TROUTVILLE, Va. – No.11 and No.1N SE University of Charleston Softball (44-4, 27-3 MEC) remains perfect in MEC Tournament play and advances to Championship Saturday with wins over No. 4N SE West Liberty University (20-34, 11-17 MEC), No. 3S SE Davis & Elkins College (29-25, 14-16 MEC) and No. 3N SE Notre Dame College (35-23, 14-14 MEC). Senior Brianna McCown (29-3) picked up two shutout victories over the Hilltoppers and Senators on Wednesday and Thursday, while also securing a 4-2 victory over the Falcons today. McCown is just one win away from a 30-win season.
 
The Basics:
Location: Botetourt Softball Complex
Score: vs. West Liberty: 9-0 (5 inn., W); vs. Davis & Elkins: 6-0 (W); vs. Notre Dame 4-2 (W)
 
How it Happened:
vs. West Liberty: 9-0 (5 innings, W)
Despite allowing a lead off walk and a single to put runners on the corners with one out in the top of the first, starting pitcher Brianna McCown notched a strikeout and induced a fly out to get out of the inning unscathed. Like the Hilltoppers, Senior Hannah Rose also led the game off with a four-pitch walk. The speedster when on to swipe second to put a runner in scoring position for UC. Designated player Isabella Andujar then stepped up to the plate and wasted no time. In her first at-bat of the tournament, the junior connected with a pitch and drove out to set the tone for the rest of the game and give the Golden Eagles a 2-0 lead.
 
Unlike the first inning, McCown went on to have a 1-2-3 inning to quickly hand the bats back to her offense. Charleston did not end up plating anyone again though until the bottom of the third inning. The Golden Eagles led the inning off with two free passes via an error and a four-pitch walk. West Liberty managed to get their first out on a popup to second base, but a fly out to centerfield allowed for pinch runner Lindsey Reavis to tag up and advance to third. Pinch runner Isabella Landrum then stole second to put herself in scoring position before Allison Rubal drew a walk to load the bases. Junior Hannah Meyer then stepped into the box and drove a bases clearing double to extend Charleston's lead to five.
 
McCown continued to blow it past and shutdown the Hilltoppers while her offense continued to drill the ball. UC closed out the scoring in the bottom of the fourth inning. West Liberty allowed another lead off walk to put a runner on with the MEC Player of the Year stepping up to the plate. Rose sneakily dropped down a drag bunt, turned on her wheels and made it safely to first while advancing Ogg to second. Andujar then drilled a ball to left center where it rolled to the fence past the diving center fielder to score Ogg from second. The Hilltoppers got an out on a pop fly to the shortstop, but a single by Lindsey Phares allowed for Rose to score and Andujar to advance to third. Another popup to shortstop gave the Hilltoppers their second out. A 2-RBI single by Allison Rubal sealed the deal though and put UC in mercy-rule territory before the inning ended on a ground ball to first.
 
Despite some late life from West Liberty in the fifth inning, they left three Hilltoppers on base and were shutout again by McCown to hand UC their thirteenth mercy rule win of the season. In five innings pitched, McCown struck out six and only allowed two hits and two walks in five innings of work. 
 
Andujar, Meyer and Rubal were forces to be reckoned with at the plate. Andujar was 2-3 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored. Meyer went 1-3 with a double and three RBIs, while Rubal went 2-2 with two RBIs, a run scored and a walk.
 
vs. Davis & Elkins: 6-0 (W)
Game two of the tournament started off as a pitching duel, but UC managed to break through in the bottom of the fourth inning. With two outs and a 2-2 count, Rubal singled through the right side. Another single by Meyer added pressure to the Senators' defense. A clutch single through the left side allowed for Rubal to score from second to put the Golden Eagles on the board first. Davis & Elkins stopped the bleeding though and got out of the inning on a ground ball. 
 
After leading off the inning with a double to left center, a single by Andujar allowed Rose to score. A single up the middle by Allysa Lake continued to add pressure, but the Senators induced two fly outs and a ground out to end the inning. This did not stop Charleston's momentum though, as they went on to score their last four runs of the game in the sixth.  A double by Rose scored West who reached on a one-out single. Ogg, who reached on a hit-by-pitch, also advanced to third on Rose's double to put runners on second and third with the hot-hitting Andujar up to bat. The junior singled to right field, advancing Rose to third and scoring Ogg to make the score 4-0, UC. The last two runs came on a pair of singles by Phares and Rubal. 
 
McCown shutdown D&E again in the seventh to get her second win of the tournament. McCown punched out ten Senators and only allowed one hit and no walks in seven innings pitched. Rose and Andujar led the offense, as Rose went 2-2 with two doubles, an RBI, two runs scored and two walks, while Andujar was 2-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. Lake, Phares and West also had RBIs to their names.
 
vs. Notre Dame: 4-2 (W)
McCown got off to a shaky start in the top of the first inning after hitting the lead off hitter and walking the number two hitter to put two runners on with no outs. She picked up a strikeout and induced a fly out for the first two outs of the inning, but went on to uncharacteristically walk another batter on a 3-2 count to load the bases. This did not shake the senior though, as a blooper to shortstop ended the Falcon's half of the inning.
 
Rose walked to start the offense off for UC, but a 5-4-3 double play gave the momentum back to Notre Dame. With two outs, Lake blasted a homer though to give UC the 1-0 lead before the inning ended on a strikeout. The Golden Eagles also added a run in the second inning on a two-out Morgan Hoppe single through the five-six hole that scored Bianca Polistina who reached on a walk. 
 
The Golden Eagles gave up their first run of the tournament in the top of the third inning. A single and a stolen base is how the Falcons got the ball rolling. McCown managed to draw a fly out and strikeout a Falcon to tally two outs, but a single down the left field line scored the runner from second to make it 2-1, UC. That was all they were able to get that inning though.
 
Charleston added an insurance run in the fourth inning. A single up the middle on an 0-2 count by Polistina and a bunt-for-base-hit by Rubal put two runners on with one out. With runners on first and third following a fielder's choice, the Golden Eagles added a run via the double steal to make the score 3-1, UC.
 
Not much went on in the fifth inning, but the Falcons showed some late life in the sixth. A pair of singles to lead off the inning is how they got it started. A fielder's choice then put runners on first and third for Notre Dame before they went on to cut the lead in half on another fielder's choice. A strikeout and an interference call killed their momentum though and handed that bats back to UC.
 
The last run of the game came in the bottom of the sixth inning. Singles by Andujar and Lake started it off for UC, but a strikeout and pop up quickly put two outs up. Rubal then reached first on an error by third to load the bases. Following a dropped pop fly in foul territory, pinch runner Kaleigh Serra scored on a wild pitch to close out the scoring for the game.
 
Notre Dame did not go out without a fight though. The Falcons picked up a few hits with no outs, but McCown struck out two and induced a fly ball to secure the 4-2 victory and punch Charleston's ticket to Championship Saturday. McCown had nine strikeouts in the win. 
 
Up Next:
With no losses, the Golden Eagles are currently the MEC Tournament leaders. They will defend their 2023 MEC Tournament Title tomorrow on Saturday, May 3, as they face the No. 3 South Division seed, Davis & Elkins, tomorrow at noon. If UC wins game one, they are the MEC Tournament Champions. If they drop game one, D&E forces and if-necessary game that will be played at 2:30pm. 
 
Charleston has defeated the Senators five times so far this season, with two of the five games being mercy rule victories. The two teams also met up on championship day of last year's MEC Tournament. The Golden Eagles fought through the elimination bracket and forced the if-necessary game on Championship Sunday before they went on to win it all for the first time in program history.