March 15, 2014
Minnesota Box Score | Georgia State Box Score
CONWAY - The Coastal Carolina softball team suffered a pair of low-scoring defeats in Saturday's action of the Chanticleer Showdown, falling to No. 18 Minnesota 2-0 and Georgia State 3-1.
It was the first time this season that the Chanticleers (17-9) lost two games on the same day.
Coastal's Kiana Quolas dueled with Minnesota ace Sara Moulton in the first game, both limiting the opposing offenses to just four hits. Minnesota, though, scratched across single runs in the second and sixth innings and held on in the seventh for the win.
In the second, the Golden Gophers used a leadoff single and capitalized on two Coastal errors, scoring when a throw to second on a stolen base attempt went into centerfield.
Quolas then retired Minnesota in order in the third, fourth and fifth before two singles around a groundout in the sixth plated the second run.
Moulton held Coastal to just two infield singles by Morgan Noad through the first six innings, but the Chanticleers made it interesting with two outs in the seventh, bringing the winning run to the plate. Pinchhitter Desiree Zaragoza grounded to deep short and beat out a strong throw by shortstop Tyler Walker to keep the game alive. Kylie Mulholland then lined a sharp single back up the middle for her first career hit to put runners on first and second. However, Moulton recovered to strike out Sara Rasley and end the game.
Mulholland went 1 for 1, while also drawing the only two walks that Moulton (13-2) issued. The Minnesota right-hander, who led the Big Ten in strikeouts entering the weekend, struck out 12 in the game.
Quolas (11-4) allowed just the one earned run, struck out five and walked one, but took the loss, the first defeat in her last six starts.
In the nightcap, Georgia State's Taylor Anderson hit a two-run home run to right-center against Ashley Bagwell in the second inning to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead.
The Chants tried to answer in the bottom of the inning, getting singles by Noad and Quolas to start the frame. However, two popouts and a groundout ended the threat.
Noad finally got Coastal on the board, crushing her sixth home run of the season over the centerfield fence in the bottom of the fourth.
Bri Chiusano singled with two outs in the sixth and stole second, but was stranded on a flyout. In the sixth, Kory Hayden led off with a single, but Georgia State's Kaitlyn Medlam came on in relief of starter Eron Milton and got three straight outs.
The Panthers then made it 3-1 in the top of the seventh on an RBI triple and Medlam closed it out in the bottom of the frame.
Milton allowed five hits, struck out three and walked none to get the win. Bagwell (6-4) gave up eight hits, struck out 10 and walked four. Noad had two hits in the game, giving her four for the day.
The Chants are scheduled to wrap up their play in the tournament on Sunday when they face Fordham at 12 p.m.
