College of Charleston
UNC Wilmington
Strong pitching and timely hitting leads Cougars to sweep of UNC Wilmington
4/13/2010 11:00:00 PM | Softball
WILMINGTON, N.C. - Freshman pitcher Stephanie Saylors (Easley, S.C.) threw a complete game shutout and sophomore outfielder Katie Forbes (Odessa, Fla.) belted a two-run homerun as the College of Charleston (17-18, 5-6) earned a double-header sweep of UNC Wilmington (7-29, 2-8 CAA) in a non-conference softball double-header on Tuesday, April 13. CofC claimed Game 1 by a 2-1 score before notching a 1-0 victory in the nightcap.
"Small ball" gave the Seahawks an early 1-0 lead in Game 1 as sophomore outfielder Ashley Shingleton singled to lead off the game and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. She would then score on a single to right field by sophomore first baseman Katie Houmard, who barely beat a throw from right field to reach first base.
After holding UNCW scoreless over the next two frames, the College of Charleston got on the board in a big way in the fourth inning. Redshirt-junior catcher Katie Pesature (Brewster, N.Y.) drew a leadoff walk before sophomore third baseman Katie Forbes (Odessa, Fla.) hit a towering fly ball to left field that cleared the fence for a two-run homerun to give CofC a 2-1 lead.
Senior pitcher Terri Mesko (McDonough, Ga.), who entered the game in relief in the third inning, then took control as she set down the next 10 Seahawk batters, including three in a row by strikeout in the fifth inning.
Freshman shortstop Lauryn Buckworth ended that streak with a one-out, seventh inning single to put the tying run on base for UNCW. A sharply turned 5-4-3 double play off the bat of senior catcher Michelle Harrison then ended any hope of a UNC Wilmington rally and gave the Cougars a 2-1 victory.
Houmard had the only RBI of the day for the Seahawks and was one of four players with a hit, all of which were singles. Sophomore pitcher Amanda Davenport went the distance and took the hard luck loss as she allowed only two hits, including the eventual game-winning homerun.
Katie Forbes led the College of Charleston as she produced the only two hits of the game, going 2-for-2 with a run and two RBIs on her second homerun of the year. Katie Pesature walked and scored the only other run to round out the offensive production. Mesko was masterful in relief as she threw five innings without allowing a run and only two hits to collect her eighth win of the season.
The pitching duel continued into Game 2 as neither team was able to notch a hit over the first three innings. During that time, the Cougars notched three walks and a hit-by-pitch to threaten in the first and third innings but would not be able to capitalize. Freshman pitcher Stephanie Saylors (Easley, S.C.) retired the first 11 batters she saw before allowing a single to senior second baseman Morgan Walters with two outs in the fourth inning.
The College of Charleston would be the first to get on the board as junior shortstop Hillary Stringer (Summerville, S.C.) drew a one-out walk in the fifth inning and then scored on the Cougars first hit of the game. That came off the bat of redshirt-senior second baseman Amber Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) who roped a pitch to right field to make it 1-0.
Stringer would play a key role in keeping the Seahawks off of the scoreboard the following inning as a strong throw from shortstop nailed junior pitcher Amanda Aditays at first for the third out and kept the tying run from scoring from third base.
CofC would threaten in the sixth with runners on second and third with two outs but UNC wilmington induced a ground out to second to get out of the jam. It was the Seahawks turn to put a runner in scoring position in the home half of the inning as back-to-back two-out singles by Sykes and Walters gave UNCW a chance to tie the game. That rally was then snuffed out by Saylors seventh strikeout of the game.
UNC Wilmington would keep the pressure on in the seventh inning however as Houmard lined a leadoff single and got all the way to third with two outs before Stringer made a terrific running, over-the-shoulder catch in left center to end the game and give the Cougars a hard fought 1-0 victory.
Walters and Houmard each went 2-for-3 for the Seahawks while Aditays pitched a one-hitter and struck out six but suffered the defeat to fall to 1-9.
Amber Shifflett had the lone hit for the College of Charleston and driving in the eventual winning run, while sophomore outfielder Amanda Lonergan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) and sophomore first baseman Kelley Dillon (Hanahan, S.C.) each drew a pair of walks. Stephanie Saylors pitched one of the best games of her young career, going all seven innings for the shutout and allowed only five hits while striking out seven batters. That was one shy of tying her career-high.
The College of Charleston is back in action this weekend when they return to Southern Conference play with a three-game series with Appalachian State. The Cougars will face the Mountaineers in the double-header portion of the series beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 17 before concluding the set at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 18.
NOTES
The Cougars have now won four straight games dating back to a 7-2 victory at Western Carolina on April 10.
