College of Charleston
Purdue
Cougars Drop Two Close Games Against Purdue and USF
3/5/2016 11:34:00 PM | Softball
CLEARWATER, Fla. – The College of Charleston softball team dropped two close games on Saturday, losing to Purdue, 5-3, and then was topped, 4-1, by USF on the second day of the Under Armour Invitational.
The Cougars (9-8) were tied with their opponent during each of their contests today, but late efforts by both Purdue (10-7) and USF (9-9) proved to be tough to overcome. Charleston had its opportunities to score, but could not capitalize, leaving16 batters on base on Saturday between both games. Defensivly, they played well though, producing a double play in each game, giving them seven such plays on the season.
Game One: Purdue 5, Charleston 3
In their first game of the day, the Cougars faced a tough Purdue team that had lost their previous two games of the tournament on Friday. The Cougars had their four-game winning streak broken by the Boilermakers in a game that was closer than the score 5-3 score showed. They also broke up Rebecca Mueller's 12-game hit streak on Saturday morning as well.
The Cougars gave up a home run to the very first batter of the game, and had to fight from behind from there on out. Purdue added another run in the top of the fourth inning, before Katie Padilla evened the score. She hit a two-run double in the bottom of the fourth that tied the game, 2-2. Unfortunately, Charleston could only manage one more run in the game, leaving a total of seven runners on base.
Taylor DuPree, Carly Hansis, and Kelly Sinclair each recorded two hits for the Cougars, and DuPree and Sinclair each also stole a base against Purdue as well. Mueller did not record a hit, but she did drive in a run for the Cougars in the bottom of the seventh on a ground out to first base. CofC struck out eight times as a team in this game.
Samantha Martin got the start for Charleston, and threw the first four innings for her team. She struck out seven, and only walked one but did allow five hits. Valerie Cassell replaced Martin in the fifth inning, and proceeded to throw three complete innings, and struck out one, but allowed four hits and three runs.
Game Two: USF 4, Charleston 1
The 3 p.m. matchup proved to be a defensive struggle, as both the Cougars and the Bulls could not take advantage of their opportunities, leaving 16 batters on base between the two competing teams. CofC recorded five hits total in the game, and also drew five walks, including two by Carly Hansis, who now has five walks on the season.
Taylor DuPree recorded three hits for the College, giving her 25 hits on the season, and a streak of four consecutive games with at least two hits. She was responsible for driving in Charleston's only run of the game as well, after she hit a double that brought home junior infielder Katie Padilla. Rebecca Mueller also hit a double, good for her fifth of the season.
Sydney Shipley made her seventh start of the season against the Bulls, and for the second contest in a row, she pitched all six innings. Shipley worked her way out of two bases-loaded situations and struck out two batters, allowed only three earned runs on seven hits and gave up only three walks. Her record on the season now stands at 3-3.
Who's Up Next
The Cougars record at the Under Armour Invitational now stands at 2-2, and they will seek to earn a winning record for the weekend on Sunday, March 6, when they challenge the Broncos of Western Michigan in a 9 a.m. duel. Follow all the action with live stats broadcast via CofCStats.com, and follow the team on Twitter at @CofCSoftball.
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