SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Savannah State softball team (1-3) dropped both games on Saturday to Western Carolina 12-3 in five innings and to College of Charleston 3-2 in eight innings during the second day of the 1st Annual Lady Tiger Classic at the Lady Tiger Softball Field.
Junior Chasney Jenkins went 3-for-5 with a run scored in both games, while senior Torrian Wright went 2-for-5 with a run scored an RBI in both games.
Freshman Kasie Johnson went the distance against CofC giving up seven hits and two earned runs, one walk and a strikeout, while sophomore Ashley Eichenlaub went 3.1 innings giving up 10 hits and six earned runs against WCU.
Western Carolina 12, Savannah State 3
Jenkins and Wright both went 2-for-2 at the plate, while Jenkins added a run scored and Wright added a run scored and an RBI, while junior Amanda Hallman went 1-for-3 with an RBI.
Western Carolina broke a scoreless tie in the second inning after an RBI single and a stole home to capture a 2-0 lead after two innings.
WCU added another run in the top of the third inning after a RBI single up the middle, but the Lady Tigers cut the lead to a run after scoring two runs in the bottom half of the inning, 3-2.
After an SSU strikeout, Jenkins singled to second base and stole second. After another strikeout for the second out of the inning, Wright doubled home Jenkins to cut the lead to 3-1. Senior Antonette Smith reached first base after a hit-by-pitch, followed by Hallman's RBI single through the right side to score Wright to cut the lead to a run.
WCU exploded in the top of the fourth inning with nine runs, including a two-run home run and a three-run home run to extend its lead to 12-2 after four innings.
With the Lady Tigers trying to extend the game, SSU pushed across a run in the bottom of the fifth inning to cut the final margin to nine runs.
Wright started off the inning with a single and as senior Tamara Jones pinch ran for Wright advanced to second on an illegal pitch. After a groundout for the first out of the inning, Jones advanced on the play to third base. After a strikeout for the second out, freshman Kelsey Cyrus walked on four straight balls to put the runners on the corners with two outs.
Senior Molly Lillis, who pinched hit for freshman Cortni Jones, walked to load the bases and freshman Peyton Mitchell, who pinched hit for sophomore Shelby Eccles, singled to left field to bring home Jones and to keep the bases loaded. A strikeout ended the inning and the game.
Courtney Price went 2-for-4 with a run scored and three RBIs, while Karley Harkey went 2-for-2 with three runs scored and two RBIs, Madison Armstrong went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Abigail Daniels went 2-for-4 with a run scored for WCU. Taylor Sigmon (2-0) picked up the win pitching the final 2.1 innings giving up two hits and an earned run with four walks and four strikeouts.
College of Charleston 3, Savannah State 2 (8)
The Lady Tigers recorded four hits against CofC's Samantha Martin (1-0), with Jenkins, sophomore Brianna Harris, junior Alexis Singleton and Eccles recording hits for SSU. Eccles recorded all two SSU RBIs.
The Cougars scored two runs in the top of the first inning on an RBI double and an RBI single to lead 2-0 after the first inning.
The Lady Tigers tied the game at two in the bottom of the fourth inning. After two SSU outs, Cyrus reached on base by an error and advanced to second, while Singleton singled to center field and advanced on the throw to home to set up runners on second and third with two outs. Eccles came through with a bunt single to second base to allow Cyrus and Singleton to score to tie the game.
Starting in the eighth inning, both teams started with a runner on second base to begin the inning. CofC scored that run after an RBI single to give the Cougars a 3-2 lead.
In the bottom half of the inning, Jenkins singled through the left side to set up runners on the corners with no outs. A fielder's choice bunt, cut the lead runner at home to record the first out and to put runners on first and second. After a SSU groundout for the second out of the inning to advance the runners to second and third, Wright was intentionally walked to set up the bases loaded with two outs for the Lady Tigers, but a strikeout ended the threat and the game.
Sara Garcia went 3-for-4 with an RBI for the Cougars, while Rebecca Mueller went 2-for-4 with an RBI and Samantha Martin went the distance scattering four hits and giving up zero earned runs with four walks and 14 strikeouts.
