Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Softball Sweeps Conference Doubleheader from Charleston Southern

Wins the First Game 5-0, Takes the Second 2-1

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CONWAY, S.C. – Coastal Carolina’s softball team (30-19, 5-1 Big South) used strong pitching and timely hitting to win a pair of games over conference rival Charleston Southern (9-33-1, 0-6 Big South) by the scores of 5-0 and 2-1. The Lady Chanticleers have now won 29 of their last 36 games.

Redshirt junior Christine Doyle (Rio Rico, Ariz./Immaculate Heart Academy (NJ)) was spectacular in the first game of the doubleheader for Coastal, as she threw a complete game two-hitter with three strikeouts and only four baserunners allowed.

Coastal broke through for a run in the first inning of the first game. Senior Sara Hostetler (Albuquerque, N.M./Valley) doubled to lead off the inning. She went from first to third on the bunt single from Glynn Tolleson (Tomball, Texas/Tomball (Radford)). Tolleson then stole second to put runners on second and third. Senior Meagen Johnson (Georgetown, S.C./Georgetown) walked to loaded the bases with no outs. Senior Kelly Feely (Livermore, Calif./Granada) singled to left field to score Hostetler for the first run of the game. Charleston Southern was able to escape the sticky situation by inducing a ground out in which the lead runner, Tolleson, was forced out at home and an infield pop up that turned into a double play to end the inning with only one run allowed.

The game remained 1-0 going into the fifth inning when Charleston Southern threatened. Dorothy Page singled to start the inning, it was CSU's first hit of the game. After a strikeout, Amy Trenkamp singled to the CCU third baseman, Hostetler, to advanced Page to second. A groundout to the CCU second baseman, Kristina Sheppard (Galveston, Texas/Ball) moved Page and Trenkamp into scoring position with two outs. Doyle was up to the challenge though, as she induced a groundout by pinch hiter Candace Rowell to end to inning and preserve the slim one run advantage.

The Lady Chants exploded for four runs in the sixth inning. Sheppard led off with a single through the left side. Junior Danyelle Gerdts (Colorado Springs, Colo./Air Academy) pinch ran for Sheppard and stole second. She went to third on the attempted sacrifice bunt from Ashley Gerdts (Colorado springs, Colo./Air Academy) that the CSU hurdler, Amanda Noble, mishandled allowing Ashley Gerdts to reach first on. Junior Carla Hood (Marion, S.C./Marion) followed with a RBI sacrifice bunt to third that scored Danyelle Gerdts. Junior Kimberly Cillis (Magnolia, Texas/Magnolia) drilled a single to left-center field to score Ashley Gerdts with the third run of the game. Freshman Kelsey Riffel (Wichita, Kan./Maize) pinch ran for Cills and went to third on the Brittany Nelson (Flower Mound, Texas/Marcus) pinch hit single down the left field line. Nelson moved to second on the throw to third. Senior Katey Allen (Lewiston, Idaho/Lewiston (Albertson College) pinch ran for Nelson and moved to third, as Riffel scored on the sacrifice fly from Hostetler. Tolleson legged out an infield single to score Allen from third with the fifth and final run of the game.

Charleston Southern took the early lead in the second game, as Jill Shondel walked to start the game, she stole second, and came into score on the Page single to left field for the first run of the game.

Coastal tied the game up with a run in the bottom of the frame. A leadoff single by Hostetler put a runner on first. She went to second on a sacrifice bunt and moved to third on a ground out. Hostetler scored the tying run on a Feely single to centerfield.

The bottom of the sixth inning was adventuresome. Tolleson singled to right-center field to start the frame. She then stole second and went to third on a pass ball. On first out of the inning, a Johnson strikeout, she attempted to score from third, as the ball was thrown over the Buccaneers pitcher's head, Shondel, but Tolleson was thrown out at the plate by the shortstop on the overthrow.

The game remained knotted a one all until the bottom of the seventh inning. Sheppard doubled to lead off the inning. Danyelle Gerdts was inserted at second as a pinch runner for Coastal. Danyelle Gerdts scored the dramatic game-winning run on a sinking line drive single from Ashley Gerdts to give CCU the second game by the margain of 2-1.

Nelson (6-5), who pitched three scoreless innings in relief of Johnson, was the game-two winner. The three Coastal hurdlers on the day limited the Buccanners to six total hits and one run on the afternoon.

Coastal's softball team next takes the field on Wednesday, April 19 against College of Charleston in a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m.

Notes: Johnson's four walks in the first game were a new career-high... Sheppard was 4-for-6 on the afternoon... CCU's 30 wins this season are the 11th time the Lady Chants have won 30 or more games in a single season.