Anderson, Lenoir-Rhyne, Wingate Remain Alive in NCAA Softball Regionals

Wingate 8, Lenoir-Rhyne 0

DAHLONEGA, Ga. - A sixth inning grand slam from sophomore catcher Taylor Laskey (Cherryville, N.C.) gave the fourth-seeded Wingate University Bulldogs an 8-0 victory over fifth-seeded and 24th-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne University in the opening round of the 2014 NCAA Southeast region softball tournament Saturday morning. Wingate improves to 37-18 overall, while the Bears fall to 39-14 on the season.

The game started Friday at 4 p.m. but in the top of the third inning rain stopped play for the day. Wingate advances to take on the winner of the Mount Olive vs. North Georgia game Saturday at 5 p.m. Lenoir-Rhyne will face the loser of the Mount Olive-North Georgia contest. This is the first time Wingate has won its opening game of the NCAA Tournament since 2006.

The Bulldogs are now 4-0 against the Bears this season. Wingate swept a home doubleheader against LRU in the regular season, winning 2-1 and 8-6. The Bulldogs eliminated the Bears from the SAC Tournament with a 1-0 victory.

Laskey was two-for-three with a homer and four RBI to lead the Wingate attack. Freshman infielder Katie McLaurin(Laurinburg, N.C.) went two-for-three with an RBI and a run scored, while freshman outfielder Olivia Smith(Chesapeake, Va.) added an RBI and a run scored for the Bulldogs. Sophomore infielder Emily Usiak (Matthews, N.C.) went one-for-two with an RBI.

Wingate took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on Friday. Sophomore outfielder Shannen Adams (Ayden, N.C.) reached on a one-out single, then scored on a Lenoir-Rhyne error.

The Bulldogs added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth on Saturday morning. Senior designated player Kayla Saliga (Asheboro, N.C.) drew a leadoff walk, then went to second on a sacrifice and scored on McLaurin's RBI single.

Sophomore infielder Mellena Helms (Concord, N.C.) drew a leadoff walk to start the fifth, then went to third on Laskey's single. Usiak's RBI single made it 3-0.

Wingate ended the game with a five-run sixth inning. McLaurin started the frame with a leadoff single, then went to third on a double to deep left off the bat of freshman first baseman Amy Wingfield (Mechanicsville, Va.). A walk loaded the bases, while Smith drove home a run by drawing a bases-loaded walk. Laskey followed by ending the game with her 10th homer of the year, a grand slam to left to make the final margin 8-0.

Both of Laskey's grand slams this season have come against Lenoir-Rhyne. The first team All-SAC catcher is six-for-seven with the bases loaded this season. In four games against LRU, Laskey has three homers and 12 RBI.

Sophomore right-hander Stacey Houser (Mooresville, N.C.) got the win, moving to 25-9 on the year. The first team All-SAC selection tossed six shutout innings, allowing just three hits while striking out two. Houser is 4-0 against LRU this year, allowing two runs in 25 2/3 innings of work. The sophomore now has 49 career victories. Maryann Hoskins took the loss, falling to 19-9. She allowed five runs on three hits in 1 1/3 innings, walking five.

Armstrong 7, Anderson 6

ANDERSON, S.C. – Junior Lacye Walker homered in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the score and sophomore Hannah Reppert's walk-off, two-out single provided the winning run as third-seeded Armstrong Atlantic State outlasted second-seeded Anderson, 7-6, in NCAA Southeast Regional Softball Tournament action, Saturday afternoon at Smethers Field.

Anderson slipped to 43-11 on the season and will face sixth-seeded USC Aiken (33-15) at noon in Sunday's elimination bracket after the Pacers blanked Georgia College, 2-0, in a contest detoured by a five-hour rain delay. Armstrong will square off against the winner of the Anderson/USC Aiken contest at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Senior Danielle Swygert went 2-for-4 on the afternoon, with an RBI-single in the first inning and her 10th homer of the season in the third inning. Junior third baseman Bri Cason added a double and a single, while sophomore Molly Child also notched a single and a double. Senior Abby Child posted a run-scoring double and a pair of walks, while driving in two runs and scoring twice.

Junior Katelynn Howser (19-6) suffered the loss in the circle, allowing seven runs - all earned - on 10 hits, while tossing her 12th complete game of the season. The right-hander walked six and struck out one.

The Trojans garnered an early one-run lead in the top of the first inning after Abby Childstruck out swinging with two outs, but reached base safely and wound up on third. Swygert followed by going the opposite way with a hard line-drive single into left to bring Child home.

Armstrong countered by taking a brief lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second frame. Senior Andrea Dalton led off with a home run for the Pirates to even the score and senior Kat Vogler followed with a walk. Following back-to-back walks by sophomore Heather Ellis and Kacie Patterson that loaded the bases, junior Alexis Mercer plated Vogler with the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly to center. On the throw to the plate, Eliie strayed too far off second and was thrown out in a rundown.

Anderson regained the lead in the back-and-forth battle, 3-2, with a run in the top of the fourth frame, as senior Charlotte Sieber reached on a fielder's choice and crossed the plate on Abby Child's bases-loaded walk with two outs.

Armstrong answered with three runs in the bottom of the fifth, as the Pirates batted around and capitalized on three singles and a pair of walks to claim a 5-3 lead. But the Trojans refused to go away quietly, as AU sent nine batters to the plate as well, taking a 6-5 edge with three runs in the top of the sixth inning. Junior Jessica Neidigh and Molly Child opened the inning with back-to-back one-out singles, with Abby Child ripping an opposite-field double to plate Neidigh to pull Anderson within one. The Pirates intentionally walked Swygert to load the bases and freshman Courtney Czentnar followed with a walk to knot the score at 5-5. Two batters later, senior catcher Laura Jansky laced a clutch two-out single through the left side to score Abby Child with the go-ahead run.

The Trojans, who stranded 13 base runners on the afternoon, threatened again in the top of the seventh with two outs. Molly Child recorded a two-out double and Abby Child followed with a walk, but AU was unable to push across an insurance run.

With one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, Walker evened the score at 6-6 with her solo home run and the Pirates loaded the bases with back-to-back two-out singles. Reppert then ended the contest by ripping a single through the left side of the infield top score Dalton with the winning run.

North Georgia 4, Wingate 0

DAHLONEGA, Ga. - The top-seeded and second-ranked Nighthawks of North Georgia defeated fourth-seeded Wingate University 4-0 on day two of the 2014 NCAA Southeast regional softball tournament Saturday evening. North Georgia moves to 45-9 overall, while the Bulldogs fall to 37-19 on the season.

Wingate will be back in action Sunday at noon, facing the winner of Saturday night's Mount Olive vs. Lenoir-Rhyne game. The winner of Sunday's game will then face the Nighthawks, the only undefeated team remaining in the Dahlonega regional.

Jessica Finch was two-for-three with a double, two RBI and a run scored to lead the North Georgia attack. Kaitlyn Seabolt went one-for-one with an RBI, while Victoria Prince added an RBI for the Nighthawks.

Five different Bulldogs had a hit Saturday, with freshman Katie McLaurin (Laurinburg, N.C.) providing the lone extra-base hit of the game, a one-out double in the seventh.

Megan May led off the North Georgia second with a triple, then scored on an RBI groundout from Prince.

Wingate had a chance in the top of the third, getting runners on first and third with singles from sophomores Mellena Helms (Concord, N.C.) and Taylor Laskey (Cherryville, N.C.), but a flyout ended the inning.

UNG added three more three more runs in the fifth to push the lead to four. A walk, single and wild pitch put runners on second and third for Finch, who plated a pair of runs with a double down the left field line. Seabolt followed with an RBI single to make it 4-0.

Victoria Sink got the win for The Nighthawks, moving to 24-1 on the year. The PBC Pitcher of the Year allowed five hits in seven shutout innings, striking out three without walking a batter. Sophomore right-hander Stacey Houser(Mooresville, N.C.) took the loss, falling to 25-10. She allowed four runs on seven hits in six innings of work, striking out three and walking four.

Lenoir-Rhyne 7, Mount Olive 6

DAHLONEGA, Ga. - The Bears remained alive in the regional tournament after rallying from a five-run deficit to defeat the Trojans on Saturday night.

Trailing by a 6-5 with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Lenoir-Rhyne senior outfielder Brittany Coursen(Virginia Beach, Va.) hit the game-winning, two-run single.

Coursen also finished with three hits and sophomore outfielder Lauren Elder(Taylorsville, N.C.) scored three times while Lenoir-Rhyne sophomore Maryann Hoskins (Havelock, N.C.) came on in relief to earn the win.

Hoskins improved to 20-9 on the year after allowing just one earned run and striking out 13 batters. Hoskins entered the game in the top of the first inning.

For Mount Olive (24-26), Tiffany Hawley (Dunn, N.C.) totaled two hits and two runs batted in while Caitlin Ewers (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) (3-3) took the loss.