CHARLOTTE -- Senior first baseman
Melanie Darges went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs, and sophomore right-hander
Morgan Scott struck out five in four scoreless innings, leading UNCG to a 10-2 victory over host Charlotte in a non-conference game at Daughtridge Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
Juniors
Delaney Cumbie and
Hannah Kincer hit home runs for the Spartans (26-14 overall, 9-3 Southern Conference), who split a home-and-home series with Charlotte (27-13, 11-5 Atlantic-10).
UNCG has won eight games in a row and nine of its last 10. The Spartans, who are a half-game behind first-place Western Carolina in the SoCon standings, control their own destiny as they close out the regular season with six games agaisnt conference opponents.
Winning pitcher Scott (14-7, 2.26 ERA) made her 23rd start of the year, allowing no runs on three hits. She walked none to go along with the five strikeouts. She leads the SoCon with 156 strikeouts in 133 1/3 innings.
Senior right-hander
Hannah Stiltner pitched the final two innings, retiring the side in order in the bottom of the sixth to end the game after UNCG pushed their lead to eight in the top of the inning.
Darges drove in the game's first run with an RBI double in the second inning, and she added a two-run single in the fifth.
UNCG added to its league-leading and program-record home run total when Cumbie hit a two-run shot in the third inning and Kincer hit a solo homer in the fourth. The Spartans have hit 67 home runs in 40 games, shattering the old school record of 61.
Freshman shortstop
Brooklynn Maxwell went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored, and senior outfielder
Katie Stettler went 1-for-1 with a two-run double to cap the scoring and invoke the mercy rule.
UNCG sophomore
Maycin Brown had an RBI double, and senior lead-off hitter
Makenna Matthijs was 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Matthijs leads the SoCon with 36 runs and 36 RBIs.
Bailey Van Noy went 2-for-3 with an RBI to lead Charlotte, which won a game at UNCG on April 14. The Spartans haven't lost since that day.
UNCG travels to Macon, Ga., for a three-game weekend series against Mercer, with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. Saturday and a single game at 1 p.m. Sunday.
After that, the Spartans close the regular season with a head-to-head three-game series against Western Carolina at UNCG Softball Stadium on May 8-9.
