Cougars Use Long Ball in Split with Eastern Illinois

Thursday, March 15

Patriots Point

4:00 PM

College of Charleston

17-9

Eastern Illinois

17-8

Eastern Illinois

Col. of Charleston

Cougars Use Long Ball in Split with Eastern Illinois

3/15/2018 9:38:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Mount Pleasant, S.C. – Sara Garcia and Dexlie Inman homered in a four-run second to give the College of Charleston a 4-3 win over Eastern Illinois in the opening game of a doubleheader Thursday at Patriots Point.

The Panthers then rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh of the nightcap to gain a split with an 8-6 victory.

The two games opened the Charleston Invitational, which continues through Sunday. The Cougars (17-10) do not play on Friday before facing Texas on Saturday at 3:30 and Jacksonville State on Sunday at 12:15.

The teams took advantage of a strong wind blowing out to left to combine for three home runs in the second inning of the first game. Kendyl McKeough gave EIU (18-8) the lead with a solo shot in the top of the inning before Charleston erupted in the bottom of the frame.

Garcia hit her first home run of the season to tie the game, and Taylor Belfiore put the Cougars in front when her drive to deep center fell just out of the reach of Kayla Bear for a triple that plated Brittany Vicary. Dexlie Inman followed with her second round tripper of the year to make it a 4-1 contest.

Summer Jenkins allowed single runs in the third and fifth to make it 4-3 but otherwise turned in a solid start, allowing five hits without walking a batter in five innings to even her record at 5-5. Izzy Berouty entered in the sixth and worked two innings of shutout relief for her second save and sixth of her career, tied for the second most in school history.

EIU overcame a 3-1 deficit to go ahead 4-3 in the top of the sixth of the second game, but the Cougars bounced right back to go in front in their half of the inning on RBI base hits by Garcia and Belfiore. The Panthers pulled off a squeeze bunt to tie the game in the seventh, and Morgan Lamore blasted a pinch hit three-run homer to make it 8-5.

The Cougars scored once in the bottom of the seventh and had two on base before Jessica Wireman was able to retire Garcia to end it.

Kelly Sinclair had two hits including a two-run double in a three-run third that gave Charleston a 3-1 lead. Jones also had two hits and drove in Sinclair to cap the Cougar third. Kylie Burke started in the circle and allowed four hits and only one earned run in four innings.