College of Charleston
Providence
Cougars Sweep Opposition on Opening Day of Under Armour Invitational
3/5/2016 3:08:00 AM | Softball
CLEARWATER, Fla. – The College of Charleston softball team defeated Providence, 4-1, and IPFW, 11-2, on Friday at the first day of the Under Armour Invitational hosted by South Florida.
The Cougars (9-6) played two hard-fought games, and earned their wins on Friday. They have now won their last three consecutive games. Senior outfielder Rebecca Mueller continued her own hot streak at the plate as well, now having recorded at least one hit in the last 12 consecutive games.
“Hits produce hits.” Mueller said, “If one runner gets on that adds motivation to hit them around, and I think that carried throughout our whole lineup today. We had a lot of energy in the dugout, and combined with some great pitching, I think we really put it all together today as a team.”
Game One: Charleston 4, Providence 1
The action kicked off with a match up against a hungry Providence team (6-8) who had lost their previous game of the day against Pennsylvania, 3-0. The College scored four runs on 10 hits against the Friars, and left nine runners on base.
Taylor DuPree stole the show for The College, racking up three hits and an RBI against the Friars. She also stole two bases, increasing her total to five on the season. Sara Garcia also stole two bases, and recorded two hits of her own. Mueller added a double and a stolen base in the game as well.
Defensively, CofC relied on their ace pitcher Samantha Martin to carry the load, and she did just that. She pitched all seven innings for Charleston, and recorded 10 strikeouts, her second highest strikeout total of the season. She allowed only two hits and one earned run on the day en route to her fourth win on the young season.
Game Two: Charleston 11, IPFW 2
The Cougars' offense produced a much higher output against the Mammoths (3-12) primarily because they were able to bring their runners home. The College recorded 14 hits, and two walks while only striking out twice, and leaving five runners on base.
Charleston put up five runs in the first three innings, including a second inning tear where Katie Padilla, Chandler Frisbie and Taylor DuPree each hit a double in consecutive at bats. This proved to only be a foreshadowing of things to come, as six Cougars reached base in a row in the sixth inning, and eight reached total. The Cougars scored six runs in that stretch, blowing the game wide open.
The veteran presence was on display for the Cougars, as Mueller recorded two hits, including a double, that brought home three runs. She also scored twice, and stole a base for The College. Frisbie made her third start of the season and reached base in each of her three at-bats, driving in one run, and scoring two.
Sydney Shipley made her sixth start of the season, and pitched her first complete game. She pitched all six innings in this run-ruled contest, and recorded four strikeouts and only walked one batter. The win is Shipley's third of the season.
Who's Up Next
The Under Armour Invitational continues on Saturday, and the Cougars will have two more tough opponents to look forward to. CofC faces Purdue at 10 a.m. and then it faces the host team, South Florida, at 2:45 p.m.
-www.CofCSports.com-
