Elon 1, North Carolina A&T 0
Elon 4, North Carolina A&T 2
ELON, N.C. – The Elon softball team allowed only two earned runs in its 14.0 innings of play to earn a pair of victories in a doubleheader against North Carolina A&T on Wednesday, May 1. The Phoenix (18-30) swept its final non-conference opponent of the regular-season with a game one 1-0 win and a 4-2 come-from-behind victory against the Aggies (7-32).
Game One
Elon 1, North Carolina A&T 0
Elon starter Chelsea White set a new career-high in strikeouts with eight as the sophomore pitcher outdueled Aggies’ starter Ashira Dobison in the opening game 1-0 win. White (5-14) allowed only two hits and walked only one batter in the seven inning, complete game performance for the Salisbury, N.C., native.
Dobison (2-16) went 6.0 innings with two hits allowed and one run while striking out five.
Both players established themselves in the circle early with both squads going down in order in the opening frame. White herself fanned two batters in the top half of the first inning before retiring the last batter on a ground out.
The Aggies threaten in the top of the second after Tranea Jones advanced to second on a passed ball and eventually moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. Jones reached earlier on a fielder’s choice and was joined in scoring position by Zabresha Blakeney after she reached on a bunt single and stole second with two outs. White forced the final batter to fly out to escape the inning.
In the bottom half, the Phoenix struck first on the scoreboard. Grace Eng led off the inning with a solo home run down the left field line to give Elon a 1-0 lead. It was the sophomore’s fifth homer of the season. The Phoenix was able to get another runner on base with one out, but Dobison struck out the next two batters to end the inning.
Neither team could get much going offensively after that point. White pitched a 1-2-3 third inning before moving into the fourth where she walked the first batter. She then struck out her fifth batter of the contests and induced a double play on the next at bat to move into the bottom half.
White proceeded to retire the next nine hitters she faced over the next three innings. With two outs in the top of the seventh, Jones took a White pitch nearly over the fence in left field, but Tomeka Watson was able to corral it to end the game.
Eng and Ali Ford had the lone hits for the Phoenix offensively with one each. Ford also added a stolen base to her stat line.
Game Two
Elon 4, North Carolina A&T 2
Both the Phoenix and the Aggies got things going offensively in the second game. The Aggies plated the first runs of the game in the top half of the second inning. N.C. A&T starting pitcher Jankikia May hit a two-out two-run home run to center field that gave the Aggies an 2-0 lead and some momentum moving forward.
Elon nearly responded in the bottom half of the inning. Karen Berna singled up the middle and advanced to second on a Lauren Oldham sacrifice bunt. She moved to third with two outs, but the next batter grounded out to end the inning.
In the top of the fifth, Elon starter Kayla Caruso and the Phoenix defense were pressured by the Aggie offense. Detavia Kenan and Raven Smith led off with back-to-back singles and moved into scoring position after a Jones sacrifice bunt. After Sabrina Edmonds was intentionally walked to load the bases, Caruso was able to record the final out on a pop out to end the threat.
The Phoenix bats came alive in the bottom half of the inning. Oldham reached on an error by the third baseman and scored after Ford doubled into left center to bring Elon within one, 2-1. Caitlin O’Shea followed with a one-out single into left center to score Ford and tie the game at 2-2. May induced the final two outs to move into the top of the sixth.
After a scoreless top of the sixth, the Phoenix plated the go-ahead run on a Carleigh Nester solo home run to lead off the bottom half. The reigning Southern Conference Player of the Week hit her 10th home run of the season into left center to put the maroon and gold ahead 3-2. After Eng reached and advanced to second another error, the Aggies relieved May with Shelby Snyder. Oldham moved Eng to third on a sacrifice bunt before Caruso singled through the left side to drive her home and give herself an insurance run, 4-2, going into the top of the seventh.
Despite allowing a free pass to the leadoff batter, Caruso was able to finagle her way out of a jam and induced the final three outs to complete the sweep of the Aggies.
Caruso (9-12) went all 7.0 innings to earn the win and allowed seven hits and two runs, while striking out five. May took the loss after going 5.0 innings with four runs allowed, one earned, off five hits.
Nester went 2-for-3 with a home run and a RBI to lead the Phoenix offensively. Four other players also recorded a hit for Elon.
Appalachian State 2, Radford 1
Appalachian State 11, Radford 3
BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State University softball wrapped up its perfect 18-0 home season with a sweep over Radford in its final mid-week doubleheader of the 2013 season at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium. The Apps defeated the Highlanders 2-1 in game one before taking game two, 11-3 on Wednesday night.
The Apps are one of only four teams in the nation who boast perfect home records as Michigan (13-0), Eastern Illinois (14-0) and Oregon (11-0) have not been beat at home. The Mountaineers' sweep over the Highlanders allows the Apps to own the best home record in the nation as Eastern Illinois can only finish with a 17-0 record if it sweeps SIU Edwardsville in its weekend series, Oregon will compile a 17-0 record with a sweep over Seattle and Oregon State, while Michigan will end with a 16-0 record with a sweep over Northwestern.
With the wins, Appalachian improves to 29-18 overall on the season, while Radford falls to 17-34 on the season.
Game One: App State 2, Radford 1
After two strikeouts from starter Shivaun Landeros, Radford’s Jessie Hutchens hit a solo home run over the left field fence to give the Highlanders a 1-0 lead.
The Apps threatened to score in the bottom of the fifth inning when they loaded the bases on three hits, including a Sarah Warnock bunt single with one out. Radford retired the final outs of the inning before the Black and Gold were able to push a run across, maintaining the 1-0 lead heading into the top of the sixth inning.
Appalachian sat down the Highlander offense in order in the top of the sixth, bringing up junior Lindsay Loudermilk in the bottom half.
After taking two strikes the junior first baseman lined her sixth home run over the right field wall to tie the game at 1-1.
Sophomore Cynthia Gomez came in on a pinch hit situation for the Apps in the bottom of the seventh inning and line a single to left side of the field to get things started for the Mountaineers. Warnock picked up her second hit of the contest when she drove a deep single to center field to move Gomez to third base before Dani Heichen lined a hard hit to the third baseman to cause an error and allow Gomez to score from third.
The run gave the Apps the 2-1 victory and its 17th-straight win at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium as Warnock led the Appalachian offense with two hits, while Loudermilk added one hit and one RBI and Heichen added one RBI.
Landeros (11-6) pitched all seven innings in the circle, allowing just four hits and striking out a season-high seven batters.
Game Two: App State 9, Radford 3
Appalachian came out strong in game two as they tallied five runs on six hits in the bottom of the first inning.
Three straight singles would plate the Black and Gold’s first run of the contest as Heichen led off the inning with a bunt single before stealing second and advancing to third on a Gomez bunt single. An Allie Cashion single through the right side of the field would score Heichen to give the Apps an early 1-0 lead with no outs.
Loudermilk hit a hard hit ball through the shortstop's legs that would cause an error and plate both Gomez and Cashion, extending the App State lead to 3-0 with no outs.
Ashley Seering tacked on the Mountaineers fourth hit of the inning when she singled up the middle, scoring the only unearned run of the inning as Loudermilk crossed home.
The Apps put runners on first and second with one out when freshman Alex Sohl hit a shallow single to right field before advancing to scoring position on a wild pitch.
An Ellie Manriquez walk loaded the bases for Caroline Rogers, who drove a single up the middle to score the Apps' final run of the first inning.
Radford scored its first run of the contest when Emily Naegele doubled to center field with two runners on base. The Highlanders added two runs on a wild pitch and a throwing error from the catcher to bring Radford within two of the Apps.
Appalachian responded in the bottom of the third inning when Sohl reached base on a throwing error, before Racquel Cooke came in to pinch run. Cooke advanced to second on a single from Manriquez before Caroline Chambers picked up her second hit and RBI of the season with a single to right field, giving App State the 6-3 lead over the Highlanders.
The Apps increased their lead to four when Manriquez drove her first career home run over the right field wall. The Black and Gold tacked on their second run of the inning on back-to-back doubles from Rogers and Chambers to take the 8-3 lead over Radford.
App State took a 9-3 lead with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning when Heichen who re-entered for Chambers scored on two wild pitches.
The Mountaineers added a 10th run in the bottom of the sixth inning when Manriquez grounded out, allowing Smith, who singled earlier in the inning, to score from third base.
Appalachian earned the mercy over Radford when the Highlanders second baseman committed an error, allowing the Apps to take the 11-3 victory.
Chambers led the Apps as she went 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBI, while Manriquez 2-for-3 with two RBI and Cashion and Seering each drove in an RBI.
Katherine Johnson would get the start in the circle pitching 1.1 innings, while Alissa Schoelkopf came on in relief pitching 4.2 innings with 10 strikeouts. Schoelkopf earned her 18th win in the circle for the Black and Gold.