Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Freshman Aspen Echelmeier (Auburn, CA) drove in four runs on the afternoon, while belting her first career homerun to lead the red-hot University of Charleston softball team to a doubleheader sweep of UVA-Wise 3-1 & 7-4.

The opening game featured two rookie hurlers facing off head-to-head as Emily Fultz (Germantown, OH) squared against the Cavalier's Lannie Johnston. Both pitchers worked through the first two innings without a hitch before the home squad struck the scoreboard first in the bottom of the third inning.

Andrea Hayes (Columbus, OH) reached on a bunt single to open the inning before swiping second on the first pitch to leadoff hitter Janeen Vazquez (Cincinnati, OH). Vazquez then put down a sacrifice bunt to advance Hayes to third, setting up Ayla Santos (Calvert County, MD) to deliver the opening blow of the game. Santos wasted little time in lighting up the scoreboard as she scorched a line drive up the middle to plate Hayes and give the Golden Eagles a 1-0 advantage.

Fultz cruised through the sixth inning en route to racking up eight strikeouts in the contest making it look like the single run would be all that was needed offensively from Charleston.

Echelmeier assisted her pitcher in the bottom of the sixth inning with two insurance runs that would come in handy down the stretch. Echelmeier slammed her first career homerun well over the left-center fence, nearly clearing the perimeter fencing for the entire UC Softball Complex. With the blast she plated Logan Tretick (Round Hill, VA) who had led the inning off with a single to left field to give Charleston a comfortable 3-0 lead.

The top of the seventh inning offered suspense of its own as UVA-Wise led off with a single and an RBI triple to get within 3-1 and put the tying run at the plate with one out. Head Coach Ray Loeser made the call to the bullpen and handed the ball over to Kelsee Blackwell (New Castle, IN), the only upperclassman on the UC pitching staff. Blackwell instantly put to rest any idea of a Cavalier comeback by getting a strikeout and a groundout to end the game, while also notching her first save of the season.

In the second game of the series the Golden Eagles displayed an abundance of offense early for seven runs in the first three innings to support freshman pitcher Courtney Fain (Urbana, OH).

UVA-Wise put forth a strong effort with 11 hits to claw back within reach as they went into their final at-bat down just 7-4. Charleston again went to the bullpen in the final inning as newcomer Bethany Cera (Bellaire, OH) got in the circle for the first time in her collegiate career.

Yet again, the final three outs didn't come without a little tension in the University of Charleston dugout as the Cavaliers managed to load the bases and bring the go-ahead run to the plate with two outs. Showing no nerves Cera delivered for the final out as she corralled a bouncer back up the middle to record the final out and seal the 7-4 win.

Vazquez paced Charleston at the plate in game two with a 3-for-3 effort that included two RBIs. Echelmeier matched her RBI total from game one with two as she recorded a 2-for-3 mark in the scorebook.

Charleston now hits the road for an eight game stretch that starts on Friday, February 24 with a 2:00 pm doubleheader against Tusculum in Greenville, Tenn.