CHARLESTON, W.VA.—This past weekend, No. 16 University of Charleston Softball swept Concord University and Glenville State to open conference play. They defeated the Mountain Lions on Saturday 6-1 in game one and 5-0 in game two. On Sunday, the Golden Eagles then went on to mercy rule the Pioneers 8-0 in six innings in the first game before they defeated them again in a long 10-inning battle.
The Basics:
Location: CU Softball Field (Athens, W.Va.) & Sue Morris Sports Complex (Glenville, W.Va)
Records: UCWV 16-1 (4-0 MEC); CU 13-11 (1-3 MEC); GSU 7-8 (1-3 MEC)
Score: Saturday (6-1 G1 UCWV; 5-0 G2 UCWV); Sunday (8-0 G1 UCWV; 3-2 G2 UCWV)
Summary:
Brianna McCown improved to 11-1 overall and 4-0 in conference play, adding three more wins to her stat sheet with 26 strikeouts in 11 innings of work. Thanks to her outstanding performance, the senior picked up her second MEC Player of the Week accolade of the season. McCown leads the conference in wins and strikeouts with a total of 91 batters sent packing—33 more than Glenville's Holly Brehm who trails McCown with 58.
Chloe Elliott also picked up a win against Concord, going the distance with five punchouts and only two hits allowed. In 23.2 innings pitched on the season so far, the junior Seton Hill transfer has given up the least number of runs (8), earned runs (4), and walks (4) in the conference. She poses an ERA of 1.18, which is good for third in the MEC.
Like their pitching, Charleston brought some hot bats to the field, as they chalked up 38 hits and 22 runs in 31 innings played. They showed off their power too with
Allison Rubal,
Brittny Ogg,
Hannah Rose,
Allysa Lake and
Bianca Polistina all contributing runs via the long ball. Rose in particular helped lead the Golden Eagles to their four victories, as the senior batted .429 (6-14) on the week with a home run, four runs scored, two RBIs, two walks and a stolen base.
Up Next:
UC will host the Yellow Jackets of West Virginia State University in a doubleheader on Wednesday, March 20. First pitch is set for 1pm. The Yellow Jackets are currently ranked second in the MEC with a conference record of 5-3 and an overall record of 10-13.