Charleston, W.Va. – Charleston softball delivered a dominant performance on both sides of the ball, sweeping Davis & Elkins in a conference doubleheader Saturday behind a high-powered offense that featured multiple home runs and a grand slam, along with two shutout performances in the circle.
Game 1
The Basics:
Location: Charleston, W.Va.
Score: Charleston 8, Davis & Elkins 0 (5 innings)
Records: Charleston (36-13, 19-5 MEC), Davis & Elkins (14-33, 9-16 MEC)
How It Happened:
Charleston struck first in the opening inning. Bianca Polistina singled to start the rally and Kayla Moran followed with a base hit to put runners on the corners. Maddie Entler then drove a double into right center, bringing in both runners for a 2-0 lead .
The Golden Eagles added to the lead in the third inning when Moran powered a solo home run to right field, extending the advantage to 3-0 .
Charleston broke the game open in the fourth inning with a four-run surge. Kelly Sullins worked a leadoff walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Emma Smith. Ella Zucchero followed with a single and stole second to put two runners in scoring position. Polistina delivered a two-RBI double to center field, scoring both runners. Taylor Hodson added another RBI with a double to right field, and after a wild pitch moved runners into position, Kaleigh Serra capped the inning with an RBI single to left to make it 7-0 .
Charleston closed out the game in the fifth inning. Emma Smith led off with a double and Zucchero followed with an RBI single to right field, sealing the 8-0 run-rule victory .
Addison Mass dominated in the circle, allowing just one hit while striking out seven in the complete-game shutout.
Game 2
The Basics
Location: Charleston, W.Va.
Score: Charleston 11, Davis & Elkins 0 (5 innings)
Records: Charleston (37-13, 19-5 MEC), Davis & Elkins (14-35, 9-16 MEC)
How It Happened
Charleston carried the momentum into game two, scoring early in the first inning. Bianca Polistina drew a walk and came around to score on an RBI double from Taylor Hodson. After moving to third on a passed ball, Hodson scored on a sacrifice fly from Kayla Moran to give Charleston a 2-0 lead .
The Golden Eagles erupted in the third inning with a seven-run explosion. Ella Zucchero reached and moved into scoring position, while Polistina and Hodson worked walks to load the bases. Moran brought in a run with a sacrifice fly. After Kaleigh Serra reached to extend the inning, Maya Hataway delivered a two-RBI single to center field. With the bases loaded again, Emma Smith crushed a grand slam to center field, breaking the game wide open and pushing the lead to 8-0 .
Charleston added more in the fourth inning when Hodson drew a walk and Moran followed with a two-run home run to right field, extending the lead to 10-0 .
Charleston added one more run to reach 11-0, securing the second run-rule victory of the day.
Cali Masters was dominant in the circle, allowing just two hits while striking out 10 in the shutout performance.
Up Next:
Charleston returns to action at home for another MEC doubleheader against West Virginia Wesleyan on April 27 with first pitch set for 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
