Box Score

CONWAY, S.C. - Kiana Quolas tossed a shutout while hitting a milestone and Kailey Mellen enjoyed a perfect collegiate debut at the plate as the Coastal Carolina softball team started its season with an 8-0 five-inning victory over Lafayette Friday evening in the Kickin' Chicken Classic.

Quolas scattered five hits and struck out five to become the third pitcher in program history to hit the 500 career-strikeout mark. She recorded two in the first inning to hit the mark on the nose and now has 503 for her career.

Mellen, a freshman from Tucson, Ariz., started her career off with hits on all three of her at-bats, including a double. She drove in one run and scored twice. Morgan Noad went 2-for-2 with a home run, while Amanda Daneker and junior transfer Kelsey Dominik each had two-run hits.

Coastal scored its first five runs of the game on two-out hits, beginning with a four-run third inning. Mellen singled to left in her first plate appearance. Kasey Oliver followed with a sacrifice and Bri Chiusano reached on a bunt single and stole second to put a pair of runners in scoring position. The steal was the 78th of Chiusano's career, making her second alone in program history in just 115 games played. Two batters later, Daneker singled to left to give the Chants a 2-0 lead. Noad then doubled, Kory Hayden walked, and Dominik doubled off the top of the fence in left-center to score two more.

Mellen got things started again in the fourth, hitting a lead-off double and another Oliver sacrifice moved her up before Quolas made it 5-0 with an RBI double to right-center.

Noad then started a three-run fifth with a solo homer over the center field fence, the 31st of her career to move into a tie for fourth on Coastal's all-time list. A pair of walks around a Lafayette error loaded the bases for Mellen, who singled to left for her first career RBI. Oliver then drew a walk to end the game.

Each of the five hits allowed by Quolas were singles. She stranded a pair of runners in both the second and fourth en route to notching her 25th career shutout.

Coastal will face Lafayette again on Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. The Chants will then take on Virginia Tech, which won both of its games on Friday.