Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 by Benny Benton
WILSON, N.C. – Barton College sophomore Megan Kelly had three hits, including the game-winning RBI double in the bottom of the ninth inning, as the Lady Bulldogs edged Chowan University, 5-4, in the first half of a non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday at Jeffries Field.
Kelly had an opportunity to close out game two in similar fashion, reaching the plate with two runners in scoring position and two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but Chowan pitcher Kayla Robins induced a fly ball to left field to preserve her three-hit shutout and the Hawks' 1-0 victory.
The split left the Lady Bulldogs with a 7-17 record and Chowan with a 12-8 mark.
The performance by Robins dampened Barton pitcher Ashlyn Reagan's best effort of the season. The junior gave up just two hits in the game, but one was a first-inning home run to Danielle Baccus that proved to be the only run of the game for either side.
Barton also received another strong outing from first-game starter Liz White, who matched her career high in strikeouts for the second game in a row with 13.
Game 1: Barton 5, Chowan 4 (9 inn.)
For the second game in a row, Barton was forced into extra innings with White on the mound. On Sunday, White gave up just three hits and one earned run while striking out 13 in a 3-2 11-inning loss to Pfeiffer.
Against Chowan, White (5-7) dominated the early innings, retiring the first 10 batters in a row before Chandler Bridges beat out a bunt single with one out in the fourth. She retired five more batters in a row – including the side by strikeout in the fifth – before the Hawks produced a pair of hits but no runs in the sixth.
Barton's offense staked White to a 1-0 lead in the first inning off Chowan starter Alora Lincoln (5-3) on consecutive singles by Rachel Jordan, Betsy Braswell and Samantha Bass, the last one driving in the run.
The Lady Bulldogs added a second run in the fifth when Kelly tripled to lead off the frame and scored on a suicide squeeze play. Taylor Bowden put the bunt in play that allowed Kelly to score, giving Barton an insurance run.
After stranding two Chowan runners in scoring position in the sixth and retiring the first batter in the seventh, it didn't appear that White would need that insurance. However, the junior from Windsor, N.C., issued her only walk of the game to the next batter, Katlyn Brummett, and Kris Neal followed with an RBI triple into the gap in left-center to end the shutout and give the Hawks new life.
Pinch-hitter Audrey Hubbard then hit a single into left-center, driving in Neal with the game-tying run.
Kelly singled to center field and stole second in the bottom of the seventh, but two Barton batters could not get her home and the Lady Bulldogs headed to extra innings for the second straight outing.
With Rachel Clark already on second base as the international tiebreaker runner, White uncorked a wild pitch that quickly moved her to third. Tina White was then hit by a pitch and stole second, putting two runners in scoring position. Bridges cashed in that opportunity with a double just over the edge of the bag at third base and into the left field corner that scored both runs, putting the Hawks into the lead for the first time, 4-2.
Jordan started the Barton half of the inning on second as the tiebreaker runner and moved to third on a Braswell single down the right field line. Two batters later, White helped herself with a single up the middle that scored Jordan and advanced pinch-runner Sydney Burton to third. With two outs, Donna Nimmo came through with a clutch single into left-center that scored Burton with the tying run to force another inning.
In the top of the ninth, Barton third baseman Kaitlyn Staley made a huge play to start the inning. Fielding a grounder off the bat of Neal, Staley faked a throw to first and tagged the tiebreaker runner, Brummett, running toward third. From there, White was able to manage the rest of the inning and keep the Hawks off the board, giving Barton the advantage.
The Lady Bulldogs didn't take long to cash in. With Ashley Burkett on second base as the tiebreaker runner, Kelly fouled off two pitches from Lincoln and then drove an 0-2 offering over the head of Neal in left field and to the fence, easily scoring Burkett with the game-winning run.
Barton finished the contest with 14 hits. In addition to the three from Kelly, Jordan also had three, while Braswell, Bass and Nimmo added two each. Bridges and Bowen each had two of Chowan's seven total hits off White.
Game 2: Chowan 1, Barton 0
Chowan jumped out to a 1-0 lead just two outs and 10 pitches into the second contest, as Baccus took a 1-1 pitch from Reagan (0-10) over the fence in left. No one knew at the time that the run would be the only one scored in the contest.
Barton had its chances in the bottom of the first when Robins walked both Kelly and Bowden to left off the inning and they pulled off a double-steal to reach scoring position with no one out. However, Robins (6-1) got a strikeout, a lineout to third and a pop-up to third to leave the two runners stranded in what turned out to be a huge escape.
The Lady Bulldogs threatened again in the third after getting singles by Staley and Jordan, but Robins got a grounder to third off the bat of Barton's RBI leader, Braswell, to end the inning.
After the first inning, the Hawks managed just one more hit off Reagan the rest of the game, a one-out double by Brummett, but Reagan got a pair of pop-ups to end the threat. Reagan walked just one batter and struck out four in her outstanding outing. She was also helped by her defense, which turned a pair of double plays.
Jordan reached scoring position in the sixth after a single and a wild pitch, but Robins recorded a strikeout to leave her stranded.
The Lady Bulldogs tried to rally in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, Robins issued consecutive walks to White, who was pinch-hitting, and Nimmo. Staley moved both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, leaving the game-winning run at second base and Kelly at the plate with two outs.
Just as she had done at the end of game one, Kelly hit the ball to left, but this one was popped up and Neal was able to corral it for the last out of the game.
Barton's scheduled game with Saint Augustine's University on Thursday was postponed until a later date, so the Lady Bulldogs are now slated to return to action on Saturday afternoon at home against Lees-McRae College.
