CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Golden Eagle Softball closed out the 2018 season with a split against Fairmont State University on Saturday afternoon at the UC Softball Field, finishing the season with 27 victories.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE Fairmont State University 4, University of Charleston 2
University of Charleston 2, Fairmont State University 0
LOCATION Charleston, W.Va. (UC Softball Field)
RECORDS Charleston (27-25, 12-20); Fairmont St. (22-24, 18-14)
THE GAMES
GAME 1
The first game of Saturday's doubleheader was scoreless until the fourth inning when Fairmont broke the deadlock on an RBI single by Abby Burgess to take a 1-0 lead over Jessie Rowe and the Golden Eagles. Charleston answered back in the fifth inning on a single by Emily Dutton that scored senior Shelby Ume from second after leading off the inning with a double to right center. Both the Falcons and Golden Eagles each added runs in the sixth, UC's run coming from a Danielle Norton ground rule double that brought in AJ Martin from third who reached on a triple down the right field line.
Rowe ran into trouble in the seventh as the first two Falcons reached second and third with no outs but looked to worked herself out of a jam getting consecutive flyouts to Martin in right field. Carly Clarke hit a one-hopper back to Rowe in the circle but her underhand toss to Norton at first sailed over her head allowing Clarke to beat the throw and score two runs, taking a 4-2 lead over UC. The Golden Eagles couldn't muster any seventh-inning magic and fell to the visitors in the series opener.
GAME 2
Charleston got a dominating effort from game two starter Mickaela Brown as the junior tossed a four-hit shutout of the Falcons, capturing a 2-0 victory in the season finale. UC scored their pair of runs in the home half of the fourth, taking advantage of an error by Falcon starter pitcher Darby Petersen who overthrew a sacrifice bunt layed down by Kendall Marshall that allowed Janie Schmidt to score from second base. Later in the inning, Emily Dutton brought in Ume from third on a fielder's choice.
That was all Brown needed for her third win on the season and her first complete-game shutout as a Golden Eagle.