Softball finds early success on road
On Saturday, the team dominated the University of Charleston 8-0, Limestone College 6-2 and Kutztown University 8-2, and on Sunday the Lady Bobcats lost to Kutztown 8-0 and won against Charleston 12-5.
On Tuesday, the ‘Cats swept a doubleheader against Augusta State University, winning 3-2 and 4-3.
On day one of the Early Bird Tournament (Saturday, Feb. 7), the Lady Bobcats went 3-0. Against Charleston, senior pitcher Mandy Chandler pitched her first shutout of the year, striking out 14 batters and allowing only one hit. The mercy rule was enforced and the game was called after five innings. Senior outfielder Sherquita Bostick hit a two-run homer in the victory.
After dominating the Golden Eagles, the Bobcats went on to face Limestone. Freshman Haley Burnett pitched five innings, giving up two runs. Burnett was relieved by Chandler who pitched the last two innings, striking out four batters. Freshman outfielder Stephanie Lezcano and senior first baseman Chelsea Wilson both hit home runs.
In the afternoon, the Bobcats overpowered No. 12 Kutztown University. Defensively, Chandler allowed only three hits. The team dominated offensively, as freshman catcher Anna Parker hit two home runs, junior utility player/pitcher Kayla Smith hit one, and senior second baseman Lindsey Swanson, senior pitcher/third baseman Tonya Medders, and Lezcano all went 2-for-4 at the plate.
“We did well for our first outing,” Chandler said. “We are a balanced team with a lot of new additions starting for us. It was great to see them perform so well their first time – they crushed the ball.”
For the day, Chandler pitched 14 innings, struck out 22 batters, gave up six hits and allowed only two runs.
On day two of the tournament (Sunday, Feb. 8), the Bobcats lost their first game of the season, the early game against the Kutztown Golden Bears. The team then bounced back and beat Charleston 12-5 later in the afternoon. In this second game, Mandy Chandler’s younger sister Sabrina pitched two and one-third innings, taking over in the fifth with two outs and the game tied at five. She struck out three batters and gave up zero runs.
“I had so much fun playing and earning my first college win,” Sabrina Chandler said. “It was very nerve-wracking, but equally exciting. Coming in and pitching a college game was so intense, but I absolutely loved it.”
All nine Bobcat starters had hits and the team had 14 hits overall. Bostick led the team offensively, going 3-for-4 with one home run. Parker went 1-for-5 with a home run, while Lezcano went 3-for-5 and Burnett went 2-for-4.
Overall, the Bobcats finished the tournament 4-1.
“I think that we played well overall in the tournament last weekend,” said outfielder Sherquita Bostick. “Our offense did a really good job of getting on base and scoring runs. We have very strong hitters in our line-up, and we’ve proved that by hitting 8 homeruns as a team in the five games we played in Aiken.”
Last season, Bostick was named Peach Belt Conference (PBC) Player of the Year. She began the 2009 season by hitting .471 and going 8-for-17 in the Aiken Early Bird Tournament, taking the season’s first conference player of the week award.
After their exciting weekend in Aiken, the team’s next competition was against Augusta State University on Tuesday.
Game one of Tuesday’s doubleheader was tied 2-2 in the seventh inning. Senior designated hitter Chelsea Wilson led off the top of the eighth with a double, was bunted to third, and scored on a single by senior third baseman Kori Pickowitz. Mandy Chandler pitched all eight innings, striking out 11 batters, giving up four hits and walking seven batters.
Kori Pickowitz went 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Wilson went 1-for-2 with two runs while Medders went 1-for-4 scoring one run. Sophomore outfielder Kati Pickowitz was 1-for-4 at the plate with an RBI and Swanson went 2-for-4. The team had eight hits overall.
The ‘Cats beat the Jaguars in the second game 4-3. Mandy Chandler gave up five hits and two runs, throwing six innings while fanning six. The team played well offensively, getting eight hits overall, and scoring three runs in the fourth inning alone. In the seventh inning, ASU was down by one with a runner on first when Smith grabbed a fly and doubled the runner for the final out.
Smith went 1-for-3 and slammed a three-run homer. Kori Pickowitz continued her success, going 2-for-3 while Bostick went 1-for-4 with an RBI.
“I think we played really well Tuesday,” said Ginger Chaffinch, head coach. “Everyone contributed to our win – the bottom of our lineup scored every run in the first game. We were happy to get a sweep in our first conference games.”
The GCSU home opener is Saturday, Feb. 14 with a doubleheader against Wingate University beginning at noon.
“I think that it’s awesome so far,” Bostick said. “I know that we will have a very good season if we continue to keep doing what we are doing.”
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Feb 13 2009. Filed under Sports.
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