College of Charleston
St. Bonaventure
Cougars earn split with St. Bonaventure behind 11 run explosion in night cap
3/4/2010 2:00:00 AM | Softball
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Sophomore outfielder Amanda Lonergan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and a homerun off of the scoreboard in the night cap as the College of Charleston (5-8) split a non-conference softball double-header with St. Bonaventure (3-4) at Patriots Point on Wednesday, March 3. Following a narrow 2-1 loss in the opener, the Cougars pounded out 13 hits in an 11-3 five-inning victory in the night cap.
CofC took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of Game 1 as they benefitted from four walks, with redshirt-junior catcher Katie Pesature (Brewster, N.Y.) picking up the RBI with the free pass. The Bonnies would equal that with an RBI single from freshman outfielder Jessenia Andujar in the following inning to tie the game at 1-1.
The score would stay that way until the top of the sixth when freshman third baseman Danielle Frye singled, stole second and scored on a single up the middle by junior third baseman Kara Morenus. That run would be the difference in the game as senior pitcher Sherri Thompson allowed only a seventh inning walk the rest of the way to seal the 2-1 victory.
Thompson moved to 2-1 on the season with a complete-game two-hit, one-run effort that included seven strikeouts while Morenus and Andujar notched the only Bonnies RBIs with one apiece. For the Cougars, junior pitcher Alexa Datko (San Diego, Calif.) pitched a complete game and struck out six while allowing only three hits and two runs, only one of which was earned. Lonergan and sophomore outfielder Katie Forbes (Odessa, Fla.) collected CofC's two hits.
In the night cap, it was a tale of two games as the College of Charleston erupted for five runs over the first two innings. A triple by redshirt-senior second baseman Amber Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) to lead off the home half of the first inning setup an RBI ground out by junior outfielder Kristi Woodall (Huntersville, N.C.) for the first run. A walk to senior designated hitter Kristie Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) then set the stage for an RBI double by Lonergan.
Following a three-run top of the second that gave St. Bonaventure the lead, the Cougars responded with a three-run inning of their own. Freshman outfielder Kristy Giragosian (Charlotte, N.C.) led-off the second inning with a double before Kristie Shifflett and Lonergan belted back-to-back homeruns with Lonergan's banging off of the top of the scoreboard in right center.
The College of Charleston would not only make that 5-2 lead hold up through the fourth inning, they would add to it with a five-run outburst in the bottom of that frame. CofC scored a run on an error before a Lonergan double made it 7-2 on the next play. Junior first baseman Katie Nutaitis (Vienna, Va.) followed with an RBI single before senior catcher Amanda Maurer (Haubstadt, Ind.) and freshman shortstop Erica Kaufman (Berkeley, S.C.) doubled and single home a run each, respectively.
After holding the Bonnies scoreless in the top of the fifth, CofC's Amber Shifflett led off with a single and stole second before scoring on a throwing error the following play to give the Cougars an 11-3, five-inning victory.
Junior first baseman Maureen Wells and sophomore catcher Brittany Storch accounted for the only St. Bonaventure RBIs with one apiece while sophomore pitcher Erin Nargi went two innings and surrendered five runs to take the loss and fall to 1-3.
Amber Shifflett set the stage for the College of Charleston as she went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, a pair of stolen bases and a triple while Lonergan supplied the power with a 3-for-3 day that included three RBIs, two runs, a double and a massive homerun. Kristie Shifflett finished the night cap 1-for-2 with three runs, two RBIs and her third homerun of the season. Woodall, Nutaitis, Maurer and Kaufman each added an RBI to round out the Cougars' offensive production.
In the pitching circle, senior pitcher Terri Mesko (McDonough, Ga.) came on in relief in the second inning and threw 3.1 innings of scoreless, no-hit softball and struck out four batters to earn the victory and move to 2-3 on the season.
The College of Charleston heads to Orlando, Fla. for the UCF Invitational from March 5-7. They will face Boston College and Central Florida at 6 and 8 p.m., respectively, on March 5 before taking on Harvard at 11 a.m. and Georgia Southern at 3:30 p.m. the following day. The Cougars will wrap up action in Florida on Sunday, March 7 when they challenge Providence at 9 a.m.
