College of Charleston 8, Savannah State 0
College of Charleston 8, Savannah State 2
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – The College of Charleston softball team swept its Thursday afternoon doubleheader with Savannah State at Patriots Point to extend its win streak to nine games. The Cougars had at least eight hits in both contests en route to 8-0 and 8-2 victories.
Kelsey Hodgson (Woodstock, Ga.) homered in both games – a grand slam and a three-run blast – as the junior slugger was 3-for-6 on the day with eight RBIs.
Hope Klicker (Walla Walla, Wash.) threw a complete game shutout in game one while striking out six and scattering four hits.
Stephanie Saylors (Easley, S.C.) retired the first 11 hitters of game two in order and earned the win after going four innings with three strikeouts and just two hits. Valerie Cassell (Edison, N.J.) relieved her and allowed just two hits the rest of the way.
Nine different Cougars picked up base hits and six had multiple hits as the Cougars batted .333 as a team with a .493 on-base percentage.
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON: 8, SAVANNAH STATE: 0
After being held off the board in the first, the Cougars rallied in the second to load the bases on walks by Rebecca Mueller (Fair Oaks, Calif.) and Carly Corthell (Reno, Nev.) sandwiched around a Kristy Giragosian (Charlotte, N.C.) single. A fielding error allowed one run to score, but the inning was culminated by Hodgson’s grand slam ball to left center which pushed the score to 5-0.
The Cougars added a run in the third when Mackenzie Maples (Corona, Calif.) and Mueller singled up the middle and Corthell hit a groundball to second which allowed Maples to cross.
Lizzy Vaughn (Placerville, Calif.) singled to lead off the sixth and Chandler Frisbie (Lawrenceville, Ga.) drew a walk to put two runners on for the Cougars. Maples doubled to left and Courtney Clark (Tampa, Fla.) singled up the middle to plate the two runs the Cougars needed to induce the eight-run rule.
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON: 8, SAVANNAH STATE: 2
Just like they did in the first game, the Cougars sparked a five-run second inning to distance themselves from the Tigers early. After Mueller and Corthell walked and Pedigo hit an RBI single, the Tigers committed two fielding errors which allowed three runs to score, and Hodgson doubled down the leftfield line to cap off the five-run frame.
Before the Tigers could record an out in the fourth, Jarrett and Vaughn singled and then Hodgson hammered a 1-2 offering off the light pole in left center with the ball caroming over halfway up the stanchion.
The Tigers would plate runs in the fourth and the seventh, but that didn’t slow the Cougars from cruising to their ninth straight victory and 13th of their last 14 games.
UNCG 10, North Carolina Central 0
UNCG 11, North Carolina Central 3
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG softball team scored 21 runs to run-rule both games in the doubleheader against North Carolina Central 10-0 in five innings and 11-3 in six innings Thursday night at the UNCG Softball Stadium.
UNCG improves to 32-11 on the season while the Eagles drop to 3-37. The Blue and Gold pick up their seventh shutout of the season in game one.
Senior Heather Robb (Apex, N.C./Middle Creek) finished the series with two home runs and four RBI to lead the Spartans.
UNCG 10, North Carolina Central 0
Sophomore Erica Navarette (San Marcos, Calif./Mission Hills) earned her seventh victory after throwing a complete game in five innings. Navarette allowed just one hit with four strikeouts. London Booker allowed eight earned runs in 1.1 innings to take the loss.
Junior Katelyn Bedwell (Surrey, B.C./Elgin Park) went 3-for-3 with a two-run home run and two runs scored to lead the Spartans.
UNCG got off to a quick start with three runs on two hits to lead 3-0 against the Eagles after one inning. Junior Aisha Figueroa (Virginia Beach, Va./Ocean Lakes) walked to start the game, while freshman Danielle Vega (Rialto, Calif./Aquinas) singled to left field to put runners on first and third. Classmate Lindsay Thomas (Irvine, Calif./Northwood) lined a sacrifice fly to left field to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead. Bedwell picked up her ninth home run of the season to push the score to 3-0 UNCG.
In the bottom of the second, the Spartans broke open the game with a six-run inning on six hits, including a three-run home run from Robb. Sophomore Dominique Madruga (San Diego, Calif./Cathedral Catholic) was hit by a pitch to start the frame, while freshman Allison Geiner (Raleigh, N.C./Middle Creek) reached on an error. Figueroa roped a two-run double to left-center to push UNCG's lead to 5-0. Vega earned an RBI sacrifice fly to score Figueroa from third. After back-to-back singles from Thomas and Bedwell, Robb delivered her third home run of the season.
UNCG added another run in the fourth inning after Madruga picked up an RBI groundout to give the Spartans a 10-0 advantage. Senior Eileen Horsmon (Dunkirk, Md./Northern) singled up the middle for her second hit of the game. Pinch-runner Kiah Ruffin (Wake Forest, N.C./Wake Forest-Rolesville) stole second base and came around to score on a groundout by Madruga.
UNCG 11, NC Central 3
In game two, UNCG took control with a six-run sixth inning that included a walk-off two-run double from freshman Chelsea Strandlund (Victoria, B.C./Lambrick Park).
Freshman Nicole Thomas (Irvine, Calif./Northwood) picked up her fifth victory in relief after throwing two scoreless innings, allowing one hit with two strikeouts. Freshman Kelly Lupton (Galloway, N.J./Absegami) started the game for UNCG throwing four innings, allowing two earned runs with five strikeouts. Kayla McPeek earned the loss for North Carolina Central after allowing two unearned runs to score in the fifth.
North Carolina Central took an early lead after Camille Hampton hit her third home run of the season to left field to start the top of the second inning.
UNCG scored two runs in the second inning to take a 2-1 lead after two innings. Senior Aubrey Baldwin (Tucson, Ariz./Catalina Foothills) doubled down the left field line to tie the game at 1-1 scoring pinch-runner Ruffin from first. With two outs, sophomore Tatiana Alcala (Oxnard, Calif./Pacifica) gave the Spartans a 2-1 lead after an infield single scored Baldwin.
In the bottom of the third, Robb opened the frame with a solo home run to left center, her second of the series and fourth of the season to give UNCG a 3-1 advantage.
The Eagles tied the game with a two-run home run from Hampton, her second of the game, in the top of the fourth.
In the bottom of the fifth, UNCG took control with two runs to take a 5-3 advantage after junior Toni MacReynolds (Vienna, Va./James Madison) earned an RBI groundout and Nicole Thomas picked up an RBI single in the frame. Robb walked to start the inning, while Horsmon reached on an error to put runners on first and third. MacReynolds grounded out and Thomas singled to pick up the two RBI.
The Spartans put the game away with a six-run sixth inning to run-rule North Carolina Central. Horsmon earned an RBI single and MacReynolds picked up her second RBI on a hit by pitch. After two unearned runs came across, Strandlund ended the game with a two-run double down the left field line to give UNCG a 11-3 victory.
Georgia State 3, Samford 1
Georgia State 6, Samford 4
ATLANTA, Ga. ---- Samford fell in a pair of two-run losses to Georgia State Thursday night, as a late comeback bid in game two fell just short.
Samford (11-30) would knock in a combined eight hits in the game, with three of those being home runs. Alex Adams accounted for one of those homers with three hits in six at-bats. The Georgia State (29-16) offense would earn 15 hits between the two games with Lauren Coleman driving in three of the team’s nine runs.
GAME ONE: GEORGIA STATE 3, SAMFORD 1
Samford would jump out to an early 1-0 lead in game one but would be held scoreless from that point on, ultimately falling 3-1. Shelby Scott (2-12) took the loss in the circle, making her fourth-consecutive start, while Katie Worley (11-9) would earn the complete-game win for the Panthers.
Samford got on the board first, as Callie Brister took a 1-2 pitch over the left field fence for her fourth home run of the season to put the Bulldogs up 1-0 in the top of the first. With two outs in the top of the second, Kayla Shaffer looked to drive in Madeline Baker, pinch-running for Alex Adams at second, but Baker was tagged out at home off a great throw by the Georgia State center fielder for the final out of the half-inning.
In the bottom of the second with two on base and nobody out, Brister snagged a line drive to third and fired quickly over to first for a double play, looking to halt the Panther’s momentum. Later in the inning with two in scoring position, Whitney Phillips roped a two-run double down the left field line to give the home team the 2-1 lead. After a walk, a fly ball would strand the pair but the Panther’s now held the lead heading into the third inning.
The score would remain the same until the bottom of the sixth, as Georgia State’s Coleman led off the half-inning with a solo home run to make it a 3-1 ballgame. Three popups in the top of the seventh would end the game with the home team earning the two-run win.
GAME TWO: GEORGIA STATE 6, SAMFORD 4
Samford made a late comeback bid in the top of the seventh, scoring two but the deficit proved too large to overcome as they eventually fell, 6-4. The Bulldogs had two home runs in the game, one by Alex Adams in the second and one by Baker in the sixth, her first career long ball in what was also her first at-bat of the season. Caitlin Bice (0-6) threw 1.1 innings with only two of the six runs allowed going as earned runs, but took the tough loss in the circle.
Kaitlyn Medlam (16-6) threw 6.1 strong innings before letting things slip a bit in the top of the seventh, as game-one winner Worley entered to retire the final two batters and earn her second save of the season.
Following an error in the bottom of the first, Coleman drove a pair of runners home with a double to the left-field gap and Jordan Brown followed that with a single that dropped into shallow left to score another unearned run. A groundout would get the Bulldogs out of the inning but they now trailed, 3-0, heading into the second.
Alex Adams would get Samford on the board in the top of the second, leading off the half-inning with a solo home run to left field as the deficit was cut to 3-1. The long ball was her fourth of the season.
In the bottom of the second, a one-out RBI single up the middle by Ashley Christy made it a 4-1 ballgame. Brenna Morressy would drop a single into left field and an errant throw on the play would move her to third and score Christy as the lead swelled to 5-1. With only one out in the inning, Misha Aldridge entered to pitch for Bice, forcing a groundout for the second out but a single by Callie Alford would score Morressy to move their lead to 6-1. A groundout would stop the bleeding but the Bulldogs were now in a five-run hole heading into the third.
In the top of the sixth, Baker made her first at-bat of the season count, blasting her first career home run to cut the deficit to 6-2. Up to that point, Medlam had retired 13 Bulldog batters in a row before the senior from Alpharetta, Ga., took the ball over the fence.
Trailing by four in the top of the seventh, Brister was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and Alex Adams followed that with a single. After a lineout, Aldridge dropped a single into left field to load the bases and bring the potential tying run to the plate. Rachel Bickert hit a single over the left fielder’s head to move everyone over and score one as the lead was cut to 6-3. A sacrifice fly would cut the deficit to 6-4 but a strikeout would end it as the Samford comeback would fall just short.
This weekend, Samford returns home to face the Elon Phoenix (14-26, 4-11 SoCon) in a three-game conference series. Action begins on Saturday, April 20 with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. CT and concludes with a single game on Sunday, April 21 at 1 p.m.