College of Charleston
Howard
Ledet pinch-hit grand slam sinks Cougars 5-1 in 2009 CofC Cougar Classic finale
2/15/2009 5:00:00 AM | Softball
Boxscore - College of Charleston vs. Howard
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Junior utility Aisha Ledet belted a pinch-hit grand slam in the fifth inning as Howard (3-3) defeated the College of Charleston (2-6) 5-1 Sunday evening in the finale of the 2009 CofC Cougar Classic in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
The Bison took the early lead in the second inning as sophomore utility Emily Johnson took the first pitch she saw and belted it over the left field fence for a 1-0 lead. The score would stay that way until the top of the fifth inning when Cougars senior shortstop Christal Kotchman (Seminole, Fla.) walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch before scoring on a single to right field by junior third baseman Kristie Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.).
With the score tied at 1-1 entering the bottom of the fifth inning, Howard loaded the bases on a single, fielder's choice and a walk before bringing in Aisha Ledet to pinch-hit for freshman outfielder Morgan Plowden. Ledet then drilled a towering shot down the left field line for a grand slam, giving the Bison a daunting 5-1 advantage.
That would be all they would need as Howard allowed only a pair of hits the rest of the way to secure the four-run victory and move to 3-3 on the season.
Sophomore pitcher Jessica Hurston picked up the victory after pitching three innings of scoreless, three hit relief while junior pitcher Christina McCoy started and went four innings, allowing four hits, one run and striking out four. Offensively, Ledet's four RBI led the way while Emily Johnson went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI on her solo home run.
For the Cougars, sophomore first baseman Katie Nutaitis (Vienna, Va.) went 3-for-4 and Kristie Shifflett and senior pitcher Shannon Howard (Carmichael, Calif.) each finished 2-for-4 on the evening. Shifflett had Charleston's lone RBI. In the circle, Howard went the distance, pitching six innings and allowing five hits, five runs and striking out two to fall to 0-3.
The Cougars resume their schedule next weekend when they travel to Spartanburg, South Carolina for the USC Upstate Spartan Classic. The tournament will run from February 21-22 and feature UMBC, Presbyterian and the host Spartans.
