COLUMBUS, Ga. — University of Charleston softball starts their season at 0-2 after falling to Georgia Southwestern (8-1) and Ohio Dominican (3-2) in day one of the NFCA Division II Leadoff Classic.
When asked about the first two games of the season, UC Head Softball Coach, Michelle Frew, said, "It wasn't the start we expected. We have to get better, but there were some good things to take away from today." She goes on to say, "We were really happy with our freshman pitcher, Addison Mass. She came in and shut down a strong hitting Georgia Southwestern team. Our defense has also improved a lot from last year, only committing one error on the day."
Game 1 L, 8-1
Lindsey Phares went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored, while Isabella Andujar went 1-for-3 with an RBI. However, UC's bats went cold after the first inning and never warmed back up. GSW went on to score five runs in the second and two more in the sixth to hold the 8-1 lead. Brianna McCown took the loss after giving up eight earned runs on 12 hits in five innings pitched, walking two and striking out four. Addison Mass made a strong intercollegiate debut after relieving McCown with three strikeouts and no hits given up in two innings pitched.
Game 2 L, 3-2
ODU took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but UC's Hannah Rose responded in the second half of the frame by doubling, stealing third and scoring on an error. The Panthers went on to score another run in the top of the second and were able to hold the Golden Eagles to one run until the bottom of the fourth inning. Following back-to-back singles by Allyssa Lake and Emma Groe, Allison Rubal pushed across another run on a single to right field, cutting the lead to 3-2. The Golden Eagles were unable to claw their way to victory, so Dani Bauer took the loss with three runs given up in seven innings pitched, striking out three and walking two.
Up Next
The Golden Eagles continue the NFCA Divison II Leadoff Classic on Saturday morning. They will be facing Missouri Western State University at 12:30 p.m. and Hillsdale College at 3 p.m.