College of Charleston
Delaware
Charleston Sweeps Saturday to Take Series Against Delaware
3/26/2016 9:40:00 PM | Softball
NEWARK, Del. – The College of Charleston softball team defeated Delaware twice on Saturday in two contests that went down to the wire, winning, 3-2, and 11-8, to capture the series lead and a winning record in Colonial Athletic Association play.
The Cougars (21-11) saw their six game winning streak broken against Delaware on Friday, but were not discouraged and dug deep to win two games that were very close against a solid Delaware (15-12) with similar aspirations of making the CAA tournament at the end of the season. Both games were in jeopardy in the seventh inning, and the twilight game required extra innings for Charleston to secure the win.
Entering the weekend, The College was ranked 15th in the NCAA in doubles as a team, and they continued their torrid pace with four double in each game against Delaware, and now have an average of 1.81 doubles per game.
Sara Garcia recorded three hits on seven at bats, through which she drove in two runs and scored twice on the day. She has now reached base at least once in each of the last 12 games for Charleston. Dana Horgan lead the team in total batting average on Saturday as she recorded three hits in six at-bats, and also drew two walks. She leads The College with 17 walks on the season.
Game 1: Charleston 3, Delaware 2
Shifts in momentum were common in the first clash of the day for Charleston, as they surrendered the lead early, took it back, and then nearly lost it in the bottom of the seventh, if not for an impressive toss home from center field by Rebecca Mueller to put out the tying run at the plate.
The Cougars scored all three of their runs in the top of the fourth inning, starting with a Valerie Cassell double. She was brought home during the next at-bat by a Carly Hansis double, who was then advanced to third on a Sara Garcia single, and was brought home by a Jordin Jones double that scored two runs.
Seven different Cougars contributed at least one hit, for a total of nine in the first game against the Blue Hens. Delaware also scraped together nine hits, as well as four walks but could only score two runs on the stifling Charleston defense. Sydney Shipley pitched her fifth complete game of the season, and picked up her seventh win in the process. She struck out four batters, and allowed only one earned run on the day.
Game 2: Charleston 11, Delaware 8
The second game proved to be even more exciting than the first, as it included five home runs, eight doubles, 19 total runs and an extra inning of play to decide a who would win the weekend series.
In the top of the third inning, the Cougars exploded offensively as Jordin Jones, Kelly Sinclair and Rebecca Mueller each blasted home runs over the course of four at-bats, and brought in four runs to take the lead. They would add three more runs in the top of the fifth inning, and after Delaware scored two in the sixth, CofC tacked on a final insurance run in the seventh.
Those runs were not insurance enough though, as the Blue Hens hit a two run double in the bottom of the seventh to take the game to extra innings, tied 8-8. The Cougars quickly regained their lead in the top of the eighth with three runs, and after shutting down the Blue Hens in the bottom of the inning, they were able to walk off the field with another win, and the series lead, 2-1.
Rebecca Mueller stood out for The College, recording three hits, four RBI and a two-run homer in the final game of the day. Sinclair, Garcia and Cassell each recorded two hits, and Dana Horgan drew two walks.
Samantha Martin started on the mound for The College, and found herself in trouble through most of her 2.1 innings of work. She allowed four earned runs, including two home runs before being relieved by Valerie Cassell in the third inning. Cassell would pitch the rest of the game, and go on to earn her third win of the season. She struck out seven batters, and only allowed two walks in her 5.2 innings pitched.
What's Up Next
The Cougars next road trip will be much closer to home, as they prepare to face Charleston Southern on Tuesday, March 29 in a rescheduled matchup from February. The game is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m., and will take place in the Buccaneers neck of the woods in North Charleston.
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