April 13, 2014

Box Score

CLINTON - The Coastal Carolina softball team suffered its second one-run loss in as many days as Presbyterian College outlasted the Chanticleers 4-3 in 10 innings on Sunday in the finale of the Big South Conference series.

Erin Taylor singled to centerfield with two outs in the bottom of the 10th, giving the Blue Hose (21-20, 6-9 BSC) their second walk-off win of the series - this one coming under international tiebreaker rules.

Coastal (29-13, 11-3) led 2-0 in the game and then fell behind 3-2 before tying it in the top of the seventh on a home run by Amanda Daneker.

Neither team could score in the eighth or ninth innings, bringing the international tiebreaker rule into play in the 10th. In the Chanticleers' half, Brooke Donovan bunted runner Kory Hayden over to third, but Jessie Winans lined out to second base and Sara Rasleyfouled out.

Presbyterian followed with the same strategy, bunting runner Erin Ruff to third base to start its inning. Coastal then chose to intentionally walk the next two Blue Hose batters to load the bases and set up force plays. Ashley Bagwell, who went the distance in the circle, followed with a strikeout for the second out. However, Taylor lined a 1-2 pitch to center that dropped just in front of Donovan, one-hopping into her glove, and Ruff came home with the winning run.

It was just the fifth hit of the 10-inning game for Presbyterian against Bagwell. Coastal totaled 10 hits, but left 12 runners on base, including, nine in scoring position.

Kiana Quolasset a career-high with four hits, including a home run and a double, while Daneker had three hits, including the homer, and two RBIs.

Quolas gave Coastal a quick 1-0 lead by crushing the fourth pitch of the game from Katie Brown over the trees behind the left-field fence for her sixth homer of the season and second in two days.

The Chants made it 2-0 in the third on a two-out RBI single by Daneker. Maicie Hahn drew a leadoff walk and after a fielder's choice off the bat of Bri Chiusano, Quolas singled to right-center, advancing Chiusano to third. Two batters later, Daneker sent one back up the middle into centerfield.

Coastal had an opportunity to add more in the fourth as Donovan singled, Rasley walked and the two both moved up to second and third on stolen bases. However, Blue Hose reliever Kensley Loudermelk got a popout and groundout to escape.

Presbyterian then used a pair of hits and capitalized on two Chanticleer errors to score three times in the bottom of the inning and take a 3-2 lead. A bunt single by Jill McLean - PC's first hit of the game - started it. After Hayden bobbled a groundball and her throw to first was late, Shelby Petik doubled to the fence in left to get the Blue Hose on the board. Following a foulout and a walk that loaded the bases, Chiusano couldn't hold onto a sinking liner off the bat of Abby Allen, and two runs scored.

CCU had a chance to answer in the top of the fifth as Quolas led off by ripping a double down the left-field line for her third hit. Daneker then beat out a grounder to the right side of second base for an infield hit, putting runners on the corners with one out. However, Hayden ripped a liner right at the third baseman for the second out and a flyout off the bat of Donovan ended the inning.

However, Daneker came up big again in the seventh, hitting the first pitch of her at-bat with one out over the left-field fence for her fourth homer of the season.

Bagwell then pitched out of trouble in the bottom of the inning, With runners at first and second, she got a popout to Hahn in shallow right field and a groundout to Winans at short to send the game to extra innings.

Both teams left runners at second in the ninth. Quolas led off with a single and advanced to second with two outs on a groundball, but Sydney Seigler - PC's third pitcher of the game - got an inning-ending flyout. In the bottom half, a one-out walk and a sacrifice moved the Blue Hose into scoring position, but Bagwell induced another popout to Hahn.

Bagwell (11-7) took the loss despite tying her career-high with the 10 innings pitched and allowing just one earned run. She struck out 10 and walked seven - although two of them were intentional. Seigler pitched the last three innings for the Blue Hose and allowed just one hit to notch the win.

The Chanticleers return home to host Charleston Southern again for a single game on Wednesday at 4 p.m.