Furman 6, South Carolina State 2
Furman 11, South Carolina State 1
Orangeburg, S.C. – Freshman Sieara Bishop collected four hits on the day and sophomore Ambree Muller went 3-for-3 with a grand slam in game two to propel Furman to a 6-2, 11-1 sweep of South Carolina State in the final non-conference twinbill for both schools on Wednesday afternoon at Lady Bulldogs Field in Orangeburg, S.C.
The sweep snapped a six-game skid for Furman and improved the Paladins to 24-24 on the season. South Carolina State dipped to 16-22.
GAME 1
Junior Lauren Collier surrendered just two unearned runs on four hits while matching a career-high with nine strikeouts to guide the Paladins to a 6-2 victory in game one.
With the game tied at 2-2 in the top of the third inning, Collier lined a leadoff double over the head of the left fielder and scored the go-ahead run on Taylor Jenkins' two-out double into the gap. The Maineville, Ohio, native started another rally with a leadoff single in the fifth inning before scoring on Natalie Clemmons double to left to up the lead to 4-2. Clemmons came around to score on Hannah Pace's fielder's choice and Bishop added a sixth run in the top of the sixth inning when she was forced in by Emily Boyer's bases loaded walk on a 14-pitch at-bat.
Collier retired the final six batters she faced, including striking out the side in the seventh to improve to 12-10 in the circle.
Vianney Gomez (13-11) allowed six runs, five earned, on nine hits to take the loss for South Carolina State. She walked six batters while fanning just one in the loss.
Furman took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second as Stephanie Spain lined an RBI single off of the glove of second baseman LaTavia Riley and Bishop followed with an RBI single down the left field line. A leadoff single and throwing error by the Paladins opened the door for the Lady Bulldogs in the bottom of the frame, and Tiffany Harris capitalized with a two-out, two-run single.
Bishop went 3-for-4 with a double to pace the Paladins' offense while Collier and Clemmons each collected two hits in three at-bats.
GAME 2
In game two, Furman scored four unearned runs in the second inning to grab a 5-1 lead and Muller highlighted a six-run top of the fourth inning with a grand slam to help Furman to an 11-1 victory by the mercy rule after five innings.
After the Paladins and Bulldogs traded runs in the first inning, Clemmons reached on an error, Jenkins walked and Muller delivered a bunt single to load the bases with no one out in the second. Boyer's worked a bases loaded walk to force in the go-ahead run and Bishop lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to up the margin to 3-1. Stephanie Field followed a Nikki Legg walk by drilling a two-run single to left field to increase the Paladin advantage to 5-1.
In the fourth inning, a bunt single, walk and Jenkins single to left loaded the bases with one out for Muller, who hammered a Jazmin Robinson pitch over the center field fence for her first career grand slam and team-leading eighth home run of the season. Taylor Collins and Boyer kept the run going with singles and Sarah Eidt drove in the Paladins' 10th run with her first hit of the day. Boyer scored on an interference call as she rounded third following an error to cap the scoring.
Three Furman pitchers combined to limit the Lady Bulldogs to an unearned run on two hits in five innings. Freshman Meaghan Houston, who tossed two perfect innings in relief of Shelby Parker, earned the victory to up her record in the circle to 8-7.
Muller finished 3-for-3 with four RBI to ignite the 11-hit Furman attack while Field totaled two hits and drove in three runs.
Robinson was saddled with the loss to fall to 0-7. She allowed six earned runs on 11 hits in five innings.
Furman celebrates Senior Weekend on Saturday and Sunday when it hosts its final home series of the season against the Elon Phoenix. Saturday's doubleheader gets underway at 1 p.m. with seniors Stephanie Field and Emily Boyer to be honored prior to Sunday's 1 p.m. series finale.
Appalachian State 1, North Carolina A&T 0
Appalachian State 5, North Carolina A&T 3
BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State University softball remained perfect at Sywassink Lloyd Family Stadium as it took two games from non-conference opponent, North Carolina A&T, on Wednesday. The Mountaineers defeated the Aggies 1-0 on a walk-off home run in the first contest before taking game two, 5-3.
With the win App State improves to 27-16 overall on the season and 16-0 at home, while North Carolina A&T falls to 7-30 overall.
Game One: App State 1, North Carolina A&T 0
Game one of the doubleheader turned into a pitchers dual as the game went six complete innings before senior Meghan Smith came up to bat in the bottom of the seventh for Appalachian. Smith drove her sixth home run of the season off the scoreboard in center field to allow the Apps to earn their 15th straight win in the friendly confines of Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium.
The Aggie pitching staff held the Black and Gold lineup to only three hits as the senior duo of Smith and Allie Cashion were the only Mountaineers to tally hits. Smith captured her eighth multi-hit game of the season and extended her hitting streak to eight games, notching two hits in the contest, while Cashion lined her 16th season double off the left field wall to bring her within two of the single season record.
North Carolina A&T left five runners on base with its best chance of scoring coming in the top of the fourth inning when it saw a leadoff hit from Sabrina Edmonds. Edmonds advanced to second with two outs on an Alejandra Barcenas single up the middle. The final out of the inning was retired when Alissa Schoelkopf struck out her sixth batter of the contest.
Sophomores Katherine Johnson and Schoelkopf combined to pitch a complete seven innings, keeping North Carolina A&T to four hits. Johnson earned her third start of the season, throwing 1.1 innings before Schoelkopf came on in relief to pitch 5.2 innings with 10 strikeouts, just one shy of her season-best 11 strikeouts against Wichita State.
Game Two: App State 5, North Carolina A&T 3
The Aggies scored their first run of the day when Raven Smith hit her seventh home run of the season just over the left center field fence, allowing North Carolina A&T to take the 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
Tranea Jones extended the Aggie lead to 2-0 in the top of the third inning when NC A&T loaded the bases on an App State error. Jones hit a shallow single to right field that plated Smith.
The Mountaineers came within one of the Aggies when Sarah Warnock had a leadoff double and Dani Heichen drew her team-high 23rd walk to put runners on first and second for Cashion. The left fielder lined her second double of the day off the center field wall to score pinch runner Cynthia Gomez.
The Apps knotted the score at 2-2 when Smith hit a deep sacrifice fly to left field, allowing Heichen to score the tying run.
The Black and Gold took the lead when freshman Ellie Manriquez hit her second career double, scoring Cashion and giving App State the 3-2 advantage over the Aggies.
Cashion tied the single season doubles record when she lined her 18th double off the right center field wall before Smith blasted her second home run of the day and eighth of the season over the center field wall to extend the Appalachian lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The Aggies got a second home run, this time off the bat off Alexiss Dominguez, over the center field fence in the top of the sixth inning to bring them within two of the Apps before Schoelkopf came on in relief for Shivaun Landeros with two outs and the bases cleared. Schoelkopf picked up the strikeout in five pitches to retire the final out the inning.
Smith led the Apps in game two as she tallied one hit and three RBI to extend her hitting streak to nine game, while Cashion went two-for-two at the plate with one RBI.
Landeros (10-6) went 5.2 innings in her 19th start of the season, while Schoelkopf pitched 1.1 innings to earn her first career save.
Appalachian will be back in action on Saturday, Apr. 27 when it travels to Auburn, Ala. to play a non-conference doubleheader against the Tigers. Game one is slated to start at 2 p.m.
NC State 11, Elon 0
ELON, N.C. – A five-run deficit in the first inning proved to be too much for the Elon softball team to overcome as the Phoenix (16-29) fell 11-0 to NC State (27-18-1) on Wednesday, April 24, in a non-conference contest at Hunt Softball Park.
Juniors Carleigh Nester and Lauren Oldham both had two hits to lead Elon offensively as the maroon and gold registered seven total hits as a team. Oldham also added a triple to her stat line.
Kayla Caruso (8-12) took the loss for the Phoenix after allowing six hits and five runs, two earned, in 2.0 innings. NC State’s Emily Weiman earned the win after going 4.0 innings and allowing six hits with five strikeouts.
Renada Davis led off the game with a single up the middle and advanced to third on a one-out double by Chelsea Tate. The Wolfpack plated the first run of the game after Davis scored after Hanna Sommer reached on an error. A single by Scout Albertson drove in Tate to make the score 2-0 before a three-run home run by Leah Jones pushed NC State’s lead to 5-0 after the top of the first.
After a scoreless inning and a half, Elon had an opportunity to add some runs to the scoreboard in the bottom of the third. Oldham hit a one-out triple to right field to give the Phoenix a runner in scoring position. Oldham would however get thrown out at home on a Tomeka Watson fielder’s choice on the next at bat. A pair of singles by Nester and Grace Eng loaded the bases for the Phoenix, but Weiman struck out the next batter to end the inning.
NC State added four more runs to the scoreboard in the fourth, two coming on an Albertson single up the middle and another pair on a Jones single through the left side.
The Wolfpack concluded its scoring on a two-run home run by Davis in the top of the fifth to make the score 11-0. The Phoenix could not respond in the bottom half and fell to NC State.
The Phoenix will look to rebound this weekend in a three-game Southern Conference series at Furman. Both teams will square off in a doubleheader on Saturday, April 27, before the series finale on Sunday, April 28, with both games starting at 1 p.m.
Presbyterian College 5, Western Carolina 4
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina softball (18-32) lost 5-4, in eight innings, to Presbyterian College (20-27) Wednesday at the Catamount Softball Complex. Due to inclement weather, the second game of the doubleheader was cancelled.
Tied at four after seven innings, the game entered the international tie breaker rule in the eighth inning, placing the last batter who made an out at second base.
The Blue Hose hit a sacrifice bunt to move Mary Ellen Morris, who had been placed on second, to third base. With one out, Tara Powell hit a sacrifice fly to the outfield to score Morris and give Presbyterian its first lead of the game, 5-4.
Western Carolina had its chance in the bottom of the eighth inning as Amber Kimrey was placed on second and sophomore catcher Heather Chastain laid down a bunt down to third base side to move Kimrey to third. After fouling off number pitches, senior Haley Pace, who hit a homerun earlier in the game, hit a ball to shallow centerfield. Kimrey tagged third and attempted to go home, but as thrown out at the plate to end the game.
Sophomore pitcher Jordan Garrett started the game and tossed five scoreless innings before Presbyterian posted two runs in the top of the sixth inning. In the fifth inning, Garrett recorded her 200th strikeout of the season, making her just the second Catamount pitcher in the programs eight year history to have 200 or more strikeouts. The softball program began in 2006.
Western Carolina scored a run in the bottom of the third to take the early lead. Freshman Karley Harkey drew a walk to lead off the inning. Megan Crowe followed by reaching first on a Presbyterian error. After a ground out by Amelia Griffin, and Jordan Fulton reaching on a fielder’s choice, in which Harkey was out at home, the Catamounts benefitted from the Blue Hose second error of the inning. An error by the Blue Hose third baseman, with Shemekia Scotton at bat, allowed Megan Crowe to score from third.
Pace gave Western Carolina a 2-0 lead with one swing when she hit her sixth homerun of the season in the fourth inning.
The Catamounts added two more runs, to claim a 4-0 lead, in the bottom of the fifth inning. Crowe opened the inning by reaching on a Blue Hose error and then back-to-back singles by Griffin and Fulton loaded the bases. Crowe scored on a passed ball by Presbyterian catcher Erin Taylor for the first run of the inning. Scotton laid down a sac bunt to pick up an RBI and score Griffin from third.
Presbyterian would bounce back by scoring five unanswered runs, starting with two in the sixth inning to cut the Catamount lead to 4-2. With one out, in the top of the seventh, back-to-back hits by the Blue Hose knocked out Catamount starting pitcher Garrett, who was replaced by Mallory Broome.
Broome promptly got the next batter to foul out to third base. With two outs, the Blue Hose Erin Ruff singled to left field picking up an RBI, and an error in left field allowed the runner at second to score as well, tying the game at four.
Garrett went 6.1 innings allowing four runs on seven hits, walking five and striking out five. She got a no decision in the game.
Broome went 1.2 innings, giving up the winning run, and falls to 5-9 on the season. Broome gave up one hit, one walk and got one strikeout.
Western Carolina closes out the regular season on the road this weekend at College of Charleston. The doubleheader on Saturday is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. with the single game on Sunday also scheduled for 1 p.m.
North Carolina 7, UNCG 3
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The UNCG Softball team out-hit UNC 12-8 but fell 7-3 on the scoreboard in a midweek contest Wednesday night at Anderson Stadium.
UNCG falls to 33-14, while the Tar Heels, who were ranked No. 25 in the polls last week, improved to 37-13. The Spartans had six players pick up multiple hits in game.
Redshirt junior Raeanne Hanks (Rainier, Oregon/Rainier Senior) took the loss falling to 17-7 on the season. Freshman Nicole Thomas (Irvine, Calif./Northwood) threw three scoreless innings in relief to keep the Spartans close. Thomas threw 4.2 innings, allowing just three hits and one earned run.
UNC scored a run in the first inning after the Tar Heels loaded the bases with two outs and Jenna Kelly was hit by a pitch to bring home Kristen Brown. Brown singled to start the inning. Hanks induced a groundout by pinch-hitter Kati Causey to end the threat.
In the bottom of the second inning, the Tar Heels scored five runs on four hits, including a two-run single from Constance Orr. Aquilla Mateen scored the first run with an RBI single and Haleigh Dickey earned an RBI sacrifice fly to push the Tar Heels' lead to 3-0. After Orr's two-run single, the final run of the inning scored on a passed ball.
In the top of the third, with one out junior Aisha Figueroa (Virginia Beach, Va./Ocean Lakes) extended her hitting streak to 16-games with a single to left field. Freshman Lindsay Thomas (Irvine, Calif./Northwood) singled to the shortstop to put runners on first and second. The Spartans couldn't push any runs across after a force out and a strikeout ended the opportunity.
The Spartans cut UNC's lead to 6-1 after scoring a run on an RBI walk from Nicole Thomas in the top of the fourth inning. Senior Eileen Horsmon (Dunkirk, Md./Northern) walked to start the inning, while sophomore Tatiana Alcala (Oxnard, Calif./Pacifica) reached on a bunt single. Freshman Danielle Vega (Rialto, Calif./Aquinas) singled to right field to load the bases for UNCG. After a strikeout, Thomas brought home a run on a walk. The inning ended with a pick off and a groundout to end the threat for the Spartans.
UNCG added two more runs on four hits in the top of the fifth inning. Lindsay Thomas picked up her second hit with a single up the middle to start the frame. Junior Katelyn Bedwell (Surrey, B.C./Elgin Park) just missed a home run with a double off the centerfield wall to put runners on second and third. After a pop out, Horsmon singled up the middle to score Thomas to make it 6-2 UNC. With two outs, Vega earned an RBI single to left center to push another run across for the Spartans.
In the bottom of the seventh, Orr blasted a one out home run to right field to give UNC a 7-3 advantage. It was the first run scored since the second inning for the Tar Heels after Nicole Thomas threw three scoreless innings in the circle.
UNCG will travel to Statesboro, Ga. for a three-game SoCon series against Georgia Southern starting with a doubleheader Saturday, April 27 at 1 p.m.