MT. PLEASANT, S.C.  – The College of Charleston Softball team defeated Campbell in a run-ruled five-inning contest, 12-3, on the first day of the Wyndham Garden Cougar Classic at Patriots Point.

The Cougars (5-5) jumped on Campbell (1-5) early with nine runs in the bottom of the first inning, including a grand-slam home run off of the bat of senior Valerie Cassell. That blast was Cassell's first home run of the season, the first grand slam of the season for Charleston, and the team's fifth home run of the season.

“We have seen her (Cassell) show that kind of power in practice before, so it was good to see her do it in a game, especially in a situation like that,” CofC Head Coach Linda Kalifatis said. “I'm very proud of her, and all of our players, with the way they played. Now, we need to bring that intensity again tomorrow.”

Eight different Cougars produced at least one hit against the Camels, including two hits by Rebecca Mueller that resulted in three RBI. CofC drew four walks on the day as well. Dana Horgan also had one of her best games of the season tonight, as she reached bases four times on two hits and two walks, and reached home twice.  Junior pitcher Sydney Shipley started the game, and recorded her second win of the season on the strength of three strikeouts, and only five hits over her four innings of work.

Who's Up Next

The weekend-long tournament continues on Saturday, Feb. 27 with five games scheduled to take place. The Cougars will play in two games, the first at 2:30 p.m. against Detroit (1-8), and then at 7:00 p.m. against Radford (4-1).  Keep up with all the action with live updates and information about the College of Charleston by following the team on Twitter at @CofCSoftball, and online at CofCSports.com.

-www.CofCSports.com-