March 1, 2010

Final Stats - Game 1

Final Stats - Game 2

CARY, N.C. - Mount St. Mary's University (6-1) proved to be too much as they combined for 24 hits in two games to shut-out the North Carolina Central University Lady Eagles (2-9) Monday afternoon in a doubleheader at the Thomas Brooks Athletic Complex in Cary, N.C. NCCU was defeated by scores of 12-0 and 9-0.

The Lady Eagles struggled to defend a powerful Mount St. Mary's offense that went 24-for-63 on the day. The Mount scored 21 runs on 24 hits, forcing both games to end early. NCCU struggled to put the bat on the ball as they tallied just eight hits on 41 at bats. Only six Lady Eagle student-athletes recorded a hit on the day.

Leading the way for NCCU was Nadia Jefferies, one of two student-athletes to earn more than one hit on the day. The freshman went 2-for-3 with zero strikeouts and three putouts. Both of her hits were off of bunts down the third base line. Jefferies is hitting .429 on the season, standing second on the team in batting average.

Senior Desanbra Franklin was the second Lady Eagle to earn more than one hit on the day. She went 2-for-5 with zero strikeouts. Both of her hits went into the right side of the field. She is fourth on the team in batting average, hitting .378 on the season. The Ohio native started both games in the outfield, including a start at centerfield.

As a team, the Lady Eagles totaled seven errors, while the Mount remained flawless with zero errors on the day. Defensively, NCCU had 33 putouts and 22 assists. Leading the Lady Eagles' defense was Kayla McPeek with nine putouts. She was assisted by Jessica Refojo with six assists.

Four Lady Eagles made appearances in the pitcher's circle. Michelle Ishida (0-3) earned the start in the first game, where she took the loss after allowing six runs on six hits in 4.2 innings pitched. Five of those runs were earned as she totaled four walks. Kristen Schooler (1-2) replaced Ishida in the fourth inning with two outs and finished the game with six runs on six hits in 1.1 innings of work. Neither Lady Eagle pitcher earned a strikeout.

McPeek (1-2) started on the mound for NCCU in the second game, where she took the loss after allowing nine runs on 11 hits in 3.0 innings of work. Seven of those runs were earned. She earned one strikeout on the day when she sat Kristen Collins down swinging. Shamika Chavis-Hodge replaced McPeek in the fourth inning, where she allowed zero runs on one hit in 2.0 innings pitched.

The Mount was led by the bat of Kristen Collins, who went 4-for-5 on the day with a homerun and four RBIs. Her homerun came in the first inning of the second game when she hammered a shot over the centerfield wall. Joining Collins was Kelly Hickman, who went 3-for-3 with two doubles. Erin Leddy was also 3-for-3 on the day.

Earning the wins in the circle were Amanda Sadowl (2-0) and Amanda Hanson (1-1). Sadowl remains undefeated on the mound as she allowed zero runs on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts in six innings of work. Hanson earned her first win of the season after allowing zero runs on three hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 5.0 innings of work. The Mount's pitching stable was a huge factor in NCCU's loss.

The Mount got on the board in the second inning to start the game off after Nicole Reeder led-off with a double down the left field line. From that point on, they continued to score in every inning with one run in the third, two runs in the fourth, two runs in the fifth and six runs in the sixth to take a 12-0 win.

In five of the six innings, the Lady Eagles managed to get at least one runner on base, but in all five innings, the runners were left stranded as NCCU couldn't quite get their bats going. As a team, the Lady Eagles left a total of eight runners on base, including bases loaded in the third.

The second game was a little different as the Mount started off quickly with six runs in the first inning to take a 6-0 lead. They scored again in the second with one run and again in the third with two runs. NCCU got their first runner on base in the second inning with two outs when Trishann Hayes landed on base off a fielder's choice. The Lady Eagles were able to load the bases after Refojo singled to left field and Andrea Wheeler walked. Unfortunately, all three runners were left stranded.

NCCU left a total of five runners stranded with three coming in the second inning. The following two innings saw NCCU get only two base runners before the Mount finished the game with a 9-0 win in five innings of action.

The Lady Eagles dropped to 2-9 on the season, while the Mount improved to 6-1 on the season. NCCU looks to snap its losing streak on Tuesday, March 2 when they head to Winston-Salem, N.C. to face the Rams of Winston-Salem State University in a doubleheader. Games times are set for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

For more information on Lady Eagle softball, visit the official website of NCCU Athletics at www.NCCUEaglePride.com.