College of Charleston
South Carolina State
CofC pounds out 20 runs and 25 hits in double-header sweep of S.C. State
3/30/2010 9:00:00 PM | Softball
ORANGEBURG, S.C. – Junior outfielder Kristi Woodall (Huntersville, N.C.) and redshirt-senior second baseman Amber Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) each had three-RBI games as the College of Charleston (11-16, 1-4) pounded out a combined 25 hits and scored 20 runs in a double-header sweep at South Carolina State (3-21, 0-0 MEAC) on Tuesday, March 30. The Cougars claimed both games in five innings, earning an 8-0 win in the first game before notching a 12-1 victory in the nightcap.
In Game 1, after threating in the first inning with two runners on base, the College of Charleston broke through in the second with a pair of runs. Redshirt-junior catcher Katie Pesature (Brewster, N.Y.) reached on a two-base error to lead off the inning and then scored on a single by junior first baseman Katie Nutaitis (Vienna, Va.) on the next play to make it 1-0.
She would then come around to score on a single through the left side by junior shortstop Hillary Stringer (Summerville, S.C.) for a two-run lead. The Cougars would add to that lead the following inning as they put up another run on a sacrifice fly by Pesature and made it 4-0 on an RBI single by Nutaitis. They would nearly equal their production for the entire game in the next frame alone.
Senior designated hitter Kristie Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) led off the fourth with a walk and advanced to second on a single by sophomore first baseman Kelley Dillon (Hanahan, S.C.). That set the stage for Pesature, who launched a three-run homerun over the left centerfield fence to push the lead to 7-0.
A two-out single by pinch hitter Ashton Jarrett (Hanahan, S.C.) in the fifth inning, followed by a steal and a wild pitch gave CofC a runner on third with a chance to go ahead by eight runs. After freshman outfielder Kristy Giragosian (Charlotte, N.C.) reached on a walk, the Cougars took an 8-0 lead as Jarrett scored on a double steal. In the bottom of seventh, the Bulldogs Denitia Carter reached on a two out, two-base error and then stole third before Alexa Datko polished off the complete game shutout with a strikeout.
Senior catcher Channell Thompson went 2-for-2 while Carter and junior outfielder Tonya Giles rounded out S.C. State's offense with one hit a piece. Freshman pitcher Arinze Lee allowed all eight runs and walked six to drop to 0-6 on the season.
Katie Pesature led the College of Charleston's offensive attack with a 1-for-2, two run, four RBI performance, including her third homerun of the season, while Nutaitis had the only other two RBIs as part of a 2-for-3, two run outing. Kristie Shifflett and Kristi Woodall each added to their on-base percentages with a pair of walks each.
In the nightcap, the Cougars wasted no time as they totaled more runs in the first inning than they had in all of Game 1. CofC batted around, reaching the fourth batter in their lineup, as they scored nine runs on nine hits to take a 9-0 lead. Amber Shifflett highlighted the inning with a bases clearing triple that scored three runs while her sister Kristie Shifflett had an RBI and managed a double and a single in the frame.
Kristi Woodall drove in a pair of runs in separate at bats with a single and sacrifice fly and sophomore outfielder Amanda Lonergan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), Stringer and freshman catcher Courtney Clark (Tampa, Fla.) each added an RBI each.
South Carolina State scratched a run in the second inning as freshman first baseman Shannon Baity reached on an error and then eventually scored on a double steal to make it 9-1. The Cougars would regain their nine-run lead in the fourth as Dillon led off with a single, stole second and the scored on a single to center by sophomore outfielder Katie Forbes (Odessa, Fla.) to make it 10-1. They would round out their offense in the fifth as Woodall singled home a run and Dillon ripped an RBI double to reach the final margin of 12-1.
Thompson and Sonya Giles had the only hits for S.C. State while Raven Johnson pitched all five innings and 17 hits, 12 runs and one walk to fall to 3-15.
For the Cougars, Kristi Woodall went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored while Amber Shifflett finished 2-for-2 with two runs, three RBIs and a stolen base. Kristie Shifflett went 2-for-3 with a double, run and an RBI and Dillon finished at 2-for-4 with a double, run and RBI. Katie Nutaitis and Katie Forbes each went 2-for-3 with a run scored while Forbes added an RBI. Courtney Clark chipped in with two RBIs and Lonergan capped the offensive production with a RBI and a run scored.
Freshman pitcher Stephanie Saylors (Easley, S.C.) pitched a complete game two-hitter, allowing only an unearned run, and struck out a career-high eight batters to improve to 3-1 on the season.
The College of Charleston returns to Southern Conference action when they host Samford this weekend at Patriots Point. In order to accomodate the Easter holiday, the Cougars will play the first two games on Friday, April 2 beginning at 3 p.m. and conclude the set with a 1 p.m. game on Saturday, April 3.
NOTES
Game 1 marked the College of Charleston's fifth straight shutout of South Carolina State while the two victories extended their win streak in the series to 18 straight games.
