College of Charleston
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Western Michigan
CofC Shuts Out Western Michigan; Wins Three on Weekend
3/6/2016 5:28:00 PM | Softball
CLEARWATER, Fla. – In their final game of the Under Armour Invitational, The College of Charleston blanked Western Michigan, 8-0, in a run-ruled five-inning game, to improve their tournament record to 3-2.
The Cougars (10-8) faced a tough Broncos (6-8) team in a early morning matchup that started at 9 a.m. CofC took a commanding three run lead in the bottom of the second inning, and sealed the deal in the bottom of the fourth inning in a five run inning that included 11 at-bats, six hits, and two stolen bases. The Cougars did not strike out against the Broncos.
“We played the way we are capable of today, and I really like our chances at winning when we do that.” Head coach Linda Kalafatis said, “We got on them early and never gave [Western Michigan] a chance to recover.”
Sam Martin allowed a hit in the first at-bat of the game, and that was all. She threw five complete innings, struck out three batters, and allowed only one hit in the game; the second time she's done that this season. This was the fifth time this season that Martin has pitched the complete game, and the fifth game of the season that she earned the win.
Offensively, Katie Padilla stood out for The College. She drove home the first run of the game in the bottom of the second on an RBI double, and then hit another double in the bottom of the fourth inning. Kelly Sinclair stole home in the fourth inning, and Taylor DuPree stole second on the same play. DuPree leads the Cougars with seven stolen bases this season.
Rebecca Mueller made the Broncos feel her presence after she recorded an RBI base hit in the fourth inning, good for her 18th RBI of the season. She has now recorded at least one hit in 16 of The College's 18 games this season, and has 26 hits on the season (.433 batting average).
Weekend In Review
The Cougars finish the weekend with three wins and two losses, and played a lot of impressive softball in the process. Katie Padilla led all CofC batters over the weekend, hitting for a .625 batting average, with a team-high four doubles to go along with three walks.
CofC recorded 46 hits, but stranded 33 runners on base over the course of five games. Taylor DuPree continued to be a force for The College over the weekend, leading her team with 11 hits in 19 at-bats. She stole four bases total, and drove in two runs. She leads the Cougars with 26 hits (.448 batting average) through 18 games
Samantha Martin started three of the five games for Charleston at the Under Armour Invitational, and threw 16 innings. She recorded a 1.31 ERA over the weekend, and now has a 2.12 ERA on the season to go along with 57 strikeouts.
Who's Up Next
After completing its Florida road trip, Charleston will head back home to prepare for a mid-week matchup against Virginia Tech on Wednesday, March. 9. at Patriots Point in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. The first game of the double header is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. For more information, head to CofCSports.com, and follow the College of Charleston Softball team on Twitter at @CofCSoftball.
-www.CofCSports.com-
