UNCG 11, UNCW 3UNCG 8, UNCW 2GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG softball team used seven home runs to propel them to a doubleheader sweep against UNCW Wednesday night at the UNCG Softball Stadium. The Spartans won game one 11-3 in five innings and won game two 8-2. The Spartans improve to 17-21 on the season while the Seahawks fall to 17-22. In game one, the Spartans blasted four home runs and had 16 hits to run rule UNC Wilmington, 11-3 in five innings. In the bottom of the fifth, sophomore Danielle Vega launched a solo home run to complete the run rule giving UNCG a 11-3 victory. Vega went 3-for-4 with two home runs and two RBI. Sophomore Lindsay Thomas went 3-for-3 with a solo home run and two RBI. Senior Katelyn Bedwell was 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. Senior Raeanne Hanks threw all five innings to pick up the victory in the circle. Hanks allowed just one earned run off two hits with eight strikeouts. Peyton Jordan falls to 7-12 after giving up five earned runs off seven hits. UNCG took an early 3-0 lead off three hits, including a two-run home run from Bedwell. Bedwell earned her eighth home run of the season and 152nd career RBI to move into second all-time in the Spartan record books. Sophomore Lindsay Thomas scored an unearned run after a dropped fly ball by the Seahawks. The Blue and Gold added three more runs in the second inning off four hits. Vega blasted a two-run home run and Lindsay Thomas had an RBI single. In the top of the third, UNCW scored a run off a wild pitch. A one out single from Lauren Moore started the rally. After a fielder’s choice and an interference play, Jessica Rappe walked to load the bases. Hanks got out of a bases loaded jam with a swinging strikeout to avert the damage. The Spartans took an 8-1 lead after scoring two runs in the third off four hits. Freshman Kendall McKinney singled to third base to start the inning. Junior Tatiana Alcala singled through the right side to put runners on first and third. Alcala then stole second before McKinney coming home on an interference by the catcher. After two outs, Dominique Madruga lined a RBI single to left center for the second run of the inning. In the bottom of the fourth, Lindsay Thomas hammered a solo home run to leadoff the inning. Freshman Hagan Kiser had a RBI single in the frame to give UNCG a 10-1 advantage. Kiser finished the game 2-for-3. The Seahawks scored two runs in the fifth to cut the lead to 10-3 off one hit and a UNCG error. Moore reached on a throwing error to start the inning. Darian Roberts singled and Merritt Wilkinson struck out looking. Moore scored off a throw down to second base. After another strikeout, Roberts scored off a wild pitch. In game two, Bedwell hit two home runs to help the Spartans rally and defeat UNCW, 8-2. Thanks to a pair of two-run home runs by Bedwell in the fourth and sixth innings, the Spartans came back from a 2-0 deficit to win 8-2. Sophomore Lacey Leary improved to 5-3 on the season after a complete game allowing just two earned runs off five hits. Darian Roberts took the loss after allowing four earned runs off four hits. UNCW took an early 2-0 lead in the second inning off a couple of RBI singles from Morgan Ayers and Brittany Gamby. The Spartans rallied back with four runs off four hits. Madruga roped a one out home run, her first of the season to put UNCG on the board. With two outs, Lindsay Thomas singled to right center moving pinch runner Emily Lopez (Charlotte, N.C./Olympic) to third. Nicole Thomas doubled to left field to tie the game at 2-2. McKinney singled up the middle to make it 3-2 UNCG. Nicole Thomas scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-2. Bedwell picked up her 9th and 10th home runs of the season and finished the game 2-for-4 with four RBI. Madruga was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and a solo home run.
Furman 4, Charlotte 1Furman 5, Charlotte 3Greenville S.C. – Furman belted three home runs and right-hander Alex Sappington earned a win and a save as the Paladins swept a non-conference doubleheader from the Charlotte 49ers 4-1, 5-3 on Wednesday at Pepsi Stadium.
The sweep improved the Paladins, winners of six straight games, to 11-2 at home this season and 22-18 overall. The 49ers slipped to 15-18.
In the opener, Sappington held the 49ers to one run in five and 2/3 innings of work while third baseman Natalie Clemmons belted a three-run homer to guide the Paladins to a 4-1 triumph.
Sieara Bishop staked the Paladins to a 1-0 lead with a solo shot to left in the bottom of the first before Charlotte evened the game at 1-1 on Jackie Kleinsmith’s solo homer in the top of the fourth.
Elise Smith began Furman’s rally in the bottom of the fourth with a one-out single to shortstop and Lauren Collier followed with a base on balls. Clemmons cleared the bases by clubbing a 2-2 pitch from Charlotte’s Lexi Betancourt over the center field fence for her team-leading fifth home run of the season.
Sappington improved to 5-1 in the circle by allowing just one run on four hits while walking four batters and fanning five. Collier entered with runners on second and third base and two outs in the top of the sixth inning. She fanned four of the five batters she faced in one and 1/3 innings in the circle to notch her nation-leading sixth save of the campaign.
Betancourt (14-9) suffered the loss for Charlotte after giving up four runs on four hits in six innings. She also walked four batters and struck out five.
Furman raced out to a 5-0 lead in game two and held on to claim a 5-3 victory over the 49ers.
Kalie Hicks hammered a two-run homer to center in the bottom of the second inning to give the Paladins the lead. In the bottom of the fourth, Ambree Muller drew a leadoff walk and moved to third on a stolen base and wild pitch ahead of Smith’s base on balls. A one-out single by Natalie Clemmons plated Muller and Hannah Pace extended the lead to 5-0 with a two-run single down the left field line.
Jessica Plemmons broke up Furman starter Shelby Parker’s no-hit bid with a two-run blast to center field with two outs in the top of the sixth inning and Kleinsmith followed with a triple past a diving Muller in left field, but Sappington came on to retire the side with a grounder to second base.
In the seventh, Charlotte plated an unearned run before Sappington induced a game-ending grounder to second base off the bat of leadoff hitter Natalie Capone to secure the save and the Paladin victory. She worked one and 1/3 innings of one-hit ball to earn her first save of the season.
Parker, who allowed two runs on only two hits in five and 2/3 innings in the circle, earned the victory to improve to 6-8. The Cherokee, N.C., native walked two batters and fanned four.
Charlotte’s Mackenzie Hauser allowed five runs on six hits over three and 1/3 innings to absorb the loss and fall to 1-4.
Hicks went 2-for-3 with a homer to pace Furman’s nine-hit attack.
Elon 3, North Carolina A&T 0GREENSBORO, N.C. – Junior Catilin O’Shea tossed her first shutout of the year to help the Elon University softball team to a 3-0 win at North Carolina A&T on Wednesday, April 9, at the Lady Aggie Softball Complex.
The Phoenix (20-18-1) defeated the Aggies (13-17) for the second time this season and extended its win streak to five versus N.C. A&T. O’Shea (6-10) was brilliant in the circle as the Kennesaw, Ga., native allowed only two hits with a pair of strikeouts in the complete game win.
Elon senior Lauren Oldham and freshman Emily Roper provided the offensive firepower for the Phoenix with both going 1-for-3 at the plate. Roper led the way with two RBI while Oldham drove in one for the Phoenix’s first run of the game. The maroon and gold have five hits overall against Aggies’ starter Janika May (6-8).
Oldham drove in the first run of the game in the top of the second. The infielder from Pittsboro, N.C., drove in junior Aly Quintana, who had reached earlier on a single through the left side, from second base with a two-out double to left center and gave the Phoenix the early 1-0 lead.
Elon added to its lead in the top of the third. Ali Ford and Carleigh Nester reached on singles before Roper drove both home on a single to left. The Phoenix ended the frame with a 3-0 lead over the Aggies going to the bottom half of the inning.
In the bottom of the fourth, North Carolina A&T recorded its lone hits on the day. After O’Shea induced the first two outs of the frame, the Aggies’ Tiffany Macklin singled to left field to break the no hitter. Jax Kaye Woodard followed with a single to single to center field, giving the Aggies a runner in scoring position. Elon would force the final out of the inning on a fielder’s choice.
The Phoenix had an opportunity to drive in another run in the top of the fifth. Alaina Hall was walked to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Nester. A passed ball with two outs moved her to third, but she would be stranded as the Phoenix flied out to end the inning.
Neither side generated much offensively from the bottom of the fifth through the sixth inning, with O’Shea and May quickly going through the order of both teams. Hall would reach on a two-out double in the top of the seventh, but the Phoenix could not move her as the inning turned to the bottom half after a Elon pop up to the shortstop.
O’Shea however got the first two batters she faced in the final frame to ground out to the shortstop before recording the final putout with a fly out to center to clinch to 3-0 win.
Georgia Southern 5, Georgia State 2
STATESBORO, GA. – The final non-conference softball contest between Georgia Southern and Georgia State before the Eagles join the Sun Belt went the way of the Eagles on Wednesday afternoon. Southern scored three runs in the first inning and never looked back en route to its seventh-straight win entering a crucial Southern Conference series against Furman.
The win for the Eagles took the home side to 27-11 on the year while Georgia State falls to 20-21 on the year. The contest was Georgia Southern Softball’s “GATA Game” with athletes from every Georgia Southern varsity team joining together to support the Eagles on the diamond.
First blood went to the home side who erupted for three runs in the opening frame while losing just one out. Taylor Rogers got a leadoff single and was worked in to score off Shelby Morrill’s single to the gap in right. A double by Kourtny Thomas and a single from Morgan Robinson plated two more runs as the Eagles sprinted out to an early lead and chased starting pitcher Eron Milton from the game.
State came back with a vengeance in the second, taking advantage of a passed ball with a runner on third, followed by an infield single to cut the Eagle lead to 3-2. Starting pitcher Sarah Purvis, however, settled down to get the final out via the strikeout.
Purvis claimed 11 strikeouts on the day and quelled the Panther threat for the rest of the game, picking up her 16th win of the season against just five losses.
Georgia Southern tacked on two insurance runs in the sixth inning as the Eagles tagged relief pitcher Kaitlyn Medlam for her first hits in the contest. Singles from Morrill and Thomas put ducks on the pond for Kaitlyn Johnson who drove in the runs with ease with a two-bagger to left.
The Panthers went in order in the seventh as Georgia Southern secured the 5-2 win in front of a large crowd at Eagle Field.
Samford 12, Tennessee State 4
Samford 4, Tennessee State, 3
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Samford University softball team took two victories on the road over Tennessee State University on Wednesday, April 29.
Callie Brister ended the day 4 for 9 at the plate with seven RBI and five runs scored which included a grand slam home run in game one and the go ahead run in extra innings in game two.
The Tigers opened up the contest scoring two runs and took a 2-0 lead over the Bulldogs after catcher Abby Sweeney attempted to throw out a Tiger base runner who tagged up on a fly out at second base.
Samford bounced back to plate a run in the top of the second on an RBI base hit by Sweeney back up the middle of the Tennessee State defense to make the score 2-1.
TSU plated another run in bottom of the frame to extend its lead out to 3-1 on a lead off solo home run.
The Bulldogs offense that had been dormant for the past several games awoke in the third as Callie Brister blasted a grand slam home run to give SU the lead 5-3. Megan Dowdy, Caroline Wilder and Abby Adams all reached earlier in the inning with base hits.
Liz Stansberry scored the Tigers final run of the game on an errant catch by Wilder at first.
Caitlin Bice brought in another Bulldog run in the fifth on a double off the top of the wall out in center field and Madison Dickey ripped an RBI single through the left side to extend the Samford lead out to 7-4.
Samford picked up a pair of runs in the sixth after Bice picked up an RBI walk and Taylor's RBI hit-by-pitch. Senior Arica Dykes drove in the final two runs of the inning with a single up the middle to make the score 11-4.
Brister drove in SU's final run of the contest on an RBI single hit sharply to the shortstop.
Mollie Hanson picked up the victory after pitching 4.0 innings in relief and improved to 17-7 on the season.
Grey Adams got the call for the start in the circle for Samford and she struck out a career-high nine batters in 4.2 innings. Shelby Scott pitched in 3.1 innings of shutout work to keep the Bulldogs in the game and Mollie Hanson (18-7) came in ninth inning and limited the Tigers to just two hits with five strikeouts to pick up her second victory of the day.
Brister tallied two RBIs and a run scored on one hit, while Rachel Bickert and Abby Adams both picked up a pair of hits. Megan Dowdy went 1 for 4 at the plate with two runs scored.
The Bulldogs opened up the scoring in the top of the first inning and posted two runs to take a 2-0 lead over the Tigers.
TSU struck back late and tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth.
Samford took back control in the 11th inning and plated two runs from which the Tennessee State could not recover from.
The Tigers attempted a comeback in the bottom of the 11th but only managed to strike for one run.