Western Carolina 7, North Carolina A&T 0
Western Carolina 8, North Carolina A&T 5
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina softball remained undefeated at home sweeping North Carolina A&T 7-0, 8-5 Wednesday at the Catamount Softball Complex.
The pair of victories halts the Catamounts’ eight game losing streak and improves the team’s overall record to 9-17 on the season. The Aggies fall to 5-14 on the year.
It was the first time this season Western Carolina has swept a doubleheader. The Catamounts also hit five homeruns in the two games combined and upped its seasonal homerun total to 19 which is four more than the team’s 14 in the 2014 season.
Senior Catamount pitcher Jordan Garrett tossed a five hit shutout in seven innings of work to improve to 6-8 on the season. Garrett struck out eight batters and walked two. It was Garrett’s second shutout of on the year.
The Catamounts didn’t waste any time getting on the scoreboard scoring three runs in the bottom of the first.
Western Carolina got a lead-off single by Abigail Daniels but she was erased at second as she tried to leg out her single into a double. Junior Victoria Mariscal followed reaching first on a NC A&T error and she quickly scored when sophomore third baseman Kara Salvo launched her first homerun of the season to left field for two runs. Junior Taylor Sigmon followed with a double to right center and with two outs stole third. Sigmon scored thanks to an RBI single by Crystal Cyr.
Through the first four innings, Garrett worked through a pair of Aggie base runners each time shutting down the final batter with a strikeout, a ground out or a fly out.
Meanwhile, the Western Carolina battery kept on hitting. The Catamounts scored in four of its six innings.
After the three runs in the first, Western Carolina added a single run in the bottom of the third. Mariscal led off the third with a double to right center and the bases became loaded from a single by Salvo and a fielder’s choice play by Sigmon. Courtney Price hit into a fielder’s choice that scored Mariscal. The damage scoring wise could have been greater, with bases loaded and no outs but the Aggies got a ground out, a fly out behind the plate and a strike out to end the inning.
The Catamounts notched its second homerun of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. With one out, Price doubled to right center and Cyr followed with a homerun to right center scoring Price.
Price got into the homerun rally in the seventh as she hit her third homerun of the year over the left field wall.
After allowing base runners in the first four innings. Garrett sat down eight consecutive batters in the fifth, sixth and start of the seventh. With two outs, Garrett yielded a double to Alejandras Barcenas but quickly forced the next batter to ground out to short stop to end the inning and close out the game.
Western Carolina strung together a season-high 13 hits in the game and the three homeruns by the team was also a team-high.
Cyr led the team going 3-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored. Mariscal, and Price each had two hits.
Sophomore pitcher Courtney Buchanan threw four scoreless innings, giving up lead-off runners in the first two innings, before settling down a bit in the third and fourth innings. Buchanan worked around a second inning in which she led off the inning with a walk and a hit a batter. The Catamount defense held the Aggies keeping them off the scoreboard.
Western Carolina quickly took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Freshman Emily Helton, who was playing third base in the second game, went 4-for-4 in the game and led off the scoring, in the first, with a single. With two outs, Helton scored when Sigmon singled down the first base line.
In the third inning, Helton again led off the inning with a single up the middle. Mariscal pounded her fourth homerun of the year to left field to put WCU up 3-0.
The Catamounts huge bottom of the fourth inning, scoring four runs, was the insurance Western Carolina would eventually need to secure the game. With one out, Cyr drew a walk. The Catamounts loaded the bases when Heather Chastain and Karley Harkey each singled. Cyr recorded the second out of the inning when she was out at home when Amber Kirmrey reached first on a fielder’s choice. Helton’s two RBI single past the shortstop was her third hit of the game scoring Chastain and Harkey. The Catamounts added its third and fourth runs of the game off a two RBI double by Mariscal to right field.
North Carolina A&T finally scratched the scoreboard in the top of the fifth when the Aggies plated a pair of runs. The Aggies added another run in the top of the sixth.
Harkey hit the second homerun of the game, for Western Carolina, when she hit a solo shot to left center to lead off the bottom of the sixth.
Buchanan was relieved after six innings of work. Shen gave up three runs on eight hits, walked three and struck out five. She picked up the win, her first of the season, and improves to 1-6 on the season.
Sigmon came into the game in relief for Western Carolina in the seventh. After fanning the first two batters, Sigmon got her third strikeout of the inning but a passed ball by Salvo, who was catching for WCU, allowed the Aggie baserunner Kaelyn Moore to reach first. This set up the two run homerun by Jillian Nobles making the score 8-5. Maven McKnight followed with a single to extend the inning for the Aggies. Sigmon closed out the game striking out Zebresha Blakeney to end the game. Sigmon had four strikeouts in the seventh inning.
Helton went 4-for-4 in the game with two RBI and three runs scored. Harkey followed going 2-for3 with two runs scored, an RBI and a homerun.
Western Carolina opens Southern Conference play March 21 hosting returning SoCon member ETSU. First pitch of the doubleheader with the Buccaneers is set for 1 p.m. at the Catamount Softball Complex.
NC State 11, UNCG 8
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG softball team scored eight runs off 10 hits but it wasn’t enough as NC State held on for a 11-8 victory Wednesday at the UNCG Softball Stadium.
The Spartans drop to 12-9 on the season and NC State improves to 15-9.
Junior Danica Bishop took the loss falling to 2-2 on the season. Emily Weiman improved to 10-6 after throwing four innings for the Wolfpack.
Junior Allison Geiner went 3-for-4 at the plate with a double and a run scored. Classmate Lacey Leary was 2-for-4 with a solo home run and three RBI. Sophomore Tory Wright finished with two hits and a solo home run.
Tyler Ross led NC State going 2-for-4 with a three-run home run.
NC State took a 2-0 lead off two hits in the first inning. Renada Davis and Ross both reached off walks. Molly Hutchison lined a RBI double off the left field wall and RBI sacrifice fly from Maggie Hawkins.
The Wolfpack took a 5-0 advantage after Tyler Ross launched a three-run home run to centerfield in the third inning.
NC State picked up two more insurance runs in the third inning off two hits. Lana Van Dyken reached after being hit by a pitch to start the inning. Sara Lippard worked a walk to setup runners at first and second. Macauley Prickett lined a RBI single to centerfield to make it 6-0 NC State. Davis gave the Wolfpack a 7-0 lead after a RBI sacrifice fly to left field.
UNCG responded with a four-run third inning thanks to a three-run home run from junior Nicole Thomas. Nicole Thomas blasted her team leading third home run of the season and extended her reach base streak to 21 games.
The Blue and Gold cut the lead to 7-6 after scoring two runs off two hits in the fifth inning. With two outs, the Spartans loaded the bases after Nicole Thomas and Wright worked walks. Leary lined a two-run single to centerfield to inch UNCG close at 7-6.
The Wolfpack would answer with four runs in the sixth inning off three hits. With one out, Ross singled and Hutchinson walked. After a double steal, Burroughs lined a RBI single to left field. Lana Van Dyken roped a two-run double to right field giving NC State a 10-6 lead. Prickett earned the final RBI of the frame off a fielder’s choice.
In the seventh inning, UNCG made one last rally hitting back-to-back home runs with two outs. Wright blasted her second home run of the season and Leary followed with her third to cut the lead to 11-8. Courtney Mirabella earned her first save of the season getting a groundout to end the game.
The Spartans open Southern Conference play on the road against Chattanooga starting with a doubleheader Saturday, March 21 at 3 p.m.
Tennessee Tech 8, Samford 7
Tennessee Tech 10, Samford 5
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University softball team suffered a pair of setbacks, 8-7 & 10-5, in doubleheader action against Tennessee Tech University at home on Wednesday, March 18.
The Bulldogs (18-10) played six outstanding innings of softball as they had all of the momentum and a 7-0 lead over the Golden Eagles (15-11). Tech exploded offensively in the top of the seventh inning to score eight runs and tied the game 7-7 on a grand slam home run from Hannah Eldridge and took the lead 8-7 before the inning ended.
Samford's offense ran smoothly from the beginning of the contest as the team scored at least one run in four of the first five innings of play. Abby Adams, Callie Brister and Lexie Higgins each hit home runs in the contest but the long ball was not enough as the offense stalled in the final two innings.
TTU carried its' momentum over into the second game of the day and tallied 10 runs on 14 hits to pick up the second win of the day. SU scored runs in the first and the fifth innings to tally five runs on nine hits.
Samford held a brief 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first of the second game when Shelby Maze drove in a pair of runs on a single to left field.
Offensively, five Bulldogs ended the day with averages of .500 or better as Abby Sweeny (.600), Megan Dowdy (.571) and Callie Brister (.500) led the charge.
Sweeney was 3 of 5 at the plate with an RBI and three runs scored while Dowdy was 4 of 7 at the plate with three runs scored and a pair of doubles. Brister led all Bulldogs with three RBI after going 3 of 6 with two runs scored and a home run.
The Bulldogs open Southern Conference play this weekend as the team hosts Furman University in a doubleheader on Saturday, March 21, at 1 & 3 p.m. then on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Kennesaw State 3, Furman 2
Kennesaw State 8, Furman 1
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Kennesaw State's Hillary Kartman went 5-for-6 with a homer and the Owls pitching staff held Furman to three runs on 13 hits over two games to claim a 3-2, 8-1 doubleheader sweep of the Paladins on Wednesday at Pepsi Stadium.
With the sweep, Kennesaw State improved to 17-9 on the season. Furman dropped to 14-10.
Lauren Bennett lined a two-out, RBI double to left-center field in the top of the seventh to plate Noelle Winkles as the Owls downed Furman, 3-2, in game one.
Natalie Rhodes reached on a leadoff single and scored on a groundout to give Kennesaw State a 1-0 lead in the top of the first and the Owls added an unearned run on a throwing error in the second inning.
AnnaRose Borrelli plated Taylor Jenkins with a grounder to short after the Paladin second baseman had reached on a double in the bottom of the second and Furman knotted the game at 2-2 when junior Sieara Bishop lined a solo homer down the left field line with two outs in the bottom of the sixth.
Winkles delivered a one-out single for KSU in the top of the seventh and stole second ahead of Bennett's eventual game-winning double.
Reliever Morgan Sikes (5-5) earned the win for the Owls after holding Furman to one run on three hits in two and 1/3 innings. She fanned three batters without issuing a walk. Paige Mathews came on to retire the last to batters and earn her second save of the season after Borrelli reached on a seventh-inning single for the Paladins.
Freshman Lindsey Bert (10-4) took the loss allowing two earned runs on 10 hits in seven innings. She walked one and struck out three.
Rhodes went 3-for-4 at the plate for Kennesaw State while Bennett and Kartman each added two hits.
In the nightcap, Mathews limited Furman to just a run on eight hits and the Owls jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first three and a half innings en route to the 8-1 victory.
Megan Veringa put the Owls in front with an RBI single in the first innings before Kartman hammered a two-run homer to left-center in the top of the third. Missy Perkowski drove in Winkles with an RBI double in the fourth and Kartman delivered a two-run single to left field with two outs to up the margin to 6-0.
Courtney Sutter capped the KSU offensive onslaught with a two-run blast to center field in the seventh before Hope Smith belted a solo shot to left-center in the bottom of the frame to help Furman avoid the shutout.
Mathews (7-2) struck out five batters and walked just one to earn the victory. Kartman went 3-for-4 with four RBI, while Veringa tallied two hits in the nightcap.
Paladin starter Alex Sappington (2-6) allowed six runs on eight hits in three and 1/3 innings to absorb the loss. Sophomore Elise Smith surrendered two runs on three hits in three and 2/3 innings of relief.
Bert, Bishop and Natalie Clemmons each collected two hits apiece for the Paladins in game two.
Furman opens Southern Conference play when it visits Birmingham, Ala., to take on Samford in a three-game set on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's doubleheader is slated for 2:00 p.m. ET with a single game on Sunday at 2:00. Each game of the series will be streamed live on the SoCon Digital Network.