Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 |
Box Score 3 by Kevin Buczek
WILSON, N.C.-The Barton College softball team will play its first games in 15 days when the Lady Bulldogs battle five different opponents in the Shaw University Softball Challenge at the Walnut Creek Softball Complex on Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 22-23.
The 31-team event has been modified twice because of rain. The Lady Bulldogs are currently slated to play Winston-Salem State University (12 PM), Elizabeth City State University (4 PM) and USC Aiken (6 PM) on Saturday and Millersville University (9 AM) and Virginia Union University on Sunday.
No multimedia available for the five Barton neutral site tilts.
Barton softball fans can follow the Bulldogs throughout the season on www.BartonBulldogs.com and via social media including Twitter and Facebook.
Barton College Softball
The Lady Bulldogs had four consecutive home doubleheaders get washed out since Barton last played on Feb. 7. BC is 0-2 overall after losing to UNC Pembroke and Francis Marion in the UNCP Invite.
BC was held to just six hits by six different Lady Bulldogs in its first two contests. Barton newcomers in junior catcher Betsy Braswell, who was named to the UNCP Invite All-Tourney Team, and freshman first baseman Kelsey Conner also drew a walk each in the tourney to lead the Lady Bulldogs with .400 on-base percentages.
Senior third baseman Amber Weaver hit a three-run homer against the Braves to lead BC with three RBI. Braswell scored twice in the contest and has the Lady Bulldogs only other extra-base hit in a double. Conner and senior shortstop Kendra Kassonie each have one RBI.
Sophomore corner outfielder Crystal Britton (.308 average in 2013), sophomore pitcher/designated player Liz White (.373), senior Alex Baylis (.262) and utility Rachel Jordan (.280) are all letter winners for the Lady Bulldogs that played in both games this season.
White (0-1, 9.19 ERA) and sophomore classmate Ashlyn Reagon (0-1, 7.00 ERA) have BC's two starts. White and senior Autumn Pittman each had four wins and eight complete games for the Lady Bulldogs last season.
Barton is averaging four errors per game.
ECSU is the only institution out of the five scheduled games for Barton at the Shaw Challenge that the Lady Bulldogs played last season going winning all four contests against the Vikings.
Winston-Salem State University
The Rams will be making their season debut in the Shaw Challenge. WSSU was 28-21 in 2013.
Winston-Salem State returns its top two offensive weapons from last season in junior pitcher/utility Monet Daly (.381, 38 R, 24 RBI) and senior utility Tanaya Pettus (.342, 28 RBI, 28 R) but does not return its five other players that batted over .300.
The Rams have two of its three pitchers from last year back in Daly (3-2, 3.43 ERA) and senior Yasmin Lee (9-8, 3.52 ERA).
Daly was a Daktronics All-Region honoree in 2013 for the Atlantic Region.
Elizabeth City State University Softball
The Vikings will be making their season debut after going 3-23 in 2013.
Elizabeth City State returns four of its top six batters from last season including junior catcher Tiara Webb (.350, 16 RBI, 15 R, 4 HR), junior pitcher/center fielder Kiyana Merritt (.351, 17 R, 4 SB), sophomore left fielder Emmesha White (.300) and senior first baseman Danielle Horn (.288).
Merritt, a transfer from South Carolina State University, tossed nearly 2/3 of the Vikings innings last season and finished with a 3-10 record and 7.80 ERA. Merritt had 53 strikeouts in 93.1 innings (11 complete games). ECSU has three new pitchers listed on its roster this season including two juniors.
USC Aiken Softball
The Pacers are 6-2 overall and are coming off doubleheader splits against Newberry College and Lenoir-Rhyne University.
Sophomore India Kornegay, who was a Daktronics All-Southeast Region pitcher last year, has started her second season in stellar fashion going 4-0 with a 0.54 ERA. Kornegay boasts a strikeouts-per-game rate of 14.27 with 53 Ks in her first 26.0 innings pitched. Classmate Taylor Morgan (2-2, 1.93 ERA) has split time in the pitcher's circle with Kornegay with four complete games as well.
Senior infielder Kaitlyn White (.407, 7 R, 4 SB), sophomore outfielder Sarah Montei (.400, 4 R, 4 SB) and junior infielder Ashley Metts (.333, 8 RBI, 2 HR) have accounted for nearly half of the Pacers hits this season (27 of 56). Freshman Madison Labrador (.292) had made an immediate impact in the lineup with two home runs.
Millersville University Softball
The Marauders will also be making their season debut in the Shaw Challenge. Millersville went 30-20 in 2013.
Sophomore Brianna Andraos is the Marauders primary returning starting pitcher after going 11-6 last season with a 2.54 ERA in 107.2 innings. Classmate Amanda Wink added a 2-3 record and a 1.99 ERA in 45.2 innings.
MU returns its top two batters from last season in sophomore shortstop Jordan Sheffield (24 runs, 4 HR, 7 SB) and junior first baseman Ashley Cantiello (7 2B, 32 RBI), who both started all 50 games and each batted .331. Juniors Stephanie Kulp (.291, 5 HR, 21 RBI) and second baseman Danielle DiFilippo (.301, 21 R, 15 RBI) add depth to the Marauders lineup.
Virginia Union University Softball
The Panthers will be Barton's fourth opponent in the Shaw Challenge that will be starting the season in Raleigh. Virginia Union went 15-10 in 2013.
VUU's lineup is anchored by three seniors in outfielder Renesha Chiles (.414, 34 RBI, 6 HR, 29 R), utility Shireese Bordan (.329, 31 R, 24 SB) and catcher Shakia Mackey (.368, 34 R, 12 2B). Chiles and Bordan were both tabbed All-CIAA last year.
The Panthers had the nation's highest scoring offense last season averaging 8.64 runs per game (but played a shorter schedule than most programs). Virginia Union also averaged the most doubles per game (2.28) with Mackey (0.50) averaging one double ever other game.
