College of Charleston
No. 5 Seed: Delaware
Sara Garcia Drives in Four Runs as CofC Knocks Off Delaware
5/13/2016 1:33:00 AM | Softball
HARRISONBURG, Va. – Sara Garcia drove in four runs on a triple and a home run, as the College of Charleston softball team defeated No. 5 seeded Delaware, 6-4, on Thursday.
The Cougars (35-22, 11-9) have now advanced to the semi-final round of the CAA tournament, and will face No. 2 Towson on Friday, May 13 at 9 a.m. The first round rematch was originally scheduled for Thursday, but was rescheduled due to weather concerns. Should The College defeat the Tigers, they would then face No. 1 seed, and No. 7 ranked, James Madison in the championship round. CofC would need to defeat James Madison twice though in order to secure the CAA Championship.
Sophomore Sara Garcia has been on an absolute tear through three games in the CAA tournament, batting for a .545 average with two doubles, two home runs, one triple, and three walks, all of which has contributed to her team-high six RBI. She has also been clutch, driving in the deciding runs in both of the College's wins over the week.
Game 1: CofC 6, Delaware 4
The College's third game of the CAA tournament started off rather quietly, as the Cougars and Blue Hen's combined for two complete innings of scoreless softball. That all changed in the top of the third inning though, as Delaware lead off the scoring with a solo home run, followed by a triple and a single that drove in another run, giving the Blue Hens a 2-0 lead.
That lead wouldn't last long though, as the Cougars would score two runs of their own in the bottom of the third on a Kelly Sinclair homer that drove home two runs. That homer was Sinclair's third of the season. The College scored two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning on a Garcia triple that drove home two runs. CofC then loaded the bases, but failed to bring any more runs in the fourth. Charleston left 12 runners on base, their second highest mark in 2016.
The Blue Hens fought back in the top of the fifth with their second home run of the day, this time a two run shot, that tied the game once more, 4-4.
Sara Garcia wouldn't let the score remain deadlocked though, as she hit her second home run in the past three games in the bottom of the sixth inning, driving in two runs, and taking the lead. That lead would hold for the rest of the game, earning the Cougars the right to continue their season for at-least one more game.
Sydney Shipley got the start in the circle for The College, and tossed 4.2 innings before being relieved by Valerie Cassell in the fifth. Shipley struck out two batters, and allowed only three hits, although she was charged with three earned runs. Cassell opened up her outing by allowing a two-run homer, but then pitched the final 2.1 innings, striking out one, and allowing only the one hit. She picked up her eighth win of the season for her efforts.
Next Up
No. 3 seeded College of Charleston will face No. 2 seeded Towson for the second time in three days, and will look to produce a different outcome than the last. Towson took the last game, 7-3 on Tuesday. Charleston did defeat Towson twice out of three games in the regular season though, and the College owns the all-time record against Towson, 10 games to six.
Live stats for the College's game against Towson can be found at CAAStats.com, and live video from the game can be found at CAA.tv. For up to the minute updates regarding the College of Charleston softball team, follow the team on Twitter at @CofCSoftball, or head over to CofCSports.com.
-www.CofCSports.com-
