East Carolina 4, Elon 2
East Carolina 6, Elon 0
GREENVILLE, N.C – The Elon University softball team fell in its doubleheader today, April 18, to East Carolina by scores of 4-2 in game one and a 6-0 setback in the second game at ECU Softball Field.

Both teams will return tomorrow, April 19, for the series finale scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

Elon had a pair of runners reach in the top of the first. Carleigh Nester recorded her 50^th career double for the first hit of the game and advanced to third on the next at bat. The hit also moved Nester into sole possession of third place all-time in school history with 213 in her career. Emily Roper joined her on the bases after drawing a two-out walk, but the two would be stranded after a grounder to the third baseman ended the frame.

ECU plated the first run of the game in the bottom half. Shelby Johnson placed a one-out single to right field then stole second to move to scoring position. After advancing to third, Johnson scored on an Abby Wynne single to third to go up 1-0. Elon would recover to record the final out of the inning.

Elon responded in the top of the third inning with its first run on the scoreboard. Carey Million led off with her fourth homer of the year on a solo shot to center to tie the game at 1-1. The Phoenix however went down in order to close out the remainder of the inning.

The Pirates jumped back in front in the bottom of the third. Alex Fieldhouse singled to second base, scoring Kristi Oshiro who had reached earlier on a walk. The run put the Pirates up 2-1 after the end of the third.

A sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth scored another run for ECU to put the Pirates up 3-1. Wynne drove in Johnson, who singled to lead off the inning, putting the Phoenix in a two-run hole. East Carolina had another run cross home plate in the frame on a single through the right side, making the score 4-1 after five.

Elon attempted to stay alive in the top of the seventh. Ali Ford hit her second home run of the season with a one-out delivery to left center to pull the Phoenix within two, 4-2. After Johanna Spencer reached on single up the middle, the Phoenix had the tying run at the plate, but ECU converted the double play on a foul out to first to end the game.

Caitlin O’Shea (6-13) took the loss for the Phoenix in the opening game after going 5.0 innings and allowing four runs on nine hits. Alli Burdette pitched a scoreless inning in relief in the sixth frame. Elon had five hits total in the first game and left three runners on base.

Elon threatened in the top half of the first inning of game two loading the bases. Nester was walked and Emily Cameron joined her on the bases with a one-out single up the middle. The pair moved into scoring position before loading the bags after Aly Quintana was walked. The Phoenix could not drive them in as the game moved to the bottom of the frame.

The Pirates wasted no time to put runs on the board in the bottom of the frame as Oshiro blasted a three-run home run to put ECU up 3-0. Oshiro drove in Chelsea Kaluhiokalani-Glackin and Johnson, who both singled to lead off the inning.

Neither team scored in the next two and a half innings before ECU added its fourth run of the game in the bottom of the fourth. Jill Jelnick scored on a Jasmine Robbins two-out single to the shortstop to put the Pirates up 4-0.

A two-run bottom of the fifth put the Pirates up 6-0. Johnson scored on an Oshiro double to center field. Oshiro would later cross home plate on a triple by Jordan Lewis to center, giving the Phoenix a six-run deficit after the fifth.

The game would end in that score as the Phoenix fell to ECU, 6-0. Elon starter Chelsea White (9-7) received the loss for the Phoenix in game two after pitching 4.0 innings and giving up six runs on seven hits. Cameron had Elon’s only two hits in the contest against the Pirates in game two.

 

Chattanooga 9, MTSU 3
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Chattanooga Mocs softball team trumped Middle Tennessee 9-3 Friday evening at Frost Stadium in part one of its two game series with the non-conference foe.  Junior Sarah Beth Roberts led the Mocs to the win over the Blue Raiders with two homeruns in the contest.

Middle Tennessee got the ball rolling in the first inning with two runs against starting pitcher Katie Henderson .A single from leadoff hitter LaRi Mitchell put a runner on and a homerun from Laura Dukes put MTSU up 2-0 early.

Roberts cut into the lead in the second inning with a solo homerun to left field to pull UTC within one run of the lead, 2-1.  Roberts delivered again in the very next inning as the junior lifted a towering drive down the leftfield line, wrapping a homer around the foul pole to give Chattanooga a 3-2 lead. 

Nicole Osterman added onto the Mocs lead in the same inning as she drilled a single up the middle into center.  Camped out at second in the at-bat, sophomore Alyssa Taylor came around to score to give Chattanooga a 4-2 advantage.

The third inning saw Chattanooga tack on two more runs with Jesslyn Stockard singling to right.  Roberts later walked in her third at-bat to put runners on the corners and an error on a Taylor batted ball allowed two runs to score.

Criket Blanco led the charge in the fourth on a double to left center.  With the second baseman on second, Marina Wilkerson  laced a single to right to score the sophomore.

Chattanooga wrapped up its scoring in the sixth inning with pinch hitter Jenny Garcia reaching on a fielder’s choice.  Roberts then singled, her third hit of the night, and Garcia came around to score on a throwing error, putting the Mocs up 9-2.

The Blue Raiders made a short run in the seventh with one run on three hits, but reliever Taylor Deason was able to shut the Middle Tennessee bats down to secure a 9-3 victory.  Henderson came away with her 13th win of the season and Chattanooga improved to 25-17 with the win.

 

No. 6 Alabama 6, Georgia Southern 4
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Georgia Southern Softball gave No. 6 Alabama all it wanted on Friday afternoon, dropping a 6-4 result at UNC’s Anderson Softball Stadium. The Eagles led early and tied the game twice before a walk-off home run gave the Crimson Tide the win. The game’s attendance, 1,863 set a new record at the UNC Softball Stadium

Georgia Southern (30-15) scored the opening run of the game putting two runners in scoring position with a pair of infield hits and a bunt single. A passed ball with two outs allowed Taylor Rogers to scamper home and give the Eagles an early 1-0 advantage.

Alabama (38-8) bit back in the fourth by loading the bases with no outs on a pair of walks and a single to the outfield. Kallie Case delivered an RBI through the right side to score the Tide’s first run of the game. A sacrifice fly later in the frame gave Alabama its first lead of the game, 2-1.

Morgan Robinson brought the Eagles back on to level terms with the Crimson Tide with two outs in the top of the sixth with a solo home run. The long-ball to the gap in right was her third four-bagger of the season and tied the game at 2-2.

Marisa Runyon put Alabama back on top in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run home run down the line in right. Her first career home run sailed over the fence to score Case from second and give the Tide a 4-2 advantage.

After an infield single by Lexi Allen to open the seventh, AJ Hamilton went yard for the fourth time this season. The home run tied the game again, this time at 4-4 as the Eagles stayed alive in the game.

In the bottom half of the seventh, Alabama got a leadoff walk to place the winning run on first. Cleanup hitter Jadyn Spencer did the damage, lofting a home run to centerfield to secure the 6-4 win for the Crimson Tide.

Alabama’s Jaclyn Traina took the win to go to 17-2 on the season while allowing a season-high nine hits. Sarah Purvis went the distance for the Eagles and was handed the loss to fall to 16-9 on the season. The senior hurler posted five strikeouts on the day.