February 17, 2007
Release contributed by USC-Aiken Sports Information
Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box
AIKEN, S.C.—Sophomore Tiffany Capone (Jacksonville, N.C.) hit her first collegiate home run on Saturday, but host USC-Aiken pulled out the NCAA Division II softball doubleheader sweep by scores of 9-1 and 6-2 at J.H. Satcher Field.
The USC Aiken (10-4) offense came alive Saturday afternoon as the Lady Pacers swept a non-conference softball doubleheader over visiting St. Andrews (0-8). Keshia Venable went 2-for-2 with a home run and four RBI in a 9-1 game one win and Ashley Dyches put USCA ahead for good with a two-run blast in a 6-2 victory in the second game.
Three Lady Pacer pitchers combined to allow just seven hits and one earned run in 12 innings of work on the day. Senior Samantha Blair (6-2) gave up just one hit and struck out four in three quick innings of work to earn the win in game one. She gave way to sophomore Christine Quaranto, who pitched the last two innings and gave up just an unearned run on two hits. Junior Kristen Cochran (3-1) went the distance in game two, allowing two runs, one earned, on four hits in seven innings.
Sherelle Brooks opened the first with a triple and scored on a Megan Lakes’ fielders’ choice for an early 1-0 lead in game one. The Lady Pacers then sent 10 batters to the plate in the second inning and scored five runs to take a 6-0 lead. Venable had the big hit in the inning, a two-run double down the right field line. Brooks, Dyches, and junior Jessica Hoffman all added an RBI in the inning as USCA chased St. Andrews freshman starter Lauren James (Bahama, N.C.) from the game.
Venable blasted a two-run home run to deep right-center field in the bottom of the third, and Brooks added another RBI in the fourth to close out the hosts scoring.
The Lady Knights pushed an unearned run across in the top of the fifth, but Quaranto got out of a bases-loaded jam as the Pacers closed out the five-inning win.
USCA started game two off just like they had game one. Brooks opened the inning with a single, stole second, and scored on a Venable single for a 1-0 lead. The Lady Pacer offense then stalled over the next three innings against St. Andrews junior starter Samantha Stewart (Ft. Pierce, Fla.), collecting just two hits and leaving four on base.
Meanwhile, the Lady Knights managed to score lone runs in both the second and fourth innings to take a 2-1 lead. Capone tied the contest with a solo homer in the second, and St. Andrews scored an unearned run in the fourth.
USCA took control of the game back in the bottom of the fifth. Venable led off with a single and was moved to second with a sacrifice bunt before Dyches drilled a 1-2 pitch to center field for the eventual game-winning home run. Freshmen Brooke Dooley and Krista Bashline added RBI hits as the Lady Pacers crossed the plate three more times in the inning.
Venable had the big day at the plate for USCA, going a combined 5-for-6 with the homer, two doubles, five RBI, and three runs scored. The freshman trio of Brooks, Dooley, and Bashline had a big day for the Lay Pacers, going a combined 9-for-17.
It was Bashline and Dooley who especially broke out with the best performances of their young careers. Dooley came in with just one at-bat, but took advantage of her first two career starts with a 3-for-6 effort. Bashline came into the day just 2-of-28 on the season for a .071 batting average. The freshman had three hits in four at-bats, scored two, and drove in a run.
St. Andrews opens up CVAC play on Wednesday when they visit Pfeiffer University (Misenheimer, N.C.) at 2:00 p.m.
