College of Charleston
UMass Lowell
CofC Shuts Out UMass Lowell, 10-0, on the Final Day of Wyndham Garden Cougar Classic
2/29/2016 1:17:00 AM | Softball
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – The College of Charleston softball team concluded its first home stand of the season with a run-ruled, five-inning 10-0 shutout over UMass Lowell on Sunday.
The College won three of its four games over the weekend at the home-hosted Wyndham Garden Cougar Classic. The Cougars (7-6) faced the River Hawks (3-8) in the second of the five-game finale, and while it may have been the last day of the tournament, there were plenty of firsts to happen in the game.
Sara Garcia recorded her first home run of the season; a three-run bomb in the bottom of the second inning. In the fourth inning, Isabel McClusky recorded her first hit, a double, and was brought home two batters later by Katie Parker, who recorded her first hit of the season on that play. The Cougars also earned their first shutout of 2016.
“There is a fine line between bringing enough energy, and not, and today we had a lot of excitement that showed on the field,” CofC Head Coach Linda Kalafatis said. “It was good to give some of our other players a chance to play when they may not have had the chance yet this season.”
Charleston's energy showed early, as it took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. That inning included four hits and two sacrifice fly-outs by Sara Garcia and Carly Hansis that brought home runners. Garcia would add three RBI in the second inning on a perfectly timed home run that brought the lead to 8-0, shifting all the momentum in The College's favor. Katie Padilla was substituted as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the third inning, and added her first RBI of the season on a clutch two-out double that brought home Kelly Sinclair.
Earning the win for CofC was none other than Samantha Martin, who pitched all five innings and struck out seven batters, while not walking a single batter, and allowing only four hits. She improved her ERA to 2.45 on the season through seven starts.
Who's Up Next
The Cougars will take a few days off, before packing their bags for a five-game set of games on March 4-6 in Clearwater, Fla. Charleston will face the likes of Providence, IPFW, Purdue, South Florida and Western Michigan over the weekend. For more information and updates about College of Charleston Softball, follow the team on Twitter at @CofCSoftball.
-www.CofCSports.com-
