MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - The College of Charleston softball team swept its Southern Conference doubleheader with Appalachian State at Patriots Point on Saturday evening. The Cougars' bats were efficient in both games as CofC cruised to 7-3 and 6-0 victories.
The teams conclude the series with a single game on Sunday, April 1 starting at 1 p.m. at Patriots Point.
Saturday's pair of wins got CofC head coach Shelly Hoerner to 200 total victories at CofC. Hoerner is in her seventh season with the Cougars.
Stephanie Saylors (Easley, S.C.) pitched her seventh consecutive complete game and saw her 29-inning scoreless streak broken when the Mountaineers plated a run in the fifth. Saylors struck out five hitters in the game.
Hope Klicker (Walla Walla, Wash.) pitched a complete game as well and notched a career-high 10 strikeouts as she kept the Mountaineers off the scoreboard in the second game.
Kelsey Hodgson (Woodstock, Ga.) and Lizzy Vaughn (Placerville, Calif.) both homered and Mackenzie Maples (Corona, Calif.) picked up a two-RBI double for the Cougars in the opener.
Allison Pedigo (Scottsville, Ky.) went 2-for-2 with two RBIs in the second game.
GAME ONE: CofC: 7, Appalachian State: 3
The Cougars were outhit, 10-6, in the first game but made better use of their base runners to come away with the win.
CofC got started early with back-to-back singles from Vaughn and Carly Corthell (Reno, Nev.) to start the game followed by a belted three-run shot to right center from Hodgson in the first inning.
CofC added to the lead in the third when Hodgson drew a walk and Kristy Giragosian (Charlotte, N.C.) got on base by way of a fielding error before Maples sent a ball deep into the gap in right center to score both runs.
The Mountaineers loaded the bases in each of the last three innings but the Cougars minimized the damage behind sound defense and precise pitching from Saylors. Appalachian State managed just one run in each of the frames.
Vaughn put the game out of reach when she homered to right field with Klicker on board from her base on balls in the sixth inning.
GAME TWO: CofC: 6, Appalachian State: 0
Klicker did not require a lot of run support to earn the win from the pitching circle but she got ample as the Cougars plated six runs on seven hits and took advantage of Mountaineer miscues in the night cap.
CofC got started with a two-out rally in the third inning which Corthell started by legging out a chopped groundball to the shortstop. Hodgson then singled, Amanda Lonergan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) reached on a fielding error and Giragosian walked to load up the bases. Maples was then hit by a pitch and Pedigo singled up the middle which all amounted to four runs in the inning.
In the Cougars' next half inning, Klicker got on base with a single and Ashton Jarrett (Hanahan, S.C.) drew a base on balls and the two were able to score thanks in part to two passed balls, a wild pitch and a suicide-bunt play executed to perfection by Corthell.
