GREENSBORO, N.C. – College of Charleston freshman Mackenzie Mathis strengthened her case for CAA Rookie of the Year honors on Thursday when she struck out a season-high 12 in a 2-1 win over North Carolina A&T in the series opener.

Mathis allowed only three hits and did not walk a batter and the only run she allowed in the seventh was unearned. She won for the eighth time in CAA play while lowering her ERA against conference opponents to 1.66.

Mathis eclipsed her previous season high of 10 strikeouts in a win over Stony Brook and is the first Charleston pitcher with a pair of multiple strikeout games in a season since Sam Martin in 2016.

Austy Miller had two singles to run her hitting streak to 13, one shy of the longest by a Cougar since joining the CAA in 2014.

The victory clinched the first winning season for the Cougars (28-23, 18-7 CAA) since 2018 and moves Charleston into a tie for third with Campbell and Stony Brook. The 18 wins are the most the Cougars have ever had in a conference season, topping the 2005 team that won the SoCon.

Game Summary

• The Cougars struck for both of their runs in the second beginning with a single and stolen base by Julia Sitterding and base hit by Karly Smith.
• Sierra Paradis then laid down a perfect suicide squeeze to plate Sittering for a 1-0 lead.
• Pinch runner Samantha Horn came across on a sacrifice fly by Jay Wrightsman to cap the inning.
• Mathis made that lead stand up first by stranding a runner at third with back-to-back strikeouts in the second.
• The Aggies scored an unearned run in the seventh but Mathis closed the door with her final two punchouts of the afternoon.
• Mathis had a strikeout in every inning including three in the second and two in the third, fifth and seventh.

Up Next
The Cougars look to tie the school record for most conference series wins in a season with seven when the middle game takes place Friday at 2 p.m.

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