SHELBY, N.C.- Coastal Carolina totaled four home runs and 26 hits in a doubleheader sweep of the Gardner-Webb softball team on Friday afternoon at Crest High School.
With the victory, Coastal improves to 20-17 overall and 8-2 in conference matchups, while Gardner-Webb falls to 11-21 and 3-10 in Big South action.
Scarlett Harris launched her team-high sixth home run of the season to break-up the shutout in the first game of the afternoon, and Sam Harrell tossed six combined innings of relief and recorded six strikeouts.
Taylar Pridgen led the way offensively for the Dogs collecting three hits on the afternoon and Kellie Beres and Megan Champion each chipped in with two hits each.
Game 1- Gardner-Webb 1, Coastal Carolina 8
After a scoreless first inning, Morgan Noad launched her 12th home run of the year to give the Chanticleers a 1-0 lead, which they would hold until the fourth inning.
Kory Hayden led off the fourth with a double and Noad hit a single, advancing Hayden to third base on the play. Noad proceeded to steal second base to put runners on second and third with no one out in the inning.
Amanda Daneker came up to bat for the Chanticleers, and launched the ball over the left field fence for a three-run home run, and later in the inning, Sara Rasley added a fourth run to give Coastal a 5-0 lead after for inning of play.
Coastal would score three runs on three hits in the top of the sixth and it looked like the Chanticleers were headed for the shutout, but Scarlett Harris took a pitch deep over the left field fence to end the shutout.
Beres would record a single in the seventh inning, but Coastal would go on for the 8-1 victory in the first of two games on the afternoon.
Big South Preseason Pitcher of the Year Kiana Quolas tossed a complete-game allowing just seven hits and struck out three, to earn her 11th victory of the season.
Game 2- Gardner-Webb 0, Coastal Carolina 11
Kelsey Dominik was dominant on the mound for Coastal in the second game of the doubleheader, allowing just four hits in six strong innings.
Both teams would go down in order in the first, but Rasley roped an RBI double to center field to give Coastal a 1-0 lead in the second inning.
Breanna Blakley hit a two-out double to left field, but the Runnin' Bulldogs could not make anything of the runner in scoring position, and would trail the Chants 1-0 after two innings.
Coastal Carolina would increase its lead to 7-0 scoring six runs on four hits in the third inning. In the bottom of the third, Pridgen led off the inning with a single and Rachel Cumiskey hit a single later in the inning to put two runners on for the Dogs, but Scarlett Harris grounded out to the second baseman to end the inning.
The Chanticleers scored four runs in the seventh and would go on to take the second game of the afternoon 11-0.
Both teams return to action tomorrow to complete the three-game series. First pitch is schedule for 1:00 p.m. at Crest High School.
