CHATTANOOGA, TN – No. 6 seed UNC Greensboro used a five-run second inning and a solid pitching performance from junior Amber Harrell to eliminate second-seeded College of Charleston on Thursday, 5-3, in the losers' bracket of the Southern Conference Softball Championship.
The Spartans (25-32) advance to play either No. 1 Chattanooga or No. 5 seed Furman on Friday at noon.
Emily Akiyama went 2-for-3 with a run scored for UNCG, while Mary Catherine Vercoe was 1-for-2 with two RBI. Harrell allowed just three hits.
College of Charleston (23-26) jumped on the board first, as Southern Conference Player of the Year Kristie Shifflett hit a solo shot to center in the second inning to stake the Cougars to an early 1-0 lead.
UNCG answered emphatically, batting around in the bottom half of the frame to open up a 5-1 lead. Freshman Alex Emeterio led off the inning with a single up the middle and went to third on Kaitlin Merkt's sacrifice and a Cougars throwing error. CofC catcher Amanda Maurer then threw a ball into right field trying to pick off Merkt at first, and Emeterio came in with the equalizer.
Whitney Sirois walked and Akiyama singled to left to load the bases with no one out, and Kristen Gabel came through with a single through the left side to plate Merkt. A Brittany Ausley single to center scored Sirois, but College of Charleston starter Katie Forbes got a strikeout and a foulout for the first two outs.
Vercoe then smashed a single up the middle to score Akiyama and Gabel, knocking Forbes from the circle. Terri Mesko came on to stop the bleeding, getting a foulout to third to end the inning.
The Cougars got a pair of runs back in the top half of the third, loading the bases on a fielder's choice, an error and a hit batter. Shifflett then drew a five-pitch walk to force in Kristi Woodall, and Shannon Howard singled off Harrell's glove to plate Tiffany Harmon. Amber Shifflett tried to score from second on the play, but Merkt fired home in plenty of time to nail her for the third out.
Mesko and Harrell settled into a pitchers' duel after the third, with Mesko allowing just a hit and a walk and Harrell just two walks and a hit from that point.
Amber Shifflett reached on a dropped pop fly in the fifth, but Sirois threw a strike to Merkt to catch her trying to steal second to end the inning. The caught stealing snapped a streak of 40 straight successful steal attempts for Shifflett, dating back more than three years.
Mesko retired eight straight after entering the game, not allowing base runner until walking Vercoe in the fifth. Akiyama's one-out single in the seventh was the only safety Mesko surrendered.
Harrell (9-12) won her fourth straight decision, allowing just three runs – two earned – on three hits and four walks in seven innings. She struck out 11, one shy of the career high she set against Elon in her final regular-season start on May 2. Harrell, the reigning Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week, has averaged 10 strikeouts in her last four starts.
Forbes dropped to 2-2 on the year, allowing five runs – just two of which were earned – in 1.2 innings of work. She struck out one and walked one. Mesko worked 4.1 innings of one-hit relief, allowing just one walk. She also struck out one.
AGATE
UNC Greensboro 5, Coll. of Charleston 3 (May 07, 2009 at Chattanooga, Tenn.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Coll. of Charleston. 012 000 0 - 3 3 3 (23-26)
UNC Greensboro...... 050 000 X - 5 6 2 (25-32)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: Coll. of Charleston - Katie Forbes; Terri Mesko(2) and Amanda Maurer. UNC Greensboro - Amber Harrell and Whitney Sirois.
Win-Amber Harrell(9-12) Loss-Katie Forbes(2-2) T-1:49 A-103
HR COFC - Kristie Shifflett (10).
Weather: 82 degrees, partly cloudy
- UNCG -
