CHARLESTON, W.VA.—University of Charleston Softball jumps to No. 13 in the NFCA Coach's Poll after improving to 29-2 overall and 17-1 in conference play with doubleheader sweeps over Davis & Elkins College and West Virginia Wesleyan College. The match up on Saturday was originally scheduled to be played at D&E, but after a stormy week, the teams opted to play on UC's turf. UC remained the visiting team for the doubleheader. 
 
Senior Brianna McCown also earned NFCA National and MEC Pitcher of the Week honors after collecting four more wins this past weekend to improve to 20-1 on the season. This is the third National Pitcher of the Week award of her career and her third MEC Pitcher of the week award of the season. The Nitro, West Virginia native posted an ERA of .35 and held the Senators and Bobcats to a .128 batting average. McCown also tallied 27 strikeouts in 20 innings pitched while only allowing nine hits, one walk and one run to score. 
 
Another standout Golden Eagle against Davis & Elkins and Wesleyan was Allison Rubal. The junior earned her first MEC Player of the Week award after hitting .583 (7-12) with a home run, six RBIs and five runs scored. Hannah Rose was also a menace on the offense, as the senior hit .538 (7-13) with a double to extend her hit streak to 17 games. Rose leads the conference in batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, and OPS. Like Rubal and Rose, Allysa Lake showed off her power with two long balls on the weekend. The Graduate Student is currently the MEC home run leader.

Nationally, Charleston ranks first in fielding percentage, strikeout-to-walk ratio, and win percentage, while also ranking second in WHIP, sixth in team strikeouts per seven innings, eighth in ERA and fifteenth in batting average.
 
The Basics:
Location: Watt Powell Annex & Culpepper Field
Score: G1 vs. D&E (5-0, W), G2 vs. D&E (3-1, W), G1 vs. WVWC (6-0, W), G2 vs. WVWC (7-5, W)
 
How it Happened:
G1 vs. D&E: 5-0
McCown was a force to be reckoned with in the circle. She went the distance, striking out 11 Senators with only three hits allowed in the shutout victory. The senior was perfect throughout the game until she allowed three hits in the bottom of the seventh inning. 
 
As the visiting team, Charleston notched all their runs in the first and seventh inning. With the bases loaded, Rubal knocked a single to plate two runs, while the runner on first, Bianca Polistina, scored and Rubal reached third on a throwing error to home plate by the center fielder. Another single up the middle off the bat of Hannah Meyer plated Rubal to close out the scoring in the first.
 
Rose got the offense going again in the seventh inning with a single up the gut. Isabella Andujar then stepped up to the plate and got a single of her own to move Rose over to third. On the same play, the junior rounded second to induce a run down. Before Andujar was tagged out, Rose managed to speed home to give UC its last run of the game. Another shutdown inning by McCown secured the 5-0 game one victory. 
 
G2 vs. D&E: 3-1, W
Lake wasted no time in the top of the first, blasting a home run over the center field fence to snag the first run of the game. That was all UC was able to get though, as the Senators got out of the inning on a fly out to center field. From there, Chloe Elliott stepped onto the rubber for UC. The junior got the first two batters out on a strikeout and a groundout to first before a Senator knocked a double to put a runner in scoring position. A flyout to right field ended the inning before D&E could score.
 
Aside from Lake's home run, the Golden Eagles struggled to get the bats going. McCown came in for relief for Elliott in the fourth, but the Senators managed to get on the board in the fifth on a solo shot to left center before she struck out the next batter for the last out. 
 
The game remained tied until Rubal got the offense going again on a single to right field to start the seventh. A sacrifice bunt by Meyer then moved Rubal to second before she went on to score on a double off the bat of Morgan Hoppe. A dropped ball by the first baseman then allowed Brittny Ogg to reach safely and advance to second while Hoppe scored to plate the last run of the game. McCown induced three groundouts to conclude the game and give UC the 3-1 win.
 
G1 vs. WVWC: 6-0, W
McCown picked up her second shutout victory of the weekend in game one versus Wesleyan. She was perfect through six with 12 strikeouts until she gave up three hits in the final frame of the game. McCown was able to hold onto the shutout though to collect her nineteenth win of the season.
 
The first runs of the game came on a pair of singles by Hoppe and Rose after Polistina and Meyer led the inning off with a walk and a single. After getting themselves out of the jam, the Bobcats quickly found themselves in another one, as Charleston's offense continued to produce in the third inning. Polistina knocked in a run on a sacrifice fly to center field, however a groundout to second base concluded the inning. 
 
UC kept pouring it on in the fifth and sixth on a two-run bomb by Lake in the fifth and a solo shot by Rubal in the six. More shutdown pitching by McCown wrapped the game up and gave the Golden Eagles another win. 
 
G2. Vs. WVWC: 7-5, W
Charleston rocketed to an early 4-0 lead in the first inning on singles by Andujar and Rubal and an error by the shortstop. Freshman Layla Jelenic started in the circle for the Golden Eagles and was rolling with five strikeouts until she allowed two singles and a free pass via the walk. Elliott came in relief for the freshman, but a single and a grand slam gave the Bobcats the 5-4 lead. Two groundouts concluded the blowout inning for Wesleyan.
 
The late run by the Bobcats did not shake the Golden Eagles. With two outs, Morgan Hoppe drilled a double to put the tying run on second base. Pinch hitter Kyra Gooler then clutched up and singled to drive in Reavis who pinch ran for Hoppe to knot the score at 5. Just like they did throughout the 2023 season, the cardiac kids made a comeback in the seventh on a 2-RBI single by Rubal. The Golden Eagles went on to win 7-5.
 
Up Next:
Charleston hits the road on Friday, April 13 to compete against the Salem Tigers at 12pm and 2pm at Hope Field in Salem, West Virginia. On Sunday, April 14 the Golden Eagles will then travel to South Euclid, Ohio for another battle of the birds. The games are set for 2pm and 4pm on Normandy Field.