Radford 3, Appalachian State 2
Radford 4, Appalachian State 1
RADFORD, Va. — Appalachian State University softball traveled to Radford for a non-conference doubleheader on Thursday. Despite an overall solid pitching performance from Shivaun Landeros in game one, App State fell 3-2.
The Mountaineers (17-25) fell in heartbreaker fashion in game one, 3-2. With a 2-0 lead heading into the seventh inning, Appalachian allowed three runs to cross the plate and the Highlanders (19-20) would plate the winning run when Becky Mantel would be hit by the pitch with the bases loaded.
In the fifth inning, the Apps scored the first run of the game when Caroline Rogers hit an infield single that scored Cara Parker. Parker singled to start the inning with Alex Sohl reaching on an infield single prior to Rogers’ sixth RBI of the season. After Kristen Terry singled to load the bases, pinch runner Pepper Butler was thrown out at home on a Dani Heichen fielder’s choice.
Sarah Warnock led off the sixth with her eighth double of the season and 31st of her career. A couple of batters later, Parker would double down the left field line with pinch runner Caroline Chambers advancing to third and then scoring on Lindsay Loudermilk single to right field.
Heichen extended her hitting streak to nine games with an infield single to third base followed by her team-leading 17th stolen base of the season and 46th of her career. The swiped bag moves Heichen into sole possession of eighth all-time in program history.
Landeros pitched six innings and allowed four hits and three runs to go along with five strikeouts. The Mountaineers pounded out nine hits in the game and were led by Parker who finished 2-for-3.
In game two, the Mountaineers would again get on the scoreboard first but would end up falling to the Highlanders 4-1. In a 0-0 game in the fourth inning, Loudermilk would hit a sac fly to score Chambers from third base for the 1-0 lead. Warnock would open the inning with a single. Chambers would pinch run and make it to third on an Ashley Seering sac bunt and Parker’s team-leading ninth double of the season before the sac fly.
It was the bottom of the fifth inning that would doom the Apps in game two. With two outs and two runners on, Jessie Hutchens hit a three-run home run over the left field fence for a 3-1 lead. Whitney Davis would make it back-to-back home runs for Radford with a her solo shot landing out beyond the center field wall for the 4-1 advantage.
Sydney Laws was saddled with her seventh loss of the season after pitching 4 2/3 innings and allowing four hits and four runs to go with three strikeouts. Alissa Schoelkopf would relieve Laws and pitch the final inning and a third with three strikeouts. With Schoelkopf striking out the side in the sixth, she moved into sole possession of fourth all-time for career strikeouts in program history. Schoelkopf now has 238 career punch outs.
The Apps would out hit the Highlanders again in game two with Parker leading the way finishing 2-for-3 for the second consecutive game. Heichen extended her hitting streak to 10 games in the contest.