Softball Drops Pair in Final Day of Kickin' Chicken Classic
More Information:
CONWAY, S.C.- The Coastal Carolina University softball team dropped a pair of games in the final day of the 2009 Kickin' Chicken Classic, 10-9 in game one to Western Carolina and 6-0 to the Virginia Tech Hokies in game two. Game one saw the Chanticleers churn out a season-highs with nine runs and 14 hits, but a seventh-inning Catamount rally dashed Coastal Carolina's hopes of picking up their second victory of the season.
In game one, Coastal Carolina (1-7) scored three runs in both the first and second innings to jump out to a 6-2 lead heading into the second inning. Junior pitcher Ashley Frederick (Lusby, Md./Patuxent) would surrender four runs to the Catamounts (3-5) in four innings of work. Working on a pitch count, Frederick gave way to Katelin Edwards (Greer, S.C./Byrnes)(Newberry) in the fifth. Edwards inherited a 7-4 lead, which quickly dissolved.
The first batter Edwards faced in the fifth, Kari Burnside, homered to right field to cut the lead to 7-5. With the bases loaded, Mollile Fowler was hit by a pitch to push across another run to make it a one run ball game. The next batter, Danielle Reese, hit a two-run, bases loaded single to push across two more runs to give Western Carolina the 8-7 lead heading into the sixth inning.
Coastal Carolina would answer back in the bottom of the sixth, as Kelsey Riffel (Wichita, Kan./Maize) and Mecaela Ballard (Groves, Texas/Port Neches Grove)(Galveston)) singled to lead off the inning. The pair would move up a base on a Catamount fielding miscue to put runners on second and third with no outs. Sarah Maples (Pasadena, Texas/Deer Park) would ground out to short to score Riffell, tying the game up at 8-8. The next batter, Brittany Birnbaum (Chino Hills, Calif./Ayala) singled to left to drive in Ballard, giving Coastal Carolina the 9-8 lead.
The Chants were unable to hold onto the one-run lead, as Chelsea Schaffer beat out an infield single, and moved to second on a passed ball. Reese then struck again, hitting a double to right field to drive in Schaffer and knot the game up at 9-9. Reese would steal third base, and scored two pitches later on a wild pitch to give the Catamounts the eventual 10-9 victory.
Both Ballard and Riffel had three hits in the game, while Maples drove in three runs in the loss.
Frederick allowed four hits and four runs in her four innings of work, and struck out seven batters. Edwards takes the loss to fall to 1-6 on the season, as she surrendered six runs, three earned, in three innings of work. Katie King earned the win for Western Carolina, and Lauren Ross picked up her first save of the season in the victory.
Edwards started game two against the Hokies, and held Virginia Tech (5-9) scoreless for the first two frames. The big blow game in the third inning, as Cherise Mariconda hit a two-run dinger over the left field fence to give the Hokies the 2-0 lead.
With the Hokies up 3-0 in the fifth, Mariconda hit another two-run blast to extend Virginia Tech's lead to 5-0. Virginia Tech would add another run in the sixth to run the game to the final score of 6-0.
Coastal Carolina (1-8) could only generate three hits in the contest after the offensive explosion earlier in the day. Ballard had a pair of hits, while sophomore Michelle Evans (Upland, Calif./Upland) had the other.
Hokie pitcher Kenzie Roark had a solid outing, throwing a complete game shutout and striking out six Chanticleers to improve to 3-7 on the season. Edwards fanned four Virginia Tech batters in the complete game, but falls to 1-7 on the season. She allowed nine hits and five earned runs in the loss.
The Chanticleers will next be in action on Friday, as they travel to the Jacksonville University tournament in Jacksonville, Fla. Coastal Carolina will play five games in the three-day tournament, starting off with a 1:15 p.m. tilt with the Red Foxes of Marist University.
