Elon 5, College of Charleston 4
MT PLEASANT, S.C. - Kayla Caruso pitched 6.0 innings and allowed only one earned run as the Elon softball team plated three runs in the top of the seventh to defeat College of Charleston today, March 17, 5-4 in the series finale. The Phoenix improved to 10-11 and 1-5 in Southern Conference play while the Cougars fall to 13-10 (5-1 SoCon).
Chelsea White (2-4) picked up the win on the afternoon while Caruso earned her first career save after reentering in the seventh inning.
Elon had 10 hits on the day with Carleigh Nester, Tomeka Watson and Emily Cameron tied the team-lead with two apiece. Watson, Johanna Spencer and Grace Eng all had an RBI for the Phoenix.
Elon was able to get into early scoring position in the top of the first. Nester and Watson each singled to reach base and gave the Phoenix two runners on base with only one out. After Watson stole second to move into scoring position, the Cougars elected to intentionally walk Spencer to load the bases with two outs. The strategy worked as CofC struck out the final batter to end the Phoenix's threat.
The Phoenix would score first in the top of the second inning. Lauren Oldham hit a two-out single through the left side then advanced to second on Nester's single to the shortstop. Aly Quintana smashed a double into left center to score Oldham and Nester and give Elon a 2-0 lead after the top of the second.
In the top of the third, Cameron and Spencer both reached on singles to lead off the inning which forced CofC to make a pitching change. Valerie Cassell came on in relief of starter Hope Klicker and was able to induce the final three outs for the Cougars to end the inning.
CofC tied the game in the bottom of the off the bat of Kelsey Hodgson. Hodgson hit a two-out two-run home run into left field to make the score 2-2.
White replaced Caruso in the bottom of the sixth inning. White was able to set down the first two batters she faced before CofC rallied to add two on with Ashton Jarrett coming to the plate. Jarrett hit a single to left field to score Kristy Giragosian, who reached earlier on a single to move ahead 3-2.
The lead was short lived as Elon rallied in the top of the seventh, plating three runs to back ahead of the Cougars. Oldham led off the top of the seventh inning reaching on an error and advanced to second on a Nester sacrifice bunt, giving the Phoenix the tying run in scoring position. Quintana was hit on a pitch by Cassell on the next at bat, followed by Watson hitting a single to left to score Oldham and tie the game at 3-3.
Elon continued the rally as Spencer reached on a fielder's choice to score Quintana. Eng plated the final run of the inning with a single to left to score Cameron and give the Phoenix a 5-3 advantage heading into the bottom of the seventh.
The Cougars would make things interesting in the bottom half. Caruso reentered the contest and was able to force the first batter to pop up. Hodgson however hit a double to right center and crossed home plate on a Chandler Frisbie double to pull the Cougars within one. After a ground out to advance the tying run over to third, Caruso retired the final batter on a pop up to end the game.
Cassell (0-2) took the loss after pitching 4.2 innings and allowed three hits and three runs. Klicker went 2.0 innings with seven hits allowed and two runs earned.
Furman 9, Chattanooga 1
Greenville, S.C. - Four Chattanooga errors led to seven unearned runs as Furman downed the Lady Mocs 9-1 in five innings to claim the rubber game of a best-of-three Southern Conference softball series on Sunday afternoon at Pepsi Stadium.
Furman improved to 11-13 overall and 2-4 in the SoCon while taking its first three-game series against the Lady Mocs since the 2000 season. Chattanooga dropped to 15-14 overall and 1-2 in league play.
The Paladins wasted no time taking control of the game by plating three runs in the first inning and adding five in the second frame. Sieara Bishop drew a walk to start the first inning and moved to third base on Natalie Clemmons' double into the gap. Lauren Collier's grounder to shortstop was misplayed allowing both runners to score before she scored on Taylor Jenkins' sharp grounder to second that skipped past Sara Poteat.
Hannah Pace worked a base on balls to open the bottom of the second inning and pinch runner Alexis Galinski increased the lead to 4-0 by scoring Bishop's single to left field three batters later. Clemmons followed with an RBI single and Collier greeted reliever Rachel Albritton by driving in another run with a grounder to shortstop. Stephanie Field delivered the biggest blow of the inning when her pop up into left-center dropped in for a two-run double to give the Paladins an 8-0 advantage.
Chattanooga got on the board on Alyssa Taylor's sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth, but Furman ended the game by the eight-run mercy rule in the fifth inning on the Lady Mocs' fourth error of the afternoon. Field lined a single off of Albritton and scored from first when third baseman Sarah Beth Roberts fielded Jenkins' grounder and threw wide of second trying to force out Field.
Starter Meaghan Houston, picked up the victory to improve to 4-5. Houston hurled three-plus innings of shutout ball and scattered six hits. The freshman struck out three Lady Mocs.
Clemmons and Field each went 2-for-3 at the plate for Furman while Bishop scored two runs and Collier drove in a pair of runs.
Chattanooga starter Kaisey Carson (2-5) suffered the loss after allowing two runs without retiring either of the batters she faced. Anyssa Robles went 3-for-3 at the plate for the Lady Mocs.
Appalachian State 7, Samford 6
BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University softball defeated Samford, 7-6, in game three of a weekend Southern Conference series after coming back from a 5-0 deficit early in the contest.
With the win Appalachian improves to 10-8 overall on the season and 5-1 in the SoCon, while Samford falls to 9-13 overall and 1-5 in the SoCon.
The Bulldogs came out and took the early 2-0 lead over the Mountaineers when Callie Brister drew a leadoff walk and came around to score on a Alex Adams home run over the center field fence.
Samford extended its lead to 3-0 when Brister drove the Bulldogs second home run of the contest over the left field fence to lead off the top of the third inning.
With one out and one on, sophomore pitcher Alissa Schoelkopf would come in on relief for the Black and Gold. Back-to-back doubles from the Samford lineup would score two runs allowing the Bulldogs to take a 5-0 advantage heading into the bottom of the third inning.
Freshman Alex Sohl earned the first hit of the contest for the Mountaineers as she singled through the right side of the infield to lead off the bottom of the third inning. Caroline Rogers reached base on a fielder's choice and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Dani Heichen.
Rogers crossed the plate when Sarah Warnock singled deep into left center field as the Apps trailed the Bulldgos 5-1 with two outs in the bottom of the third. The rally continued for Appalachian as Cynthia Gomez laid down a bunt single to put runners on first and second with Lindsay Loudermilk at the plate.
Loudermilk ripped a single past the center fielder to score Warnock and bring the Apps within three of Samford. Senior Allie Cashion brought the Mountaineers within one when she doubled down the left field line to plate both Gomez and Loudermilk.
After a Bulldog pitching change, the final out of the third inning would be retired as the Apps trailed 5-4 heading into the top of the fourth.
Samford threatened to score in the top of the fourth inning Brister picked up her second hit of the day as she doubled to right center and advanced to third on a groundout with two outs, but the Bulldogs were unable to score as a fly-out to left field ended the inning.
Appalachian loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning when it drew three walks, but the final batter of the inning was sat down before the Apps were able to push a run across the plate.
The Mountaineers took their first lead of the game when Cashion drew a one out walk and Meghan Smith knocked her third home run of the season over the center field fence, allowing App to take the 6-5 lead in the bottom of the fifth.
The Apps extended its lead to 7-5 when Rogers singled through the left side of the field. Pinch runner Kristen Terry took second base on a Samford error and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from Heichen. Warnock hit a deep sacrifice fly to center field that would allow Terry to score the unearned run from third base.
Samford started a comeback in the top of the seventh inning when Adams doubled to right field and pinch runner Caroline Seay advanced to third on a wild pitch. Seay would score the Bulldogs final run of the contest when Abby Adams hit a sacrifice fly to short stop, but it would not be enough as the Apps went on to a 7-6 victory.
Warnock, Cashion and Smith each knocked in two RBI for the Mountaineers as they each tallied one hit. Schoelkopf (6-5) picked up her sixth victory of the season as she pitched 4.2 innings on relief with three strikeouts.
Warnock led the Appalachian roster in the weekend series as she has three hits with six RBI and two home runs.
UNCG 11, Western Carolina 1
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina softball (8-17, 1-5 Southern Conference) dropped the final game of the three game series with UNCG (21-4, 5-1 SoCon) 11-1, in five innings, Sunday at the Catamount Softball Complex. The Spartan win earned UNCG a series sweep over the Catamounts.
A seven-run fifth inning and five Western Carolina errors all but locked down a win for UNCG. The Spartans scored their first run of the game in the top of the second when a run-down attempt from third to home went awry for Western Carolina and Tatiana Alcala scored on a Catamount fielding error. UNCG added three runs in the top of the third inning.
Freshman Taylor Sigmon started the game for Western Carolina and went 2.2 innings allowing five hits only one of them earned, and struck out two. Sigmon took the loss and falls to 0-3 on the season.
Jordan Garrett replaced Sigmon in the third inning. She was on the mound when UNCG scored seven runs in the top of the fifth however none of the runs were earned. Garrett did give up back-to-back homeruns to Lindsay Thomas and Katelyn Bedwell in the scoring laced inning for UNCG.
Western Carolina clawed into the game, for a bit, when it scored a run in the bottom of the fourth to avoid a shutout and cut the Spartan lead to three, 4-1. Senior Amber Steinhardt and was replaced at first for pinch runner Morgan Blanton. Spartan pitcher Raeanne Hanks threw two wild pitches allowing Blanton to move third. Sophomore Heather Chastain knocked in her 13th RBI of the season when she singled up the middle to score Blanton.
Chastain's single was the second hit of the game for Western Carolina. The Catamounts ended the game with just two hits as freshman Karley Harkey also got a single for Western Carolina.
Minnesota 7, Georgia Southern 1
Florida State 12, Georgia Southern 3
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. - Georgia Southern Softball finished the 2013 FSU Sunshine Classic with a pair of losses to Minnesota and Florida State on St. Patrick's Day at Dr. JoAnne Graf Field. The Eagles dropped the opener 7-1, but fell to FSU by a 12-3 margin in five innings to close the tournament which was won by the Gophers. GSU continues a spring break road trip this week with games at LSU on Tuesday evening.
The Eagles fall to 14-14 on the year while the Gophers move to 23-9 and FSU improves to 16-9 in 2013.
- GAME ONE -
For the second-straight day, early runs by Minnesota gave the Golden Gophers an early lead that would not be relinquished. The Gophers played small ball to score the opening run, but a home run by the next batter made the Minnesota advantage 2-0.
The Eagles put runners on second and third in the fourth inning, but stranded both. A leadoff single by Tallahassee native A.J. Hamilton to open the fifth chased Minnesota's starting pitcher, but once again the Eagles would strand runners on base.
In the bottom of the fifth, Minnesota scored three runs to go up 5-0. Tabby Douberley, however, got the Eagles off the mark in the top of the sixth with a solo home run off the scoreboard in centerfield, her fourth of the season.
Minnesota scored two more in the bottom of the sixth to take the 7-1 win.
- GAME TWO -
Florida State took the second game of the day with a 12-3 victory after the Eagles cut the lead to two in the third inning. It was a pair of doubles with runners in scoring position that cashed in the runs for Georgia Southern.
Five runs in the first two frames put the Seminoles up early, but the Eagles kept their nose to the grindstone and battled back into the game an inning later. A walk, followed by a fielding error opened the door for Shelby Morrill to rip a double to the gap to score two runs. Tabby Douberley followed suit a few pitches later with a double to the gap in left to plate Morrill and cut the lead to 5-3.
FSU answered back in the bottom of the third with two unearned runs to push the lead back to 7-3. A five-run fifth inning which was capped by a three-run home run gave FSU the 12-3 run-rule victory after five innings.
The Eagles will venture further west to face LSU on Tuesday evening in Baton Rouge. The doubleheader starts at 6 p.m. (ET) / 5 p.m. (CT) with game one being televised by Cox Sports Television. The channel is available on Cox Cable in Middle Georgia and on Dish Network.