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Samford Eliminates Western Carolina
Samford 8, Western Carolina 0
Box Score - PDF
Greensboro, N.C. – Alex Adams’ two-run single in the bottom of the sixth advanced the Bulldogs past the Catamounts on Thursday night with an 8-0 six-inning win. Shelby Scott threw 5.0 innings of shutout ball, allowing three hits and three walks and striking out two en route to the victory.
Kayla Shaffer went 2-for-3 with two RBIs to lead the Bulldogs, while Alex Adams went 2-for-4 and added three RBIs.
Jordan Fulton went 2-for-3 to lead the Catamounts, while Amber Steinhardt went 1-for-2.
Samford got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning. Kayla Shaffer sent a one-out double to the fence in right center then scored on a Callie Brister single to give the Bulldogs the early 1-0 lead.
Shelby Scott made quick work of the Catamounts in the top of the second, before Samford pushed another run across in the bottom half. Scott sent a lead-off single to left, then two batters later Rachel Bickert singled to center. Then, with two outs, Caroline Seay reached on a Western Carolina throwing error which allowed Scott to score to give Samford a 2-0 lead.
Scott continued her dominant pitching, getting another 1-2-3 inning in the third. The Bulldogs got another run in the bottom of the third on an RBI double by Alex Adams to make it 3-0. Garrett then got two strikeouts to end the Samford scoring.
Western Carolina’s first hit of the game came in the top of the fourth when Jordan Fulton singled to left-center. Amber Steinhardt followed with a walk, then Haley Pace reached on an fielder’s choice and Fulton was thrown out at third. Scott then got a fly out to deep center to work out of the jam and preserve the Bulldogs’ 3-0 lead.
Abby Adams lead off the bottom of the fourth with a bunt single, then Caroline Seay reached on a throwing error that moved both runners up a base. Dowdy then reached on a fielder’s choice and Adams scored to push the Samford lead to 4-0. Jordan Garrett then got a strikeout and two foul outs to prevent further damage and limit the Bulldog scoring to one run.
In the top of the fifth, Heather Chastain drew a one-out walk and Amber Kimrey drew a two-out walk, but Scott got a strikeout and ground out to stop the WCU rally. Jordan Garrett then held Samford scoreless for the first time in the contest, getting a 1-2-3 bottom of the fifth.
Western Carolina started the top of the sixth with back-to-back singles by Jordan Fulton and Amber Steinhardt. Haley Pace then laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third with one out. New pitcher Misha Aldridge then got Taylor Sigmon to ground into a double play, with Fulton thrown out at the plate to end the inning and hold the 4-0 Samford lead.
After a lead-off walk, Caroline Seay perfectly executed a hit-and-run to put runners on the corners with no outs for Samford. Seay stole second and then Megan Dowdy reached on an error by the first baseman. Kayla Shaffer then sent a single up the middle to score two runs and push the Bulldog lead to 6-0 in the bottom of the sixth. Callie Brister then singled to load the bases again for Samford with no outs. Alex Adams then sent a single up the middle to score two more runs and give the Bulldogs the 8-0 victory.
Samford (17-34) becomes the first nine seed to reach the semifinals of the SoCon Tournament and will face UNCG at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow. Western Carolina finished the 2013 campaign at 20-36.
College of Charleston 2, Appalachian State 0 (10 innings)
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Greensboro, N.C. – Hope Klicker threw 10 shutout innings and Mackenzie Maples hit a two-run homer in the top of the 10th inning as College of Charleston outlasted Appalachian State, 2-0. Klicker allowed four hits, no walks and struck out six en route to the victory.
Ashton Jarrett went 3-for-4 to lead the Cougars while Maples had the only two RBIs. Appalachia State starter Alissa Schoelkopf threw 10.0 innings allowing nine hits, two runs (one earned), four walks and four strikeouts in the loss, after also pitching the previous game for the Mountaineers.
In the top of the third, College of Charleston’s Carly Corthell drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. She stole third on a delayed steal, but Schoelkopf got a strikeout and a fly out to strand the runner. In the bottom of the third, Sarah Warnock dropped a one-out double just inside the left-field line and advanced to third on a CofC error. Hope Klicker then got a strikeout and a fly out to strand the runner.
Chandler Frisbie led off the top of the fourth with a single to right. Mackenzie Maples then laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runner to second with one out, and two batters later, Becca Mueller drew a two-out walk. Kristy Giragosian sent a single over the head of the third baseman to load the bases, but Schoelkopf got a weak grounder to get out of the jam.
College of Charleston threatened again in the top of the fifth. Ashton Jarrett singled to the shortstop to lead-off the inning, but Schoelkopf got three consecutive fly outs to strand the runner. Appalachian State also knocked on the door in the bottom half of the fifth, with Cynthia Gomez sending a single to center and advancing to second on a sac bunt. Hope Klicker then got a fly out and a strikeout to end it.
CofC again got the leadoff runner on base in the top of the sixth when Maples drew a walk. Pedigo laid down a perfect sac bunt to move the runner into scoring position, Schoelkopf again got out of the jam with two consecutive fly outs. College of Charleston got an easy bottom half of the inning to hold the score at 0-0 after six innings of play.
After College of Charleston stranded another runner in the top of the seventh, Klicker snagged a comebacker to the mound for the first out in the bottom half. She then got two consecutive groundouts to send the game to extra innings.
Allison Pedigo sent a two-out single to center in the top of the eighth inning followed by a single by Becca Mueller. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch, but Schoelkopf got a weak pop up to get out of the jam. Klicker worked a quick 1-2-3 inning to send the game into the ninth, still tied at 0.
College of Charleston’s Ashton Jarrett dropped a one-out single in centerfield and moved up on a sacrifice bunt, but Schoelkopf got a fly out to keep the game at 0-0. Lindsay Loudermilk sent a two-out single to center in the bottom of the ninth, but Klicker got a line out to the shortstop to end the ninth.
CofC started the top of the 10th with a runner on second (international tiebreak rules) who moved to third on a wild pitch with one out. Then Mackenize Maples sent a two-run shot deep over the fence in right center to give the Cougars a 2-0 lead. Klicker got a comebacker to the mound, a line out to the shortstop and a groundout to end the game.
College of Charleston moves to 36-19 on the season and will face Georgia Southern tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. Appalachian State finished the 2013 campaign at 31-22.
UNCG 3, Appalachian State 0
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Greensboro, N.C. – UNCG’s Raeanne Hanks pitched her second shutout of the tournament, holding Appalachian State to two hits and earning the Spartan 3-0 victory to keep UNCG’s tournament record a perfect 2-0. Hanks allowed just two hits and two walks, while striking out six.
Heather Robb went 1-for-2 with a run scored, an RBI and a walk to lead the Spartans. Appalachian State starter Alissa Schoelkopf was handed the loss, throwing 6.0 innings and giving up five hits, three runs and one walk.
Raeanne Hanks worked around a lead-off error to start the game and strand a Mountaineer runner early. In the bottom of the first, Aisha Figueroa singled through the left side to start it off for the Spartans. She stole second, then advanced to third on a Katelyn Bedwell fly out. Schoelkopf then got a weak pop up to the shortstop to end the UNCG threat.
UNCG got on the board in the bottom of the second. Heather Robb drew a lead-off walk followed by a Tatiana Alcala single. The runners moved over on a sacrifice bunt before Toni MacReynolds sent a single to right field scoring Robb. The Spartans got another run on a sac fly by Nicole Thomas before Schoelkopf got a pop up to end the Spartan scoring at 2-0.
The Spartans continued their strong offensive performance in the bottom of the third. Lindsay Thomas doubled to deep right to lead-off the inning, then scored on an RBI single by Heather Robb to give UNCG a 3-0 lead.
Allie Cashion drew a lead-off walk in the top of the sixth and Lindsay Loudermilk was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second with no outs for Appalachian State. Hanks then got a strikeout and two ground outs to get out of the jam.
Sarah Warnock drew a two-out walk in the top of the seventh, but Hanks got a ground out to end it and secure the Spartans’ 3-0 victory.
UNCG moves to 37-18 on the season and will face the winner of the Western Carolina/Samford game tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. Appalachian State falls to 31-21 on the season and will face College of Charleston at 7:00 p.m. tonight in an elimination game.