GWU Softball Season Comes to an End With a 6-4 Loss to No. 6 Coastal Carolina on Friday
May 14, 2010 | Softball
Conway, S.C. - The No. 4 seeded Gardner-Webb softball team had its 2010 season come to an end on Friday, as the Lady Bulldogs fell to the No. 6 Coastal Carolina Lady Chanticleers 6-4 on day two of the 2010 Big South Softball Championship presented by Musco Sports Lighting at the CCU Softball Field in Conway, S.C.
Coastal Carolina threatened in the top of the second, putting runners on second and third with two outs. Gardner-Webb starter Cindy Boomhower battled back from a 3-1 count to strike out the next Lady Chanticleer batter to end the inning and keep CCU off the scoreboard.
The Lady Bulldogs, who had a hit in each of the first and second innings, looked to break through in the bottom of the third. With one out, sophomore Jane Savage singled to center and senior first-baseman Christa Fullwood drew a base-on-balls to bring up catcher McKenzie Morenus. The sophomore catcher hit a towering fly ball to dead center field only to have CCU's Alyssa Tornatore reach over the fence and rob Morenus of a three-run home run and give GWU its second out of the game.
The out did not deter the GWU offense, as senior designated player then singled to left center to plate Savage from third to put the Lady Bulldogs on the board. With runners on first and second, sophomore right-fielder Lindsea Hutchinson then singled up the middle to score Fullwood from second, putting Gardner-Webb up 2-0 after three.
After Coastal Carolina left two more stranded on base in the top of the fourth, the Lady Bulldogs stranded one of its own in the bottom half of the inning, leaving the score at 2-0 in favor of GWU.
The Lady Chants loaded the bases with two outs on three walks in the top of the fifth and plated two runs on a Stacey Snellings single to left to tie the score up at 2-2.
Coastal Carolina took its first lead of the game in the top of the sixth, as Tornatore stole second and then scored on a bloop single to left off the end of the bat by Mecaela Ballard putting the visitors in front at 3-2.
After GWU went three-up and three-down in the bottom of the sixth, the Lady Chants added three insurance runs in the top of the seventh highlighted by a two-run home run off the bat of Michelle Evans.
Gardner-Webb refused to go out quietly, as a two out double to left field by Savage and a four pitch walk by Fullwood got things going in the seventh. After both advanced a base on a wild pitch, Morenus lined a single to center to score Savage from third and cut the Coastal Carolina lead to three at 6-3. Ward then singled up the middle to plate Fullwood from third and put the CCU lead at two, 6-4.
However, the comeback came up just short as the next GWU grounded out to second to end the game.
CCU's Ashley Frederick (15-16) picked up the win, allowing four runs on eight hits, while striking out two over 6.2 innings of work.
The Lady Chants' Katelin Edwards got the one out save to give Coastal Carolina the 6-4 win.
GWU's Alison Coffey (1-3) was handed the loss in a relief effort.
Offensively, Gardner-Webb's Savage was 2-3 with a double and two runs scored, while Morenus and Hutchinson were both 2-4 with an RBI.
For Coastal Carolina, Evans' was 3-3 with a home run, two RBIs and a run scored, while Snellings was 2-4 with three RBIs and a run scored.
Gardner-Webb finished the year at 22-32 and 8-10 in Big South conference play. The 20 win season is the first time that GWU has eclipsed that mark since 2008.
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| 2010 Gardner-Webb Softball Season Statistics |
| Box Score: No. 6 Coastal Carolina 6, No. 4 Gardner-Webb 4 |
