CofC Softball Readies for Four Weekend Contests
3/14/2014 8:31:00 PM | Softball
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The College of Charleston softball team returns to the field with four games scheduled for the weekend starting with a home doubleheader against Rider at Patriots Point on Saturday, March 15 at 1 p.m.
The Cougars will then embark for Conway, S.C., for the Chanticleer Showdown where the Cougars will see Fordham and Georgia State on Sunday, March 16.
OUT OF THE BOX…
The Cougars enter the weekend with a 16-10 record after an 11-3 setback against No. 13 Texas A&M on Tuesday, March 12. CofC was more competitive than the score indicated as the Cougars were only outhit by a 9-8 margin, but were plagued by an Aggie grand slam and bases-loaded triple which blew the game open late.
Kelsey Hodgson drove a two-RBI double to the wall in right center in the seventh, and Lizzy Vaughn contributed an RBI sacrifice fly later in the frame, but the comeback effort was insufficient as the Aggies had previously stretched an 11-0 lead.
Mackenzie Maples was the most productive at the plate with a pair of hits and nearly gave the Cougars an early lead but was thrown out at the plate.
The Cougars still have four hitters batting better than .300 on the season led by Carly Hansis (.375), Vaughn (.366), Maples (.316) and Rebecca Mueller (.306).
CofC is still continuing to improve upon its timely hitting after struggling to cash in on runners in the early going. CofC is now batting .338 with runners in scoring position and .545 with the bases loaded this season.
SCOUTING THE BRONCS…
Rider comes to Patriots Point with a 2-4 record having endured 13 cancellations due to wintery conditions.
The Broncs last saw the field on Sunday, Feb. 23 at the Aggie Invitational in Greensboro, N.C. There, Rider suffered a 3-0 loss to Maryland Eastern Shore but responded with an 8-7 win over North Carolina A&T.
Kehli Washington leads the regular hitters with a .450 batting average, followed by Emily Cottrell (.400), Delany DeMello (.333), Amanda Irving (.316), Kim Valdes (.308) and Dana Sensi (.300) all batting better than .300.
Montana Berg has thrown a team-high 14.0 innings from the circle and possesses a 5.00 ERA and .255 opponent batting average in three appearances. DeMello has thrown 10.2 innings with an inflated 9.19 ERA and .413 opponent average.
SCOUTING THE RAMS…
Fordham enters the weekend with a 10-14 record after going 3-2 in the UnderArmour Showcase in Tampa, Fla., last weekend. The Rams knocked off Providence, Western Michigan and Southern Illinois in the tournament slate while suffering losses to Central Michigan and Tennessee Chattanooga.
Junior Michele Daubman appeared in all three victories and went 2-0 on the week, improving to 6-7 on the year with two complete-game victories in four appearances. She registered a 1.50 ERA in those appearances, striking out ten and walking only four.
Squaring off against Providence to start the weekend, Daubman tossed seven innings of two-hit ball, allowing no earned runs, striking out six and walking none to propel the Rams to a 3-1 victory over the Flyers. The following day against Western Michigan, the North Massapequa, N.Y., native tossed another complete game, this time blanking Western Michigan while allowing only three hits.
Daubman also pitched 4.1 innings in Fordham's come-from-behind win over Southern Illinois on Sunday.
Amy Van Hoven is the only Ram batting over .300 this season with the unit batting .237 as a squad.
Ram opponents are batting .287 against the Fordham pitching staff which Daubman anchors. On the year, she now has a 3.42 ERA and 6-7 record in 71.2 innings pitched over 15 appearances.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS…
Georgia State brings an 11-9 record to the tournament with a Sun Belt-best .317 team batting average. Taylor Anderson is leading the way with a .417 batting average on the season, while Lauren Coleman bats .390 and four other Panthers bat better than .300.
The Panthers are trying to bounce back from an offense-heavy 16-9 loss to Mississippi State on Wednesday night. Coleman went 3-for-4 against the Bulldogs and finished with four RBIs. She was a triple away from the cycle after singling in the fifth, doubling in seventh and homering in the third. Anderson also finished with four RBIs on a grand slam in the bottom of the third.
The pitching corps is working on reducing the staff's 4.72 ERA on the season with staff ace Kaitlyn Medlam maintain a team-best 3.15 ERA through 66.2 innings pitched. Eron Milton and Taylor Thorpe have shared the rest of the innings and have 4.72 and 7.62 ERAs, respectively.
