Softball Splits Doubleheader at College of Charleston
3/24/2013 2:51:59 AM | Softball
BOX SCORE (GAME ONE) // BOX SCORE (GAME TWO)
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – Georgia Southern Softball had a mixed bag of results on Saturday evening in a rain delayed doubleheader against the College of Charleston. Sarah Purvis went the distance on her birthday for a 2-1 win in 9 innings to start the series. Charleston responded in game two to take the 4-3 win, thwarting a GSU rally in the seventh.
Georgia Southern falls to 15-17 overall and 4-1 in league play while Charleston improves to 14-11 and 6-2 in the SoCon.
- GAME ONE -
The Eagles needed extra innings to snap a six-game schneid in the series opener 2-1 over Charleston in nine innings. A five hour rain delay pushed the start of the series to 6 p.m.
After a pair of open frames to start the game, Georgia Southern took a 1-0 lead in the third inning off a RBI double from Kaitlyn Johnson. She worked the count and rifled the 2-2 offering down the line in left, allowing Alexa Lewis to score easily. The Cougars, however, answered with a one-out home run to centerfield to level the score at 1-1.
Five-straight scoreless innings sent the game into extra innings. The Eagles posted the first run of the extra innings in the ninth. A leadoff single, followed by a hit by pitch put a pair of runners on base, while an infield ground out advanced both runners into scoring position. Lewis did the ultimate damage with an infield single to short which sent pinch runner Nicole Benton across the plate.
Sarah Purvis went the distance working around six hits on her 21st birthday to pick up her eighth win of the season. She fanned seven Cougars in the game and lowered her season ERA to 2.24.
- GAME TWO –
Georgia Southern’s 10-game regular season league winning streak came to an end as Charleston took the 4-3 win to close Saturday’s doubleheader. The Eagles made a late charge, but were unable to plate the tying run in the seventh inning.
A leadoff fielding error paved the way for Charleston to take a 2-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a home run by Chandler Frisbie. Georgia Southern would strand six runners in the first four innings of play as Charleston extended the lead to 3-0 with a single run in the fourth inning.
Johnson sparked a two-run fifth inning with a leadoff single followed by Kourtny Thomas’ third walk of the game to get runners on. Both Johnson and Thomas scored on a RBI double to the gap in left by Shelby Morrill which cut the lead to 3-2.
The Cougars tacked on an insurance run in the bottom half of the fifth as Frisbie tallied her third RBI of the game to post a 4-2 lead.
With their backs against the wall in the bottom of the seventh, Georgia Southern posted a leadoff walk, followed by a double by Thomas to chase CofC starting pitcher Stephanie Saylors from the game. Douberley hit a single to second to score Johnson, but Thomas was cut down at the plate on the play for the second out of the inning. A strikeout to Andrea Tarashuk ended the game as Georgia Southern dropped the 4-3 result.
The teams will re-convene on Sunday for the series finale starting at 1 p.m. from the Patriots Point Complex on the banks of Charleston Harbor. With inclement weather a possibility, keep an eye on GSEagles.com and @GSAthletics on twitter for any schedule changes.
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