Mount Pleasant, S.C. – Jordin Jones slammed a two-run homer with two outs in the eighth, lifting the College of Charleston to a 5-3 win over Elon and a split of Saturday's Colonial Athletic Association doubleheader at Patriots Point.
The first game also went extra innings with the Phoenix scoring twice in the 11th for a 3-1 victory. The Cougars (16-12, 1-1 CAA) and Elon (19-10, 1-1) wrap up the first conference series of the season with a single game on Sunday at 12:30.
In the nightcap, the Cougars trailed 2-0 and 3-2 before tying the game in the fifth on doubles by Jones and Sara Garcia. CofC threatened in each of the next two innings, leaving runners in scoring position in the sixth and seventh, before Jones played the hero in the eighth.
With two outs and Taylor DuPree at second, Jones took a 2-2 pitch from reliever Hailey Jomp over the fence in left center for her fourth home run of the season and giving her a team-leading 20 RBI. The home run made a winner of Sam Martin, who went the distance in the circle and allowed only four hits to improve her record to 4-2.
Martin struck out only one but it came at an opportune time, stranding an Elon runner at third in the top of the eighth to keep the game tied.
Elon scored twice in the second on two walks, two sacrifice bunts and a sacrifice fly to short left. Kelly Sinclair and DuPree had RBI singles in the bottom of the frame, but the Phoenix went back in front in the third on a sacrifice fly by Carey Million.
DuPree finished with five hits in the two games to take over the team lead in batting at .398, but she was thrown out trying to steal for only the second time in 18 attempts.
The Cougars were kept off the scoreboard by Kiandra Mitchum until the bottom of the seventh in the first game when Taylor Belfiore doubled with one out, and pinch runner Izzy McCluskey scored the tie run on a triple by Garcia. It stayed a 1-1 contest until the Phoenix bunched together five straight singles to score twice in the 11th.
CofC got two-out singles from Jones and Belfiore in its half of the 11th, but Mitchum retired Lexee Emanuel on a pop up to strand the tying runs on base. Sydney Shipley allowed four hits and one unearned run with five strikeouts in seven innings, and Izzy Berouty worked the final four frames and took the loss, dropping to 3-3.
Softball Alumni Weekend Scheduled for April 7-9
The College of Charleston softball team is set to host Alumni Weekend on April 7-9. We invite all softball alumni to join us in celebrating the program's 25th anniversary when we take on UNCW. Those planning on attending must RSVP in advance. For more information or to RSVP, write to schumanta@cofc.edu or call 843-953-2632.
