Kayla Dunlap hit a two-run single up the middle to rally the Presbyterian College softball team back from a one-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh and take the 5-4 win over Coastal Carolina in the first game of a doubleheader this afternoon in Clinton, S.C. Morgan Noad hit a three-run home run in the second inning to lead the Chanticleers to the 5-1 win in game two.
PC moves to 20-20 overall and 5-9 in the Big South, while Coastal goes to 29-12, 11-2. Both team square off Sunday at 1 p.m., in the final game of the regular-season series.
Jill McLean led the offensive effort, going four-of-seven with two runs and one RBI. She went three-for-four in game one. Dunlap was tops in RBI with two, after her game-winner in game one. Multiple players recorded two hits on the day, including Erin Taylor, Kersten legacki, Shelby Petik, Hope Rogers, Erin Ruff and Abby Allen.
Collecting hits for Coastal were Amanda Daneker who went four-for-eight with a double and RBI, and Bri Chiusano who went three-for-eight with one RBI a swell. Jessie Winans, Kiana Quolas, Sara Rasley and Brooke Donovan each had two hits on the afternoon. Noad only had one hit, but recorded a team-leading three RBI off her home run in game two. Quolas also had three RBI on the day, coming off her home run in game one.
Game One: PC 5, CCU 4
After Kensley Loudermelk struck out two of three Coastal batters to open the first inning, Ruff stepped up in the bottom with a lead-off single. McLean followed it with a triple to left to bring her home for the game's first run. Rogers plated McLean with a double to left, and came home off a Petik double to right. In all, the Blue Hose hit four straight during the stretch to help them to the 3-0 lead after just one inning of play.
Loudermelk struck out three and held Coastal to just four hits the next three innings as PC took the 3-0 lead into the fifth inning. Quolas was solid after the first inning as well, keeping PC to just two hits the second, third and fourth innings, with two strikeouts.
With one out in the fifth, Coastal's Oliver drew a walk and advanced to second off a Chiusano single to third. That proved significant as Quolas came up to bat and hit her fifth home run of the season, this one over the left field wall to tie the game at three apiece
PC put runners on first and second in the bottom of fifth off a double by Legacki and a walk by Taylor, but a fly out to left ended the Blue Hose threat.
Coastal broke the tie in the top of the seventh after Daneker knocked a RBI single to left center, bringing home Taylor Harris, pinch running for Quloas who had led off the inning with a double.
A single by McLean opened the bottom of the seventh for the Blue Hose. It started a string of three straight as PC loaded the bases with no one out. Quolas struck out the next two batters, to bring up Dunlap, for just her 15th appearance at the plate this season. With the count, 2-2, she laced a shot up the middle to bring in the tying and game-winning run as the Blue Hose came away with the 5-4 win.
Natasha Sherrod moved to 5-1 with the win for PC. She came in relief and threw 2.2 innings, giving up just one run off four hits. Loudermelk started the game and went 4.1 innings. She surrendered three runs and struck out five.
Quolas went the complete game for CCU, giving up five runs off 12 hits, while striking out seven for the loss (18-5).
PC ended the game with 12 hits, the second most of the season and most since a 13-hit effort against Morehead State back in February. The Chanticleers had 10 hits with both teams recording an error apiece.
Game Two: CCU 5, PC 1
The Chanticleers used a PC error, a double by Daneker and a hit by pitch by Hayden to load the bases with two outs, but Seigler struck out the last batter to stop the early CCU threat in the top of the first of game two.
With two outs in the top of the second, Coastal's Winans doubled to right center. She scored the next at-bat off a Chiusano RBI single for the game's first run. After Quolas was hit by a pitch to put two runners on, Noad came in and hit a three-run home run over the right field wall to give the Chanticleers the 4-0 lead.
PC loaded the bases in the bottom of the second off a single by Allen and Legacki, and a walk by Ashley. The potential rally was quelled the next at-bat as PC popped up to end the inning.
Coastal opened the third with a walk and back to back singles to lead the bases with one out on the board, but a fly out to six and a ground out to third stopped the Chanticleers from capitalizing.
After a quiet fourth, fifth and sixth inning for both teams Coastal tacked on a run in the top of the seventh off a solo home run by Desiree Zaragoza to make it 5-0 in favor of the visitors.
The Blue Hose led off the bottom of the seventh with a double by Taylor and a single by Allen. Taylor scored off the RBI ground-out by Marshall to make it 5-1, but ground out to the first baseman by PC ended the game with CCU taking the four-run win.
Sydney Seigler started for PC and threw 2.1 innings, giving up four runs off five hits for the loss (10-10). Katie Brown pitched in relief for 4.2 innings and gave up just one run off four hits.
Ashley Bagwell moved to 11-6 on the year for Coastal, going the distance, surrendering one run off five hits.
PC ended game two with five hits and two errors, compared to nine hits and no errors for Coastal.
Presbyterian College 5, Coastal Carolina 4 (Apr 12, 2014 at Clinton, S.C.) (Game 1)
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Coastal Carolina.... 000 030 1 - 4 10 1 (28-12, 10-2 BSC)
Presbyterian College 300 000 2 - 5 12 1 (20-19, 5-8 BSC)
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Pitchers: Coastal Carolina - QUOLAS, Kiana and DANEKER, Amanda. Presbyterian College -
Loudermelk, Kensley; Sherrod, Natasha(5) and Ashley, Jordan.
Win-Sherrod, Natasha(5-1) Loss-QUOLAS, Kiana(18-5) T-2:29 A-134
HR COASTAL - QUOLAS, Kiana (5).
Weather: clear, upper 70s
Coastal Carolina 5, Presbyterian College 1 (Apr 12, 2014 at Clinton, S.C.) (Game 2)
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Coastal Carolina.... 040 000 1 - 5 9 0 (29-12, 11-2 BSC)
Presbyterian College 000 000 1 - 1 5 2 (20-20, 5-9 BSC)
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Pitchers: Coastal Carolina - BAGWELL, Ashley and DANEKER, Amanda. Presbyterian College -
Seigler, Sydney; Brown, Katie(3) and Ashley, Jordan; Marshall, Jen.
Win-BAGWELL, Ashley(11-6) Loss-Seigler, Sydney(10-10) T-2:06 A-134
HR COASTAL - NOAD, Morgan (10); ZARAGOZA, Desiree (1).
Weather: clear, low 80s
