck out 14 or more batters.

Georgia Southern’s fifth run of the evening came in the top of the seventh as Kourtny Thomas pushed Douberley across for her second score of the evening.

The Eagles are back in action twice on Saturday as play in the Eagle Round Robin continues at Eagle Field. Georgia Southern faces Akron at 2 p.m. before playing St. John’s again at 4 p.m. Both Georgia Southern contests can be seen on GSEagles.com.

Samford 7, FAU 1

TAMPA, Fla. ---- A huge sixth inning rally at the plate propelled Samford Softball to a big season-opening win over FAU as the Bulldogs defeated the Owls, 7-1, at the USF-Wilson DeMarini Tournament.

Six of Samford’s nine starters earned at least one hit Friday.  Madison Dickey and Caroline Wilder each went 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored, while Callie Brister and Misha Aldridge each went 1-3 with two RBI.  Starter Mollie Hanson (1-0) went the distance with a great performance in the circle, throwing 93 pitches allowing only three hits and one earned run with seven strikeouts.

Taylor Fawbush (0-1) took the loss for FAU in the circle while Alexa Ballard drove in their only run with an RBI double in the top of the seventh.

The Eagles went down 1-2-3 in the top of the first and Dickey, getting her first career start in right field, knocked a leadoff single up the middle for the Bulldogs’ first hit of the season.  A double play and a flyout ended the inning however as the game remained scoreless.

Neither team could muster another hit until the top of the fourth, when FAU second baseman Melissa Martinez spoiled Hanson’s no-hit bid by dropping a single into left field with one out, though Martinez was tagged out trying to extend it to a double.  A groundout ended the top of the fourth as the teams remained deadlocked in a scoreless tie.

Samford’s offense broke out for a huge sixth inning as the Bulldogs batted around the order, pulling ahead 7-0.  Hannah Taylor opened up the inning with a leadoff single as Julianne Surane came in to pinch run for the freshman.  Megan Dowdy, pinch-hitting for Arica Dykes, followed that with a single down the left-field line to put two speedsters on the bags for the Bulldogs.  Kayla Shaffer reached safely on a fielder’s choice, though FAU failed to get anybody else out as the bases were now loaded.  Turning back to the top of the order, Dickey blasted a single down the right-field line to score the first run of the game, moving Samford up 1-0.  Abby Adams then reached safely on a fielder’s choice, though Dowdy was tagged out at home as the bases remained loaded with one out. 

Alex Adams came to the plate and drove a single through the right side moving Samford up 2-0 as the bases remained loaded.  Brister extended the lead even further with a two-run single to the left-field gap, advancing to second on the throw to put two runners in scoring position with one out, leading 4-0.  An RBI single by Wilder brought another one home and put runners at the corners with the Bulldogs now leading 5-0.  Aldridge then cleared the bases with a two-run double to make it 7-0.  Two groundouts finally stopped the bleeding for FAU as the Bulldogs came out of the big inning with a seven-run lead.

FAU avoided the shutout in the top of the seventh, as a one-out double scored the runner from first, making the score 7-1.  However it was too little, too late for the Owls as Hanson struck out the final batter to cap the big 7-1 win for Samford.

Tomorrow, Samford will play two games starting with a showdown against the Marshall Thundering Herd (0-2) at 1:30 p.m. ET.  Marshall lost both of its games Friday, falling to #15 Michigan, 6-1, and #12 South Florida, 8-0, as USF’s Lindsey Richardson threw a five-inning no hitter for the Bulls.  The Bulldogs’ second game Saturday will be against the host USF Bulls (1-0) at 6:15 p.m. ET.

Fordham 6, Chattanooga 5

SIU 6, Chattanooga 3

CLERMONT, Fla.-- The Chattanooga Lady Mocs (0-2) fell 6-4 to the Fordham Rams (1-0) on a walk-off double in the first game of Dot Richardson's National Training Center Invitation in Clermont, Fla. Friday evening. UTC found no better luck in the second game of the evening, defeated 6-3 at the hands of SIU. It is the first time Chattanooga has begun a season 0-2 for the first time since suffering back-to-back losses in Clermont in 2010.

Chattanooga was first to strike against Fordham in the first inning. Senior Kasey Tydingco (Fairfield, Calif.) roped a two-out single into centerfield and stole second base to set up the first run of the season. Freshman Anyssa Robles (Hoschton, Ga.) followed up with a single down the right field line to score the first baseman, putting the Lady Mocs ahead 1-0 early.

Starting pitcher Taylor Deason (Clarksville, Tenn.), despite two base runners, was able to work out of the first inning with no harm done. A single and error put two Rams on base with no outs, but a line-drive and quick throw to second base from sophomore third baseman Sarah Beth Roberts (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) relieved pressure helped UTC to a scoreless defensive inning. The second inning would not go as well.

Two hits and an error led to three Fordham runs and an early end to Deason's season debut. Freshman Rachel Albritton (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) was brought on in relief of the sophomore and retired the final batter of the inning.

Chattanooga slowly began to climb back, cutting the Fordham lead to 3-2 in the third inning after senior Sara Poteat (Thomaston, Ga.) singled and Tydingco and junior Stephanie Rieck (Chandler, Ariz.) reached on back-to-back fielding errors. Poteat came around to score on the Tydingco-caused error to pull Chattanooga within one run.

The Lady Mocs tied the game 3-3 in the fourth inning on a Ninjja Suetsugu (Sao Paulo, Brazil) single. The senior muscled a pitch past the pitcher to drive in Jenny Garcia (Miami, Fla.), who singled to the shortstop an at-bat earlier.

UTC took a 4-3 lead in the fifth inning as Poteat led off with a double to the centerfield fence. Advancing to third on a Tydingco fly-out, Robles drove in the go-ahead run with another single to right field. Chattanooga tacked on one more insurance run in the top of the seventh on three straight hits. Another double from Poteat put a runner in scoring position to lead off the inning and a single from Rieck put runners on the corners. Tydingco singled to push the Lady Mocs lead to 5-3, but the two runs would fall through in the bottom of the seventh.

A walk, single and error contributed one run and two base runners for the Rams with just one out. Fordham shortstop Elise Fortier hit a walk-off double to the centerfield fence to hand the Lady Mocs their first loss of the season.

The Lady Mocs drew first blood again against Southern Illinois in the second matchup of the day and jumped out to an early 3-0 lead. Robles led off the second inning with a double and Roberts advanced the catcher to third on a single back to the pitcher. Junior Kaiti Dutton (Tulsa, Okla.) reached on an error by the shortstop that allowed Robles to score. UTC added two more runs on the board in the third inning on two outs. Tydingco singled up the middle and Robles found her way on base with a fielder's choice. With two on, a passed ball allowed the two to move up one base each. A muffed throw by the first baseman on a Roberts' ball in play allowed Tydingco to cross the plate and another Garcia hit scored Robles.

Leading 3-0, starting pitcher Kaisey Carson (Indianapolis, Ind.) cruised through the fourth inning but hit a bump in the fifth. The Salukis added on two runs to cut the Lady Mocs' lead to one, prompting Head Coach Frank Reed to throw Deason in the sixth inning, but Deason would not fare well.

The sophomore loaded the bases and was pulled as Albritton was brought on in relief, but the freshman was unable to stop the bleeding as Deason was charged with three runs (two earned) in the sixth. A fourth run crossed the plate (an earned run charge to Albritton), sealing the win for SIU, as the Lady Mocs went three-up-three-down in the home half of the seventh.

Chattanooga takes on Long Island (0-2) tomorrow at 11 a.m. before facing off against the Virginia Tech Hokies (1-0) at 4 p.m. Long Island dropped a 6-14 (six inning) game to Fordham and 1-9 (five inning) game to Virginia Tech. The Hokies took the 9-1 win over Long Island and played a 7 p.m. game against SIU.