Mount Pleasant, S.C.- The Coastal Carolina softball team faced off against Southern Conference opponent the College of Charleston in a doubleheader this afternoon, Weds., April 15 in Mount Pleasant, S.C. Coastal Carolina dropped game one 10-5, but rebounded with a 9-5 victory in nightcap.

 

In game one, Coastal Carolina (11-28) got off to a quick start as sparkplug Mecaela Ballard (Groves, Texas/Galveston) led off the contest with a walk. The walk was followed by a Brittany Birnbaum (Chino Hills, Calif./Ayala) single up the middle to put runners at first and second with no one out. However, C of C hurler Stormie Henderson fought back to fan the next three Coastal Carolina batters to end the Chanticleer threat.

 

In the home half of the inning, Tiffany Harmon lead off with base hit, and was immediately followed by Christal Kotchman’s first home run of the season, a two-run shot over the left field fence to give the Cougars the early 2-0 lead. McCranie would walk the next batter, and would be replaced by Ashley Frederick (Lusby, Md./Patuxent). Frederick would retire the first two batters she faced via strikeout, and earned the third out of the inning on a pop-up to get out of the jam.

 

In the Cougar (14-21) second, Amanda Maurer and Kristi Woodall reached base on a pair of Frederick free passes, and were advanced to second and third on a Harmon sacrifice. Amber Shifflett would drive the pair of baserunners in with a single to centerfield to stretch the Cougar lead to 4-0.

 

The Chanticleers would get on the board in the third, as Michelle Evans (Upland, Calif./Upland) and Stacy Snellings (Richmond, Va./Mills E. Godwin) got the Chanticleers started with back-to-back singles. Catcher Morgan Dodd (Chattanooga, Tenn./Girls Preparatory) drove in the first run of the contest for the Chants. On the very next pitch, Sarah Maples (Pasadena, Texas/Deer Park) singled to short to score Snellings and cut the Cougar lead in half at 4-2.

 

College of Charleston would tack on a pair of runs in the third, as Maurer tripled to right for the first run, and was driven in by the next batter, Woodall, who doubled to center for the RBI and second run of the inning and give the Cougars the 6-2 lead.

 

The Cougars added a trio of runs in the fifth to extend the C of C lead to 9-2. The game-winnidng run was on third base in the frame for the Cougars, but McCranie re-entered the contest with two outs to force Shannon Howard into grounding out to end the inning.

 

The Chants posted two runs in the sixth, as Kelsey Riffel (Wichita, Kan./Maize) and Ashley Pisone (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) had consecutive doubles, with the latter driving in Riffel to cut the Cougar lead to 9-3. Two batters later, Birnbaum singled in Pisone to bring the score to 9-4.

 

The Cougars loaded the bases in the sixth with two outs. McCranie walked Shifflett with the bases juiced to push the C of C lead to 10-4.

 

Coastal Carolina would add a run in the seventh, as Riffel singled in Dodd for her second RBI of the contest, but fell short, losing game one 10-5.

 

McCranie fell to 1-5 on the season in the loss, as she threw 1.1 innings and allowed three runs on three hits. Frederick tossed 4.2 innings in middle relief, giving up seven runs, four earned, on six hits. She also struck out three Cougars. Howard improves to 4-10 in the complete-game victory, as she five runs, four earned, on 10 hits and struck out seven Chanticleers.

 

Riffel was 2-for-4 at the plate with a single, double and RBI. Maples and Birnbaum also had two hits in the defeat.

 

C of C (14-22) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in game two, as Kotchman doubled to right with one out. Amber Shifflett then struck out, but reached base on a passed ball. Kristie Shifflett then followed with a two-run single to drive in both runners for the early College of Charleston lead.

 

The Chants (12-28) threatened in the away half of the second, as Snellings led off the second with a single, and was moved to second after a Dodd sacrifice bunt. The next batter, Maples, singled to the shortstop to put runners on first and second. A batter later, Riffel singled to left field to load the bases for Pisone, who struck out with the bases loaded to end the inning.

 

The Cougars loaded the bases with no outs in the second, but Coastal Carolina starter Katelin Edwards (Greer, S.C./Newberry College) worked her way out of the jam without allowing a run to hold the score at 2-0.

 

Kotchman started off the C of C fifth by reaching on an error, and Amber Shifflett reached base on an attempted sacrifice that turned into a bunt single to put runners on first and second with nobody out. Edwards again worked her way out trouble, inducing the heart of the Cougar order into three consecutive outs.

 

The Chanticleers took the lead for the time being in the sixth, putting up a five-spot on the board. Evans led off the frame with a single up the middle. Snellings followed with a double to right field, scoring Evans to cut the lead to 2-1. The very next pitch to Maples went through the left side for an RBI base knock to score Snellings and tie the game up at 2-2.  The Chants went on to load the bases with one out, knocking out Cougar starter Katie Forbes in favor of reliever and game one starter, Stormie Henderson. After retiring Pisone, Ballard had the big knock to the contest, a double to centerfield that scored Maples and pinch-runner Brittany Bailey (Nokesville, Va./Shenandoah). Riffel also scored on the play on an error by Cougar backstop Kelly Dillon to give the Chants the 5-2 advantage.

 

C of C answered right back with a trio of runs in the home half of the sixth, paced by a pair of Edwards walks. Kotchman doubled with two outs to drive in two runs, and was followed by a Amber Shifflet single to score Kotchman and knot the contest at 5-5.

 

Coastal Carolina had its second big inning of the game in the seventh, scoring four runs. With one out, Snellings was hit by a pitch, and was followed by a Dodd walk to put the go-ahead run on second and Dodd on first, and knock out Henderson in favor of Alexa Datko. The next batter Alyssa Tornatore (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) singled through the right side to score Evans and give Coastal Carolina the 6-5 lead. Riffel continued her hot-hitting on the day, doubling the centerfield to score a pair of runs and stretch the Chanticleer lead to 8-5. Coastal Carolina. Pisone would tack on a sacrifice fly to give Coastal Carolina its ninth run of the contest and extend the lead to the final score of 9-5.

 

McCranie, who entered with two outs in the sixth, threw a perfect seventh to earn the win, improving to 2-5 on the season. Edwards threw 5.2 innings, allowing five runs on eight hits in the no decision.

 

C of C used three pitchers in the contest, with Henderson taking the loss (0-1).

Riffel, Ballard and Tornatore had two RBI apiece for the Chanticleers. Maples was 3-for-4 with an RBI in the victory.

 

Coastal Carolina will travel to Clinton, S.C. to take on the Presbyterian Blue Hose in a Big South doubleheader beginning on Saturday. First pitch of the Saturday twinbill is slated for 1 p.m., followed by a single game with a 1 p.m. start on Sunday from Young Park.