College of Charleston
Western Carolina
Senior Production Extends Softball?s Win Streak on Senior Day
4/27/2013 10:48:00 PM | Softball
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – The College of Charleston softball seniors celebrated their Senior Day in style, guiding the team to two victories over Western Carolina in a Southern Conference doubleheader at Patriots Point on Saturday afternoon. The Cougars exploded for a 9-1, five-inning win in the opener and outlasted the Catamounts for a 2-1 victory in game two.
CofC (32-16, 13-6 SoCon) has now won 13 straight and 17-of-18 in the month of April. The Cougars will look to complete the series sweep with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The seniors came up big for the Cougars in the twinbill, with six of nine runs being driven in by senior RBIs in game one, and Stephanie Saylors (Easley, S.C.) pitching a complete game to keep the Cougars in game two.
Kristy Giragosian (Charlotte, N.C.), Ashton Jarrett (Hanahan, S.C.) and Courtney Clark (Tampa, Fla.) combined for the six Cougar RBIs which led to the run-rule shortened game one victory.
Sophomore Hope Klicker (Walla Walla, Wash.) was brilliant in the pitching circle and held the Catamounts to just one run while striking out four to earn her 17th complete game of the season.
Saylors struck out six hitters and worked great out of jams to keep the Cougars in a game-two pitchers' duel until her offense sprung for runs in the sixth and seventh innings to walk off with the win.
Chandler Frisbie (Lawrenceville, Ga.) was 2-for-3 with an RBI to account for two of CofC's three hits in the second game, and Carly Corthell (Reno, Nev.) provided the walk-off RBI single which won the game with two outs in the seventh.
“It was an emotional day with Senior Day but I knew they would step up,” said head coach Shelly Hoerner. “They had a fantastic day and all four of them contributed to both our wins.
“Obviously the second game was a tough one; their pitcher threw a fantastic game and kept us off balance, but we persevered and got the job done. It's always great to find a way to get it done, and we did just that.
“Tomorrow is going to be another tough game and we have to come out with fire and bring our A-game. Western Carolina is a very good team and we have to step up to the occasion.”
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON: 9, WESTERN CAROLINA: 1 (5 INNINGS)
The Cougars jumped on the throttle in game one with a five-run first inning and never looked back after a five-run first inning which set the tone for the game.
Jarrett led off the inning with a single down the leftfield line, and Kelsey Hodgson (Woodstock, Ga.) drew a walk before Frisbie loaded the bases with an infield single. Rebecca Mueller (Fair Oaks, Calif.) took a pitch to the helmet which plated a run, and Allison Pedigo (Scottsville, Ky.) methodically drew a walk to plate a second. With two outs in the inning, Giragosian doubled over the head of the center fielder to clear the bases and give the Cougars the early 5-0 lead.
CofC continued to offensive output in the third with four singles to left field, the fourth coming off the bat of Jarrett and driving home two runs.
The Cougars tacked on two more in the following inning with a singled through the left side by Frisbie. Maples had already beaten out an infield single, but the throw got away from the Catamounts and allowed Frisbie to score all the way from first. Clark then pinch hit and drove a ball back up the middle which plated the ninth and final run for the Cougars.
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON: 2, WESTERN CAROLINA: 1
The runs – and hits – were much harder to come by in the second game, but Saylors kept her team in the game by keeping the Catamounts silent. Saylors shined under pressure, working calmly out of jams and causing the Catamounts to strand 10 runners.
Neither team could muster a run until Vaughn singled and stole second in the sixth, and Frisbie drove her in with a single to left, only the second Cougar hit of the game.
WCU would not go quietly, however, and equalized in the top of the seventh after Karley Harkey, who led off the inning with a single to right, scored on a Cougar error on a ground ball which was the result of the ball striking the batter who was running to first base. The Cougars maintained composure though and kept the game tied when they threw the second runner out at the plate on the very same play.
The set the stage for a walk-off seventh inning, and the Cougars did just that when Mueller was hit by a pitch, took second on a sacrifice execution by Giragosian, and scored on Corthell's RBI single which touched just inside the leftfield line.
