GREENVILLE, N.C. – Junior pitcher
Jaden Davis did not allow an earned run in a complete-game effort to begin play at the Pirate Invitational hosted by East Carolina University on Saturday and senior outfielder
Imara Harrell was credited with two RBI to cap the day, but the North Carolina Central University softball team dropped both games.
Rider University secured the first game, 5-1, over the Eagles with five unearned runs while Towson University had a 3-2 walk-off win in NCCU's nightcap.
NC Central (4-9 Overall) will conclude play in the Pirate Invitational with a doubleheader against host ECU on Sunday beginning at 1 p.m.
GAME ONE: Rider 5, NC Central 1
Davis did not allow an earned run in the complete-game effort, and she also accounted for both of NCCU's hits on Saturday morning. However, Rider (2-0) defeated the Eagles for a second straight day to start its season, scoring five unearned runs on three NCCU errors.
The Broncs broke open the game with back-to-back, two-RBI singles off the bats of freshman Tristen Wren and Jadeyn Merrill with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Merrill and junior Kristyn Garder each had two hits for the victors.
Davis ended the shutout bid of junior pitcher Kathryn Schmierer with a one-out single in the sixth inning and quickly scoring on couple of errors by the centerfielder one batter later. Davis also singled in the fourth to become NCCU's first base runner after Schmierer (1-0) retired the first four batters she faced in her complete-game victory.
GAME TWO: Towson 3, NC Central 2
Sophomore Cara Bohner drew a bases-loaded walk to knock in the winning run in a true "walk-off" win for the Tigers. Towson (4-8) outhit the Eagles, 13-3, but struggled to score by leaving 15 runners stranded on base.
After the Tigers scored one run in both the first and third innings, NCCU knotted the score in the top of the sixth. Senior
Jaylah Barr and freshman
Xenna Tompkins drew consecutive walks to start the frame. A couple of pinch runners in senior
Natalie Hardin and junior
Kia Borum took their places on the base paths and they both scored on a ball put in play by Harrell.
With the score leveled at 2-2 heading into the final inning, NCCU did put runners on second and third with just one out in the seventh, but senior Maddie Gardner struck out the next two batters to give Towson the chance to win it in the home half and the Tigers did just that. Gardner (1-5) struck out the side in her one inning of work to earn the victory.
Junior Elizabeth Yoskowitz, sophomore Grace Franczyk and sophomore Isabella Canesi all had three hits for Towson. Canesi scored the winning run on the walk drawn by Bohner.
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