SALISBURY, N.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken softball team lost a doubleheader at Catawba Sunday afternoon by scores of 9-8 and 7-2.
The Pacers are now 5-5 on the season while the Indians stand at 2-0.
Head coach
Jaclin Poole's team jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a run in the first. Jena Dewault singled and swiped second. She scored on
Mallory Shaver's double to left center field.
Trailing 2-1 in the second,
Skylar Morley singled and stole second. After moving to third, she came home when
Taylor Butts singled to the second baseman, knotting the score at 2-2.
Down 6-2 in the top of the third,
Brianna Dow doubled and moved to third on Shaver's single. Moore lofted a sacrifice fly to left field to make it 6-3.
Poole's squad knotted it in the sixth.
Ashlyn White singled to center field and moved to third on
Holly Daum's bunt single. After Daum stole second, Dewalt walked with one away. Dow followed her with a double down the left field line, making the score 6-6.
Tied at 6-6 after seven innings, the teams used the international tiebreaker rule. Daum was placed on second base to start the eighth frame.
Courtney Leisner laid down a sacrifice bunt to move her to third. Dewalt's sacrifice fly made it 7-6. Dow walked but raced home on Shaver's double down the left field line.
Catawba tied it in the bottom of the eighth before winning it in the ninth on a sacrifice fly.
For the game, Shaver led the team with three hits, including two doubles, while Dow drove in three runs. Shaver drove in two. Daum, Dewalt and Dow all scored twice. Morley swiped two bases while
Emily Ayers, Daum and Dewalt each stole one.
Payton Baker took the loss. She worked eight innings in relief, giving up seven runs – only one of which was earned. Baker struck out two batters.
The Indians jumped on top of game two with a pair of runs in the first. USC Aiken got on the board with a run in the third when Shaver singled in Dewalt, who had reached on a single earlier in the frame.
Catawba pushed the score to 3-1 with a run in the third before USC Aiken struck again in the sixth to make it 3-2. Ayers doubled to the gap in left center field and moved to third on a groundout. She scored on a two-out wild pitch.
The home team plated six runs in the sixth for a 9-2 edge.
Poole's team continued to battle. Butts ripped a double to left in the seventh. Dewalt reached on an error as Butts scored on the play. Dewalt advanced to third on the play and came home on Dow's sacrifice fly, pulling the squad within five at 9-4. However, two straight grounders ended the game.
For the game, Dewalt scored two runs. Dewalt, Dow, Shaver, Ayers and Butts had hits. Dewalt, Dow and Shaver had one RBI apiece.
Rebekah Cook took the loss while throwing a complete game. She struck out a pair of batters.
The Pacers return to action Friday when they host Southern Wesleyan for a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.
