Softball claims spot in SAC Tournament with split at Coker

Hartsville, S.C. —- The Catawba College softball team punched their ticket to next week's South Atlantic Conference Softball tournament with a road split versus Coker to wrap up regular season play.

HOW IT HAPPENED

GAME ONE | Catawba 10, Coker 8

HOW IT HAPPENED

- Catawba out-hit Coker 18-9

- The Catawba Indians recorded three of four extra-base hits

- Both teams committed two errors in the field

- Catawba had three of four stolen bases in the game

- Coker's pitchers allowed nine earned runs on 18 hits and four walks, striking out two; Catawba's staff allowed seven earned runs on nine hits and eight walks, striking out five

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

- Riley Tucker went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored

- Kary Hales was 3-for-5 with a stolen base, two RBI and a run scored

- Bri Gallagher added three hits with a double, two RBI and a run scored

- Savanna Balderston added two hits with two RBI and a run scored

- Bri Herring got the win in the circle, pitching the final 6.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits, striking out five

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST INNING

- Grace Flynn singled and stole second to lead off the game

- Hales scored her on an RBI single to take the early lead

- The Cobras answered with four runs in the bottom half

SECOND INNING

-  A Coker homer added to the hosts' lead, 5-1

THIRD INNING

- Tucker and Hales both reached base with singles to lead off the third inning

- Gallagher drove them both home with an RBI single to cut the deficit in half

- Aniyah King ripped a double down the left field line to score another before Balderston drove home two more on a single to center to take the lead

- Tucker and Hales kept the scoring going with RBI base hits in their second time at the plate in the frame; Catawba plated seven runs in third to lead 8-5

- Coker got two of the runs back on a two-run single, as Catawba led 8-7 after a wild opening three innings

FIFTH INNING

- A leadoff double from Herring led to Tucker's RBI single for added insurance in the fifth

- Catawba loaded the bases with nobody out and scratched across another run on a double play

SIXTH INNING

- Coker scored on an RBI single and got the potential tying run to the plate, but Herring closed the door from there to help the Catawba Indians earn their spot in the conference tournament

GAME TWO | Coker 12, Catawba 9 - 5 innings

TEAM STATISTICS

- Catawba out-hit Coker 10-6

- Both teams recorded two extra-base hits

- The Catawba Indians committed two of three errors in the field

- Catawba had both stolen bases in the game

- Coker's Cheyenne Palmer allowed seven earned runs on 10 hits and one walk, striking out one; Catawba's staff allowed 10 earned runs on six hits and eight walks, striking out three

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

- Tucker was 3-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored

- Gallagher went 2-for-3 with a homer, four RBI and a run scored

- Hales tacked on a pair of hits with two RBI and a run scored

- Balderston doubled and Herring scored twice

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST INNING

- Gallagher got the scoring started with an RBI single the other way

SECOND INNING

- Coker  scored eight runs in the bottom of the second

THIRD INNING

- Flynn singled and stole second to lead off the third

- Tucker's RBI single brought her home before Catawba scored another on an error

- Courtnee Carter's sac fly got Catawba within 8-4

- The Cobras added four more runs in the bottom of the third to lead 12-4 after three frames

FOURTH INNING

- Herring and Hales tallied RBI base hits with two outs to plate a pair of runs

- Gallagher's three-run homer to left center got Catawba within striking distance, but they could not tack on any more when the game was called due to weather after five innings

UP NEXT

- Catawba will be the 8-seed in next week's SAC Tournament; the Catawba Indians will open postseason play with an Opening Round matchup at top seed and 10th-ranked Wingate on Friday. Game times will be posted to catawbaathletics.com when made available