Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 by Benny Benton
WILSON, N.C. – The Barton College softball team claimed a storm-shortened 6-5 victory in the second half of a non-conference doubleheader against Saint Augustine's University Tuesday to earn a split of the two games at Jeffries Field.
The Lady Falcons won the opener, 2-0, behind a five-hit shutout from Meranda Zanni.
The split left Barton with a record of 15-23 and SAU with a mark of 14-10.
Game 2: Barton 6, Saint Augustine's 5 (6 inn.)
The Lady Bulldogs scored three runs in the first inning and three more in the second, then held on as Saint Augustine's closed to within a run before storms forced the game to be called in the middle of the sixth inning.
Liz White (10-11), who on Tuesday was named Conference Carolinas Pitcher of the Week, earned the victory with 3 2/3 innings of relief. In doing so, she became the first BC pitcher to reach double-digit wins in a season since Emily Jordan in 2011.
It was Emily's younger sister, Rachel, who drove in the first run of the game for the Lady Bulldogs with a single. Lindsey Sharpe doubled with one out and advanced to third on a single by Betsy Braswell. Jordan then drilled a 1-0 pitch from SAU starter Korey Hill to right field, scoring Sharpe. When the ball got past the right fielder, Braswell also came around to score, putting Barton up 2-0. White added an RBI infield single, increasing the lead to 3-0.
A double into the left field corner by Kaitlin Staley to open the BC second inning, followed by a Megan Kelly single, started another three-run inning. Two of the runs scored on wild pitches and the other was forced home after Ashlyn Reagan was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Hill (5-4) left the game after two innings, having given up six hits, five earned runs and three walks while striking out three.
Reagan, who started in the circle for Barton, had surrendered a run in the top the second on a wild pitch that scored Hill, who had doubled to lead off the inning. Saint Augustine's added two more runs in the top of the third on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Zanni and an RBI single by Marley Parker that ended Reagan's day.
White entered the game with two runners on and got a pair of outs to end the threat. However, one inning later, the Lady Falcons used three hits and a walk to score a run and cut the deficit to 6-4.
Saint Augustine's reliever Hannah Stutts worked three hitless, scoreless innings to keep Barton within reach, and in the top of the sixth, the Lady Falcons used a three-base throwing error and an infield single to pull within one at 6-5. Hill, who drove in the run, stole second to reach scoring position as the potential game-tying run, but White got a pop-up to second to end the inning.
Before Barton could bat in the bottom of the frame, the game was halted due to lightning at 6:04 p.m. Ten minutes later, the game was called with storms and darkness both looming.
White gave up four hits, one earned run and two walks over the final 3 2/3 innings in getting the win.
Game 1: Saint Augustine's 2, Barton 0
White was the starter in game one, just one day after tossing her second career no-hitter against Shaw University. She allowed seven hits this time in the complete-game effort, did not walk a batter and struck out six.
She surrendered the two runs in the fourth inning, when the Lady Falcons collected three of those hits. Danyelle Noland singled to lead off the frame, and two batters later Hill doubled to center field to drive in the game's first run. With two outs, Parker also doubled to center, increasing the lead to 2-0.
That proved more than enough for SAU's starter, Zanni, who gave up just three hits through the first six innings. She walked two and struck out four in improving to 5-1 on the year.
Barton got two runners on base in the second inning with a Braswell single and Sharpe walk, but Zanni got a flyball to center to end the inning. The Lady Bulldogs finally produced two hits in the same inning in the seventh when pinch-hitter Kristin Moore and Sharpe both singled, but Zanni collected a strikeout and a pop-up to short to preserve the shutout.
Sharpe went 2-for-2 in the first game and added a hit in game two to extend her hitting streak to six games. She had a double on both ends of the doubleheader, and now has six extra-base hits in her last five contests.
Braswell was the only other player with multiple hits on the afternoon for the Lady Bulldogs, delivering one in each game. In doing so, she extended her hitting streak to seven straight games.
The contests ended a marathon schedule of eight games in four days for Barton, which will have two days off before returning to competition on Friday at Winston-Salem State University.
