UNCG Softball Extends Win Streak to Five with Victories Over Fairfield & Charleston Southern
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) softball team extended its win streak to five games with a 6-0 victory over Fairfield and a 6-1 win over Charleston Southern on Saturday at CSU Softball Complex.
UNCG earned its fourth shutout of the season with the win over the Stags and the Spartans are now 21-7 overall.
GAME 1: UNCG 6 – Fairfield 0
After two scoreless innings, Macy Michael got the Spartans’ momentum going with a leadoff double to left center and was moved over to third base on a groundout.
Grace Loftin’s double to left field scored Michael from third for a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third.
Salem Ward, in the circle, retired eight-straight batters from the second to the fifth innings to keep Fairfield from scoring.
Jorde Chartrand’s fourth homer of the season, a solo shot to center field in the bottom of the fourth doubled UNCG’s advantage, 2-0.
The Spartans scored four runs on four hits in the bottom of the fifth to take a 6-0 lead.
Michael doubled once again in the lead off spot, and Samantha Beck followed with a two-run home run putting UNCG up 4-0. This was Beck’s fourth homer of the season.
With runners on second and third with one out, Betsy Eatmon hit a fly ball to center field, giving Jessie Shipley time to score for a 5-0 advantage.
Chartrand later singled to center field with two outs to score Gardner for the final run of the frame, 6-0.
Neither team scored in the sixth, and Ward retired three straight batters in the top of the seventh, including earning her sixth strikeout of the game and 10th victory of the season.
Chartrand went 3-for-3 at the plate with one run scored, two RBI and a home run.
Michael swung 2-for-2 with two runs scored, one walk and a double.
Loftin was the third Spartan with a multi-hit game, swinging 2-for-3 with a RBI and a double.
PITCHING RECORD
Salem Ward: W, 10-3
Chela Kovar: L, 0-4
GAME 2: UNCG 6 – Charleston Southern 1
Shipley led off the top of the third with a single and Loftin moved her over to second with a sacrifice bunt.
Gardner then took a pitch and sent it over the left field wall for a two-run blast and a 2-0 lead for the Spartans.
The Spartans added three runs on four hits and one error in the top of the fourth for a 5-0 advantage.
Kaylyn Belfield led off the frame with a single and Shipley followed with her own base hit.
Loftin punched out a three-run homer to center field, tallying her seventh home run of the season.
UNCG added one more run in the top of the sixth from Michael’s RBI single to center field that drove in Loftin from second, 6-0.
With one last chance at the plate, Charleston Southern pushed across one run in the bottom of the seventh on a single and error before Reese Byrd retired the side with a strikeout.
Shipley went 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
Gardner swung 2-for-4 with one run scored, two RBI and a homer.
Michael also had a multi-hit game, swinging 2-for-3 with one RBI and a walk.
PITCHING RECORD
Jorde Chartrand: W, 3-2
Riley Lauffer: L, 5-4
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UP NEXT
Sunday’s game against Charleston Southern has been canceled due to the impending forecast.
The Spartans return home to host Radford for a single game on Wednesday, March 19 at the UNCG Softball Stadium with a first pitch slated for 4:00 p.m.
All regular season softball home games are free admission. The concessions at UNCG Softball Stadium are now open. Bringing in outside food is not permitted and pets are not allowed into the stadium.
Courtesy of Denise Archetto
Assistant Athletic Director For Strategic Communications
UNC Greensboro