MT PLEASANT, S.C. – The Elon University softball team split its Colonial Athletic Association opener at College of Charleston on Saturday, March 21. The Phoenix had a tough 6-5 loss in the opening game before rebounding with a 4-3 victory in the second contest over the Cougars at the Patriots Point Softball Complex.
The series will conclude tomorrow with the rubber match as the Phoenix (18-7, 1-1 CAA) and the Cougars (16-14, 1-1 CAA) square off at 11 a.m. with the game time moving up due to inclement weather.
College of Charleston 6, Elon 5
Elon fell behind in the bottom of the first of the first game. CofC’s Taylor Dupree drew a walk to lead off the inning and crossed the plate thanks to a two-run homer by Mackenzie Maples to put the Cougars up 2-0.
The Phoenix answered with five runs of its own in the top of the second. Emily Roper singled to begin the frame and scored thanks to a double by Carey Million to center. Another double down the right field line by senior Sarah Little drove in Million to tie the game at 2-2. Elon then loaded the bases after Aly Quintana and Madison Kadlic both received hit-by-pitches before Hannah Olson had a two-run double to give the Phoenix the lead, 4-2. Alaina Hall added another run on a sacrifice fly to right that brought in Kadlic and put the maroon and gold up 5-2 after two.
CofC responded by loading the bases in the bottom of the second. The Cougars’ Allison Pedigo received a one-out walk before moving to third on back-to-back infield singles by Victoria Bratcher and Dupree. Elon went with a change in the circle as O’Shea stepped in for starter Kiandra Mitchum and got the second out of the inning on a grounder to second. The play scored Pedigo, but O’Shea fanned the next batter to end the inning.
The Cougars retook the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Pedigo reached on a walk to lead off the inning before advancing to second after an Elon error by the first basemen that allowed Victoria Bratcher to reach. A one-out single through the right side by Maples brought the Cougars within one, 5-4, before CofC knotted the game on another single, this time by Rebbecca Mueller also through the right side. Maples scored the go-ahead run from third after Mueller drew attention on a run down on her attempted steal to second and gave the maroon and gold a 6-5 deficit.
That stood as the final score as Elon was able to get a runner on base in the top of the sixth and seventh frames, but was unable to drive them in and suffered the 6-5 defeat in the opening game of the doubleheader.
O’Shea (1-2) was saddled with the loss after allowing three hits and three runs, two earned, in her 2.2 innings. Mitchum went only 1.1 innings and gave up four hits and three runs with a pair of walks.
The Phoenix only mustered four hits total versus the Cougars with Little, Million Olson and Roper accounting for the tally.
Elon 4, College of Charleston 2
The Phoenix quickly got on top of the Cougars in the beginning of game two. A one-out miscue by the second baseman led to both Olson and Kara Shutt reaching second and first, respectively. The bases became loaded after Roper was hit by a pitch before runs were scored thanks to a double by Million to left center. Little drove in two more runs on another double to left center that put the Phoenix up 4-0 after the first.
CofC crawled back into the contest with a two-run bottom of the second. A single and a double followed by a walk loaded the bases for the Cougars with no outs to start the inning before Dupree hit a one-out single down the left field line to plate CofC’s first run of the contest. Senior Chelsea White came on to pitch for starter Kayla Caruso, but a grounder to second added another run to pull the Cougars within two, 4-2.
White would settle in however and scatter three hits over her 5.2 innings of work. The Salisbury, N.C., native allowed only two base runners to reach second from the third to the sixth inning as Elon hung on to its 4-2 lead.
The Cougars pulled closer in the bottom of the seventh due to an Elon miscue. Maples led off the inning with a double to right center and moved over to third on a grounder. She would advance home after an errant throw from first base to third and cut the Phoenix’s lead to 4-3. White however induced the final out on a popup to close out the game and give Elon its first-ever CAA league victory.
White improved to 4-0 on the year with her performance in relief while Little led the way at the plate with a 2-for-3 performance to go with two RBI.