Quinn’s Shutout Leads Elon Softball Past Wagner, 2-0

ELON, N.C. – The Elon University softball team snapped a four-game losing streak behind great defense and the arm of freshman pitcher Kenna Quinn in the Phoenix’s 2-0 victory over Wagner on Friday afternoon, March 3, in the start of the Elon Softball Tournament at Hunt Softball Park.

BOX SCORE

Elon (8-6) improved to 8-1 at home this season with its victory over the Seahawks (0-2) in the first ever meeting between the two schools on the softball diamond. The win was also the second shutout of the year for Elon with both coming with Quinn toeing the rubber.

At the Plate: The Phoenix was outhit at the plate by the Seahawks, 5-4, with Wagner leaving eight runners on base compared to five for the maroon and gold…Four different players plated a hit in the contest for Elon…Carey Million had Elon’s lone RBI in the third frame, her team-best 12th of the year.

In the Circle: Quinn (4-2) went the distance in a game for the fourth time this season as the Boiling Springs, S.C., native allowed five hits with one strikeout and a walk…Her counterpart, Wagner’s McKaleigh Goodale, also pitched a complete game and gave up two runs, one earned, with four strikeouts and a walk.

The Rundown: In a pitchers’ duel from the start, both starters were able to finagled their way out of some early-inning jams to have a scoreless game going to the third. With two outs in the top of the frame, Wagner’s Hana Gilbert doubled to left center to give the Seahawks a runner in scoring position. A single to left field followed as Gilbert was waved in to score, but Alaina Hall’s accurate throw to home plate beat the runner and ended the inning.

In the home half of the third, Elon answered to break through on the scoreboard. Hannah Olson reached on a one-out error by the third baseman and advanced to second. Kristin Hoover reached on a fielder’s choice to move Olson to third before a wild pitch led to her scoring the first run of the game, 1-0. Hoover advanced to second on the play and scored the second run of the inning on Million’s RBI single into center field to put the Phoenix up 2-0.

That was all the run support the Phoenix would need, as Quinn kept the Seahawks from doing any real damage for the remainder of the game. Wagner would get a pair of runners on in the top of the fifth with one out after a pair of singles, but Quinn and the Phoenix defense regrouped to induce a popup and an out on a fielder’s choice.

The Seahawks would tally only one hit for the rest of the game as Elon opened its home tournament with a 2-0 victory.

On Deck
The Phoenix returns to the diamond tomorrow, March 4, for the second day of the Elon Softball Tournament. The maroon and gold faces Wagner in a rematch at 2:30 p.m. before closing the day with a contest versus Iona at 4:45 p.m.