March 19, 2010

Box Score

CONWAY, S.C. - The Coastal Carolina University softball team got hot at the plate, recording a season-high 13 hits to defeat Buffalo 9-1 in its first game of the CCU Softball Classic Friday, March 19. The Chanticleers improve to 10-13 on the season while the Bulls fall to 8-13 after splitting their two games of the day.

Coastal scored at least one run in five of the six innings, with every Chant in the starting lineup tallying at least one hit and four players earning multiple hits. On defense, pitcher Ashley Frederick pitched her ninth complete game and improved to 7-7 on the season. Frederick was solid in the circle, allowing one run on five hits while striking out three.

The Chanticleers started the game strong right off the bat. Sarah Maples, Stacy Snellings and Jazmin Daigle had consecutive hits, including Daigle's two-RBI single, to give Coastal the early 2-0 lead.

Buffalo scoring a run of its own in the top of the second to cut the lead to one, but Ashley Pisone kept the bats going with a lead-off home run over the right-center field fence to make it 3-1 Chants.

In the bottom of the third, Coastal put three more runs on the board for a 6-1 lead. Cacia Pierre started things off with a walk and Olivia Piccirillo singled through the left side, putting runners at first and second. Alyssa Tornatore loaded the bases with a hit up the middle, but a force out at home on Pisone's ground ball left the bases loaded with one down. Mecaela Ballard the cleared the three runners off the paths with her first triple of the season, extending the lead to five.

The Chanticleers continued to score in the fourth, getting another run to push the lead to 7-1. Daigle drew a walk in her at-bat, moving around the bases to score on a combination of base hit, wild pitch and a throwing error by the catcher.

Daigle led off the bottom of the sixth with single to give the Chants their fourth inning of the game opened with a hit. Michelle Evans ended the game in the sixth inning with a two-run homer over the left-center field fence, her fourth dinger of the season, to end the game on the eight-run margin rule.

Pierre was 2-for-2 with a walk on the day, while Daigle and Pisone were each 2-for-3 and added a combined three RBIs and three runs scored. Maples was 2-for-4 with one run scored also in the contest.

Coastal Carolina returns to the field tomorrow for day two of the CCU Softball Classic, taking on Houston Baptist at 4:45 p.m., and Oakland at 7 p.m.