College of Charleston
Samford
CofC softball wins fourth straight with wins over Samford
4/2/2010 11:00:00 PM | Softball
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Senior designated hitter Kristie Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) went 4-for-4 with three runs and an RBI while junior outfielder Kristi Woodall (Huntersville, N.C.) finished 3-for-4 with three runs and two RBIs as the College of Charleston (13-16, 3-4) earned a pair of league victories over Samford (10-21, 1-10) on Friday, April 2 at Patriots Point Stadium. The Cougars notched a five-inning 10-2 victory in Game 1 before posting a 4-0 decision in the nightcap.
CofC jumped out ahead early as an RBI single by Kristie Shifflett and a sacrifice fly from sophomore third baseman Kelley Dillon (Hanahan, S.C.) made it 2-0 in the first inning. Redshirt-junior catcher Katie Pesature (Brewster, N.Y.) kept the offense going in the second as her lead-off homerun helped to key a four-run inning that left the Cougars with a 6-0 advantage. In that frame, the Cougars picked up a second run on a wild pitch before Dillon doubled home two more runs.
The Bulldogs would notch their only scores of the game in the third as redshirt-freshman catcher Alex Adams belted her team-leading sixth homerun of the season to close to within 6-2. That would be not only the only runs they would get, but the last hit as well as junior pitcher Alexa Datko (San Diego, Calif.) set down the final six batters in order.
The College of Charleston added three more runs in the fourth as Woodall produced an RBI single and sophomore outfielder Katie Forbes (Odessa, Fla.) laced a two-run double to make it 9-2. Junior shortstop Hillary Stringer (Summerville, S.C.) then walked to lead off the fifth, stole her second base of the season and then scored the game-winning run on another single by Woodall.
Adams went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and a run scored on her sixth homerun to lead Samford while sophomore second baseman Amy Gonzalez had the only other hit for the Bulldogs. Senior Stephanie Royall started and went 1.2 innings, allowing six runs, four earned, to take the loss and fall to 5-4.
Woodall's career-high night, featuring a 3-for-4, three run, two-RBI performance led the Cougars while Kelley Dillon went 2-for-2 with a double and career-high three RBIs. For Woodall, the three hits tied her career mark while the three runs scored was a first. Redshirt-senior second baseman Amber Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) went 3-for-3 with two runs and a pair of stolen bases as she tied her season-high for hits and steals and her sister Kristie Shifflett finished 2-for-2 with two runs, an RBI and a walk.
Pesature's fourth homerun of the season accounted for one RBI while Forbes tied her season best with two RBIs on a double. Datko pitched all five innings for her eighth complete game of the season and allowed only two runs while striking out four. She improves to 4-7 on the season.
It was a much different game in the nightcap but the College of Charleston still managed to put up a pair of runs in the first inning. Following two-out singles by Kristie Shifflett and Dillon, sophomore outfielder Amanda Lonergan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) drove a ball to the left centerfield gap that fell for a double and scored both runners. The score would stay at 2-0 until the fourth inning when Lonergan made it 3-0 on her fourth homerun of the season, launching a ball to right center that bounced on top of the fence. With a runner on third and two outs, Stringer came through again, this time lacing an RBI double that made it 4-0.
The Bulldogs had three hits through three innings thanks to the pitching of senior pitcher Terri Mesko (McDonough, Ga.) who did not allow another hit until the sixth. She worked around a two-out, sixth inning double by Gonzalez and then allowed a one out single in the seventh before closing out the victory with back-to-back outs.
Senior third baseman Katie England went 2-for-3 for Samford and Gonzalez, senior first baseman Amanda Barrs and senior left fielder Rachael Reeves each had one hit. Freshman pitcher Emily Waters pitched three innings, allowing all four runs, to take the loss and drop to 1-1 in only her second appearance of the season.
Lonergan's 2-for-3 night that included a career-high tying three RBIs and her fourth homerun of the season, led the College of Charleston. Stringer delivered the other RBI in a 1-for-3 night while Kristie Shifflett finished 2-for-2 with a run and her second walk of the evening. Mesko pitched a masterful game, going seven innings and allowing no runs, only five hits and striking out six batters. She picked up the win and improved to 5-6 on the season.
The College of Charleston goes for the series sweep tomorrow afternoon when they take on the Bulldogs in Game 3 at 1 p.m.
NOTES
The five-inning win in Game 1 marked the third straight such game for the Cougars following a pair of shortened victories over South Carolina State ... Lonergan's three RBIs tie her career-high, accomplished three times, all this season ... she last drove in three against St. Bonaventure on March 3 ... Dillon's three RBIs in the nightcap are a career-high ... Woodall's three hits tie her career-best, done four times previously ... the last time was on March 30 of this year at South Carolina State.
