CONWAY, S.C. -- Coastal Carolina swept Hampton in a doubleheader Sunday, Feb. 24 at the CCU Softball Field, winning the first game, 5-1, and then taking the second victory, 3-0. With the wins, the Lady Chanticleers advanced to 5-7 on the year while the Lady Pirates fell to 4-4.

Hampton opened the game with a lead-off home run to center field by Brittany Davis. The Lady Pirates maintained the lead until the bottom of the fifth when Coastal scored all five of its runs. Sophomore Alicia Irwin (Salina, Kan./Salina South) started the inning with a double to center field. Junior Kelsey Riffel (Wichita, Kan./Maize) laid down a bunt, but a throwing error by Hampton's Ashley Weissenbach allowed Riffel to safely make it to first and for Irwin to score. Later in the inning with the bases loaded of Lady Chants, junior Verity Long-Droppert (Claremont, Australia/Shenton (Western Australia)) smashed a grand slam to center field that gave CCU the 5-1 lead.ith

Freshman Ashley Pedersen (Fayetteville, Ga./Whitewater) earned the win after throwing the final three innings and allowing no runs off three hits. Pedersen also struck out six of the 12 batters she faced. Weissenbach had the loss. In six innings of work, Weissenbach allowed five runs off 10 hits and faced 29 batters.

Both Long-Droppert and Riffel were 2-for-3 from the plate.

The second game remained scoreless until Coastal had a two-run fourth inning. With Pedersen on third and as freshman Ashley Pisone (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield Area) was stealing second, Weissenbach committed a fielding error in an attempt to get Pisone out, which allowed Pedersen to score to make it 1-0. Pisone made it a 2-0 game when she scored off an Irwin double.

The Lady Chants took a 3-0 lead in the fifth inning when Long-Droppert smacked a triple to right field that scored sophomore Mecaela Ballard (Groves, Texas/Port Neches Groves (Galveston JC)).

Sophomore Ashley Frederick (Lusby, Md./Paxtuent) pitched all seven innings en route to earning her third win of the season. She allowed just one hit and recorded six strikeouts. Amanda Black picked up the loss after six innings of work. Black allowed six hits and two earned runs.

Six different Lady Chants recorded one hit in the second game, while Long-Droppert and Irwin each had a RBI.

Coastal Carolina returns to action at the Jacksonville Tournament Feb. 29-March 2 in Jacksonville, Fla. The Lady Chants start the tournament with a game against Virginia Feb. 29 at 12:15 p.m.