Furman 4, Elon 2Elon 5, Furman 4Elon, N.C. – Furman claimed a 4-2 victory in game one of Sunday’s doubleheader at Elon to earn a split of the Southern Conference twinbill and take two of three in the series versus the Phoenix at Hunt Softball Park. The Phoenix salvaged a 5-4 win in the series finale.
After taking a 9-0 victory in the series opener on Saturday, Furman plated three runs in the top of the sixth to rally past the Phoenix, 4-2, in Sunday’s first of two contests.
Alaina Hall gave the Phoenix a 1-0 lead in the first inning with a solo home run before Furman’s Lauren Collier helped her own cause by executing a squeeze bunt with one out to score Ambree Muller from third base and tie the game in the top of the second inning.
After Elon took advantage of three walks, including a base on balls to Carleigh Nester with the bases loaded, in the bottom of the second inning to take a 2-1, the score remaining the same until Furman mounted a rally in the top half of the sixth. Muller opened the fame with a double into the gap and scored the tying run when Natalie Clemmons ripped an RBI single to left field with one out. Clemmons advanced to third on a wild pitch and Collier drew a base on balls to put runners on the corners.
With one out in the sixth, Stephanie Spain flied out to left, but pinch hitter Kalie Hicks worked a walk to load the bases and fellow freshman Elise Smith looped a two-run single into center field with two outs to put Furman in front, 4-2.
Collier, who limited Elon to a pair of runs on three hits over six innings or work, returned to the circle for the final two innings and struck out the side in the seventh to earn her fourth save of the season. She walked six batters and recorded eight strikeouts.
Reliever Alex Sappington, who fanned two batters in a perfect bottom of the fifth inning, earned the win to improve to 3-1.
Second baseman Taylor Jenkins and Clemmons each collected a pair of hits for the Paladins while Muller scored two runs.
Caitlin O’Shea (4-8) took the loss for Elon, allowing three earned runs on six hits in seven innings. She walked four and fanned two Paladins.
In the series finale, Elon’s Emily Roper homered twice and drove in al five runs as the Phoenix held on to edge Furman, 5-4.
Roper belted a two-run homer in the bottom of the second to erase a 2-0 deficit and gave the Phoenix a 5-2 lead with a towering three-run blast to left field in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Furman looked like it may complete another late-inning rally in the top of the seventh as Collier was hit by a pitch to start the frame before catcher Hannah Pace knocked a two-run blast over the left field fence with one out to trim the margin to 5-4.
Elon (17-16-1, 2-7 SoCon) starter Ali Burdette, however, retired the next two batters to salvage the series finale for the Phoenix and improve to 3-1 in the circle. She held Furman to four runs on five hits in a complete-game effort while striking out five Paladins.
Furman starter Shelby Parker (4-8) was tagged with the loss after giving up five runs on just four hits in four innings. She issued two walks and fanned four batters.
The Paladins (16-17, 4-4 SoCon) opened up a 2-0 lead in the early innings when Nikki Legg scored on a wild pitch in the first and Clemmons led off the second with a solo homer down the left field line, her second homer of the weekend. Pace finished 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and a homer to pace the Paladin offense.
Chattanooga 9, UNCG 1Chattanooga 2, UNCG 1UNCG 12, Chattanooga 10GREENSBORO, N.C. – Chattanooga completed its halted game from Saturday early this afternoon with an 9-1 win over UNCG. The Mocs picked up the game in the top of the seventh inning after rain put the game on hold overnight.
Senior Kaiti Dutton and freshman Jesslyn Stockard powered UTC to the eight-run win with a couple of home runs Saturday evening behind outstanding pitching from Taylor Deason and Katie Henderson.
The Mocs were first to strike in the second inning for two runs. Stephanie Rieck singled and Stockard walked to put two runners on. A single from Dutton loaded the bases and junior Sarah Beth Roberts chopped an infield single to third to plate one. The second run of the inning scored as Alyssa Taylor reached on a fielder’s choice.
UNCG got its first hit and run of the game in the fourth inning off Henderson . Tossing a no-hitter until the fourth, a double from Lindsay Thomas brought around one runner to score, but Henderson was able to work out of the inning with no further damage done to register for the win. It’s the ninth win of the season for Henderson.
Deason was brought on in the fifth inning with one out with the bases loaded. UNCG third baseman Danielle Vega grounded back to Deason to begin an inning-ending 1-2-3 double play to get the Mocs out of trouble. The junior finished off the game, pitching 2.1 inning to pick up her fourth save.
Leading with a short 3-1 advantage, Chattanooga poured on five runs in the sixth on five hits and two errors. With two runners on and two outs, Stockard lifted a liner out of the yard to right-center to put UTC up 6-1. With Sam Taylor singling in the following at-bat, Dutton answered with a two-run shot to nearly the same spot. The high-arching homer bounced off the screen protecting the scoreboard and extended the UTC lead to 8-1.
Nicole Osterman added a solo-homerun to the Mocs’ score in the seventh with a blast that carried over the centerfield fence.
The second game of the weekend saw the Mocs claim a tight 2-1 pitching duel over the Spartans Sunday afternoon. Both Taylor Deason and Katie Henderson were called on to deal in the middle game against UNCG starter Raeanne Hanks.
Chattanooga jumped ahead of the Spartans in the first inning with a quick one-run frame. Junior Sarah Beth Roberts walked to lead off and advanced to second on a wild pitch in the following at-bat. A productive ground out from Alyssa Taylor moved the junior to third set up an RBI ground out for Anyssa Robles.
Two hits and an error in the third inning allowed UNCG to jump back into the game and tie it up 1-1. Tatiana Alcala led off with a single and a grounder advanced the speedster to second. Dominique Madruga singled in the next at-bat, reaching safely, but a throwing error allowed her to reach second and Alcala to score.
Getting down to the wire, with the game tied 1-1 after six innings, Chattanooga took advantage of its final three outs with two hits in the last stanza. Roberts put the Mocs in scoring position with a leadoff double and Robles answered with a single to left to bring the third baseman in from second.
In turn, reliever Henderson shut the Spartans out in the bottom half of the seventh to claim her 10th win of the year.
UNCG got off to a hot start in the series finale Sunday evening. Four runs in the first inning, three runs in the second and three Chattanooga pitchers later, UTC found itself down 7-1 after just two innings of play.
Starting pitcher Katie Henderson was pulled in the middle of the first inning after allowing a three-run homerun. In relief, Taylor Deason allowed an inherited runner to score but got the Mocs out of the inning with minimal damage done further.
Chattanooga put one run on the board in the second inning as Sarah Beth Roberts reached on a fielder’s choice. With Stephanie Rieck at second and Kaiti Dutton at first, Roberts grounded to short. On the flip to second, the toss got away and Rieck motored home to put a dent in the Spartans’ lead.
The flood gates opened up in the top of the third for Chattanooga as the Mocs put up four runs to bring UNCG’s lead to just two runs, 7-5. Robles got the Mocs started with a leadoff homerun to straightaway center. Nicole Osterman then singled to left and Rieck reached first on an error. With two on, Criket Blanco sent a double to center to score Rieck. Osterman and Blanco both scored in the following at-bat as Dutton singled to right.
The offense stayed strong in the fourth inning to put up five runs and take a 10-7 lead on the Spartans. With Taylor on second with a double - her 12th hit in 12 straight games – and Robles on with a walk, Osterman lifted a monstrous three-run homer to left to give Chattanooga an 8-7 lead. Chattanooga added two insurance runs in a bases-loaded situation and two outs. Sam Taylor chopped a hard grounder in front of the plate that prompted UNCG’s Hanks to throw to home. The throw went wild and made way for Blanco and pinch runner Hannah Thurley to score.
UNCG battled back in the botton of the fourth with two runs to pull within one, but Henderson was able to work out of a bases-loaded jam to preserve the lead. After a two-RBI double put two runs up for the Spartans with no outs, the sophomore was able to deliver a strikeout, and coax a pop-up and groundout to end the fourth with a 10-9 advantage.
The Spartans would come out on top, though, thanks to a couple of timely homeruns. A solo-shot in the sixth tied the game 10-10 and a two-run homer in the seventh from Katelyn Bedwell gave UNCG the walkoff 12-10 win.
Samford 3, Appalachian State 0BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford softball team took game three 3-0 over Appalachian State University to complete the series sweep on Sunday, March 30, at Samford Field. The win marks the first time the Bulldogs have swept a SoCon opponent since 2010 against Western Carolina University and the first series sweep against the Mountaineers. Mollie Hanson (15-6) picked up her third win in as many days as she shut down the Appalachian State (12-19, 3-5 SoCon) offense and limited them to just two hits through seven innings pitched; Hanson dealt five strikeouts with only one walk allowed. Lindsey Loudermilk was the lone batter to record the two hits against Hanson, while the Bulldogs (27-9, 5-3) offense tallied nine hits in the contest against the Apps pitching staff. Callie Brister led off the bottom of the second with a walk and Hannah Taylor with a 3-1 count drove the ball into left field for a double that allowed Brister to score all the way from first. Brister singled in the third to plate Megan Dowdy for the 'Dogs second run of the game then was followed up Taylor who brought around Caroline Wilder on an RBI single up the middle to make the game 3-0. Dowdy finished the day a perfect 3 for 3 at the plate with one run scored and was followed up by Taylor's 2 for 3 effort at the plate with two RBIs. Brister, who has been on fire at the plate this past week, ended the day 1 for 2 with an RBI and a run scored, while Wilder also notched a 1 for 2 performance with a run scored.
Georgia Southern 2, Western Carolina 0
STATESBORO, GA. – Georgia Southern Softball improved to 8-1 in league play with a 2-0 victory over Western Carolina to sweep the three-game series. Senior pitcher Sarah Purvis pitched her second one-hit shutout of the weekend in the finale as the Eagle offense worked seven walks and got a pair of doubles from Shelby Morrill.
Four-straight walks by two different Western Carolina pitchers drove in the first run of the game with the definitive walk being issued to pinch hitter Savanah Coon. That run gave the Eagles a 1-0 lead through two full innings.
Morrill opened the second inning with a double to left and reached third on a wild throw back into the infield. A sacrifice fly by Morgan Robinson doubled the Eagle advantage through three frames.
Morrill would get another double later in the game, but two runs were all that was needed for the Eagles to improve to 24-11 on the season and 8-1 in league play.
Purvis carried her no-hitter into the fifth inning, but saw the bid ended with a double to left center. That would be the only hit on the day for Western Carolina as Purvis recorded her seventh shutout of the season and improved to 13-5 on the year. She added 12 strikeouts to her season total as she leads the league with 153 strikeouts.