College of Charleston
Elon
Mesko Hurls Second Straight Shutout as CofC Sweeps Elon with 10-0 Victory
4/19/2009 7:45:00 PM | Softball
Game 3 Boxscore - Elon vs. College of Charleston
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Junior pitcher Terri Mesko (McDonough, Ga.) threw a complete game, four-hit shutout and redshirt junior second baseman Amber Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) belted a three-run home run as the College of Charleston (17-22, 9-8) swept Elon (13-24, 4-11) with a 10-0 victory in the final game of their Southern Conference series on Sunday, April 19.
Following a scoreless first inning, Charleston got on the board first with a two-out rally in the bottom of the second. With runners on first and second, senior outfielder Tiffany Harmon (Lynn Haven, Fla.) laced a two-RBI double to left to give the Cougars a 2-0 advantage.
The score would stay that way until the bottom of the fourth when CofC exploded for five runs, highlighted by a three-run home run from Amber Shifflett. That blast was preceded by run scoring singles by sophomore outfielder Kristi Woodall (Huntersville, N.C.) and freshman shortstop Katie Forbes (Odessa, Fla.).
The Cougars final runs of the game would come in the bottom of the sixth inning in the form of a three-run, walk off home run by senior designated hitter Shannon Howard (Carmichael, Calif.). That blast, a line shot over the left centerfield fence, was her seventh of the season and gave Charleston a 10-0 victory.
Elon managed only four hits on the day, three of them singles by senior outfielder Brandi Jones, senior third baseman Patti Weber and sophomore outfielder Hannah Shelton. Freshman pitcher Erin O'Shea notched the only extra base hit for the Phoenix with a double. In the pitching circle, senior pitcher Melanie Helterbran started and went 3.2 innings, surrendering six hits, six runs and two walks while striking out three. She took the loss and dropped to 4-9 on the season.
For the Cougars, Amber Shifflett went 2-for-3 with two runs, a three-run home run and a pair of steals to extend her consecutive streak to 36 dating back to 2006. Howard added three RBI on her home run while Harmon finished with a double, two RBI and her 12th stolen base of the season.
Forbes finished the day 2-for-3 with a run and RBI and Woodall went 2-for-2 with two runs and an RBI. Junior third baseman Kristie Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) notched three walks on the day, tying for the third most in a single game by a Cougar.
Terri Mesko was masterful for the second straight game, pitching a six-inning complete game four-hitter to even her record at 9-9 on the season. She struck out seven batters to move her total for the week to 17 in 16 innings. In two outings, Mesko threw two shutouts and allowed only five hits in 16 innings, including a one-hit, 10-inning shutout in the second game of the series.
The College of Charleston will be in action next week when they travel to Charleston Southern for their final non-conference double header of the season. First pitch against the Buccaneers is set for 2:00 p.m. at Buccaneer Field in Ladson, S.C.
NOTES
The Cougars current three-game win streak is their longest of the season ... CofC went 4-1 on the week, earning a double header split against Coastal Carolina on Wednesday, April 15 ... Amber Shifflett's streak of 36 consecutive steals dates back to March 19, 2006 against South Carolina State.
