Softball maintains spot in SAC Tournament race with split vs Anderson

Salisbury, N.C. —- The Catawba College softball team stayed in the hunt for a spot in the South Atlantic Conference Softball Tournament on Wednesday with a split with Anderson at Whitley Field.

GAME ONE | Anderson 5, Catawba 2

TEAM STATISTICS

- Catawba out-hit Anderson 8-5

- The Trojans had three of four extra-base hits, each of which homers

- AU committed both errors in the game

- Anderson left two runners on base; Catawba stranded seven

- The Trojans' starter allowed one earned run on eight hits and a walk, striking out seven; Catawba's starter allowed five runs on five hits and two walks, striking out three

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

- Kate Holland took the loss in the circle, allowing just five hits and striking out three with five runs allowed

- Maddy Altiers recorded three hits

- Savanna Balderston doubled

HOW IT HAPPENED

FOURTH INNING

- AU's Lauren Brakovec singled through the left side to score the game's first run in the fourth

- The Trojans followed with a two-run homer to push the lead to 3-0

- Kadence Barrick made it back-to-back homers with a solo blast, leading 4-0

SIXTH INNING

- Brakovec later homered in the sixth to push the lead to 5-0

- Kinsley Caldwell got Catawba on the board in the bottom half with an RBI single up the middle

- Molly Strider provided an RBI groundout to cut the Catawba Indian deficit to three

GAME TWO | Catawba 10, Anderson 8

TEAM STATISTICS

- Catawba out-hit Anderson 14-8

- The Catawba Indians recorded six of extra-base hits and four of five homers

- Both teams committed two errors

- The Trojans left five runners on base; Catawba stranded seven

- Catawba had two of three stolen bases

- The Catawba Indian starter allowed five earned runs on nine hits and two walks, striking out three; AU's staff allowed seven earned runs on 14 hits and two walks, striking out two

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

- Brianna Herring was 2-for-3 with a homer and four RBI

- Grace Flynn went 3-for-4 with a homer

- Rachel Pressley hit her first collegiate homer; Kirstyn Herman homered

- Altiers and Courtnee Carter both tripled

- Alex Baquie went the distance, allowing five earned runs with three scoreless frames to end the game, striking out three

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST INNING

- A three-run homer started the scoring for Anderson in the first

SECOND INNING

- Herman followed with a two-out homer in the second

THIRD INNING

- Barrick's two-out RBI single returned Anderson's lead to three

- Brianna Gallagher's single loaded the bases in the bottom half for Catawba

- Altiers' bases-clearing triple with two outs tied the game at 4

FOURTH INNING

- Jenna Davis' RBI single returned the lead to Anderson with no outs in the fourth

- An error scored the Trojans' second run of the inning

- An RBI single and an RBI sac fly made it 8-4 Anderson

- Two singled preceded Herring's three-run jack, her first of the season to cut the deficit to one

- Flynn followed with a homer in the next at-bat to tie the game at 8 and chase the AU starter

FIFTH INNING

- Carter hit a two-out triple in the fifth

- Herring scored the go-ahead run on a base hit to right field

SIXTH INNING

- Pressley hit her first collegiate homer to dead center field to lead off the sixth and give Catawba insurance

UP NEXT

- Catawba heads to UVA Wise for more critical games down the stretch; first pitches on Saturday are set for 2 and 4 p.m.