ETSU 9, Towson 1 (5 inn.)
ETSU 8, Bucknell 7
GREENVILLE, N.C. - The ETSU softball team earned a pair of wins Friday in the Pirate Clash invitational at East Carolina University, extending its win streak to four.
In the Buccaneers' (4-4) first game of the tournament, ETSU defeated Towson, 9-1, in five innings.
ETSU scored in three separate frames to manufacture eight runs on 11 hits, including a five-run fifth inning.
Kelsey Smith, Kelsey Chernak, Cassi Pickett, and Bethany Cowart combined to go 6-for-10 at the plate, accounting for the Bucs' nine runs.
Sophomore Taylor Carter earned the win for ETSU, tossing five innings of one-run softball and allowing just four hits.
The Buccaneers' offense continued to produce in their second game of the day, helping ETSU to an 8-7 win over Bucknell, becoming the first team to beat the Bison (5-1) this season.
ETSU scored five runs in the opening inning, highlighted by a three-RBI double from Latosha Rectenwald. Rectenwald leads the Bucs with seven RBI this season.
Bucknell went on to score seven unanswered runs; however, ETSU held on to win, 8-7.
Whitney Leon and Madison Ogle combined to pitch seven innings, allowing five earned runs on just five hits.
ETSU will conclude play in ECU's Pirate Clash Saturday, Feb. 14, taking on Marshall and East Carolina at 2:00 and 4:30 p.m., respectively.
Furman 7, Radford 2
Furman 8, Radford 6
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Junior Taylor Collins capped a seven-run Furman rally in the bottom of the seventh with a three-run, walk-off home run to lift the Paladins to an 8-6 victory over Radford and doubleheader sweep of the Highlanders on opening day at Pepsi Stadium on Friday. Furman claimed a 7-2 victory in game one.
Trailing 6-1 entering the bottom of the seventh inning in the nightcap, Furman (2-0) tallied seven runs on just four hits and one Highlander error. Ambree Muller drew a one-out walk and scored on Natalie Clemmons' line drive triple off the rightfielder's glove. After Clemmons scored on Sieara Bishop's sacrifice fly, the second out of the inning, Elise Smith kept the rally alive with a single through the right side. Andrea Abbatiello's pop up to third base was dropped to prolong the inning and Furman loaded the bases when Taylor Jenkins fouled off a pair of two-strike pitches before being hit by a pitch.
Freshman Lindsey Bert singled to center field to drive in two runs, trim the deficit to 6-5 and chase Radford starter Tiffany Brown. Collins worked a 3-2 count against reliever Kelsey Weddle before belting the payoff pitch over the left field fence to give the Paladins the 8-6 victory.
On in relief of Bert, Smith (1-0) induced three consecutive pop-ups to to strand a pair of runners in the top of the sixth after Radford had runners at second and third base with nobody out. In the seventh, Smith worked around a two-out error to strand two more runners. The Johns Creek, Ga., native tossed two scoreless innings to earn the victory.
Radford scored two runs apiece in the first, third and fifth innings to jump out to a 6-0 lead before Bert lined a double to left-center to plate Jenkins in the bottom of the sixth to get Furman on the board. Bert finished 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI in her collegiate debut after allowing six runs on eight hits in five innings in the circle.
Brown (0-1) suffered the loss for Radford allowing seven runs, three earned, on seven hits in six and 2/3 innings of work. She fanned four batters and walked three. Whitney Davis and Maggie Rowe each went 2-for-3 to pace the Highlander offense.
In the season opener, junior Alex Sappington (1-0) worked around two first-inning runs to toss and complete game and lead the Paladins to a 7-2 win.
Davis plated a pair of runs with a one-out single in the first to give Radford the 2-0 lead. Furman answered in the bottom of the second as Courtney Jacobs and Muller drove in runs after Hope Smith bounced a double inside the third base bag to put runners at second and third with one out.
Elise Smith gave Furman a 3-2 lead with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth and Clemmons and Jenkins followed with a RBI triple and RBI single, respectively, to stretch the Paladin lead to 5-2. Abbatiello's RBI triple and Bishop's sacrifice fly upped the lead to 7-2 in the sixth inning.
Sappington allowed two earned runs on seven hits over seven innings, while striking out six and walking just one Radford batter to earn the victory. Hope Smith went 2-for-3 with a double to lead Furman's nine-hit attack at the plate.
Davis went 2-for-3 with two RBI for the Highlanders. Radford's Abby Morrow (0-3) allowed five runs over four and 1/3 innings of work to suffer the loss.
Furman returns to action in the season-opening Upstate Classic at 11 a.m. on Saturday when the Paladins face the George Mason Patriots at Cyrill Stadium on the campus of USC Upstate in Spartanburg, S.C.
Mercer 6, Eastern Illinois 4
Samford 12, Gardner-Webb 8
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University softball team used a big nine-run first inning to propel itself to a 12-8 victory over Garder-Webb University on Friday, Feb. 13, on the first day of the Samford Classic.
The Bulldogs opened the contest down 2-0 after GWU plated two runs on starting pitcher Jessica Stone (1-0). Stone issued a walk to Kellie Beres and she capitalized on the free base offering to steal second.
Megan Gibbons reached first for Gardner-Webb on a strikeout wild pitch to put runners at first and third with no outs. A double by Scarlett Harris plated the Runnin' Bulldogs first run of the game while Amanda Gomes plated the second on a sacrifice fly to Megan Dowdy in center field.
Samford bounced back in a big way after the team rallied to score nine runs on five hits and three errors to take the lead 9-2.
Junior Caroline Wilder put Samford back out in front 3-2 after she belted a three-run home run that scored fellow junior Megan Dowdy and freshman Shelby Maze.
SU kept rolling in the inning to score six more runs thanks to RBI hits from senior Caroline Seay, sophomore Abbie Miranda and Maze.
Stone settled down to pitch five and two thirds quality innings before Gardner-Webb forced her from the circle. Gibbons hit a three-run homerun over the big wall out in left field to close down the Samford lead 9-7.
Sophomore Grey Adams was brought into relief of Stone and closed out the inning without any more resistance from GWU.
SU responded with a three-run inning in the bottom of the sixth to open some separation. Junior Caitlin Bice was brought in to pinch hit for senior Abby Adams and took the first pitch she saw and sent it over the wall in straight away center field for her first homerun of the season. Miranda tallied her second hit of the game later in the inning with a two-run homerun of her own to give Samford a comfortable 12-7 lead headed in to the seventh.
The Runnin' Bulldogs only managed to plate one run in the seventh to close out the contest.
Miranda finished the game 2 of 2 from the plate with three RBI, two runs scored and two walks to lead Samford offensively. Wilder tallied three RBI going 2 of 4 from the plate with one run scored.
Grey Adams picked up her first save of the season for her efforts.
The Bulldogs return to action in the Samford Classic on Saturday, Feb. 14, when the team takes on Murray State at 12:15 p.m.
UMass Lowell 9, Chattanooga 5
Missouri 6, Chattanooga 1
CLERMONT, Fla. – The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team opened its weekend with losses to UMass Lowell and No. 18 Missouri on the first day of the Dot Richardson Invitational, at the NTC Softball Complex.
The Mocs (4-3) held a steady pace through the first six innings in their game against UMass Lowell. UTC got on the board first in the bottom of the first, when Alyssa Taylor doubled home Sam Taylor. Chattanooga added two more in the third frame on a two-run home run by Sarah Beth Roberts.
In the top of the fourth the River Hawks (3-2) got on the board. Ariana Darcy doubled with two outs and Abby Jamieson reached on an error allowing Darcy to score, cutting the deficit to 3-1.
The teams continued to trade runs as the Mocs scored another run in the bottom half on a sacrifice fly from Anyssa Robles and UMass Lowell scored two runs, one in the fifth and one in the sixth, to put the score at 4-3.
Chattanooga scored its final run of the game in the bottom of the sixth on a RBI double by Robles, scoring Marina Wilkerson. The Mocs led 5-3 heading into the seventh inning, when the River Hawks took over.
With two outs and the bases loaded, Darcy singled home Tori Alcorn bringing up Jamieson. The senior connected on a two-RBI single, driving home Vanessa Cooper and Mikayla Powlowsky giving UMass Lowell its first lead of the game at 6-5.
The Riverhawks would secure three points to win the game, 9-5
Looking to redeem themselves, the Mocs put up a tough battle against the nationally ranked Tigers, but an offensive outburst in the sixth inning sealed the win for Mizzou, 6-1.
The Tigers opened the game with a 1-0 lead in the first inning, with Gadbois scoring off a sacrifice hit by Emily Crane. Relentless, the Mocs tied the game at the top of the second inning as a Missouri right field error allowed Nicole Osterman reach home plate.
UTC’s defense would stand sound at the bottom of the second inning claiming its second and third out off a double play from second to first base. However, the team’s rhythm would not prove strong enough to keep the Tigers off the board allowing them to take a 2-1 lead.
The fourth and fifth inning would go scoreless as the teams fought for control.
The sixth inning would become the deciding period as sophomore Natalie Fleming roped a lead-off double and Gadbois followed with a single. During the next at bat, Crane came through with a clutch single to score both Fleming and Gadbois. A pair of RBI singles from freshman Amanda Sanchez and senior Corrin Genovese ballooned the Tigers' lead to 6-1.
Chattanooga is back in action on Saturday, Feb. 14. The Mocs take on Cleveland State at 11:00 a.m. ET and UMKC at 1:30 p.m.