Salisbury, N.C. —- The Catawba College softball team bounced back from an opening loss on Wednesday to USC Aiken to force a split with the Pacers with a 7-4 victory at Whitley Field on Wednesday afternoon.
GAME ONE | USC Aiken 5, Catawba 1
TEAM STATISTICS
- USC Aiken out-hit Catawba 13-6
- The Pacers recorded four of five extra-base hits; both teams hit a homer
- The Catawba Indians recorded two of three errors in the game
- Catawba left seven runners on base; USCA stranded nine
- Aiken recorded three of five stolen bases in the game
- The Pacers' starter allowed a run on six hits and two walks, striking out nine; Catawba's pitcher allowed three earned runs on 13 hits, striking out six
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Kate Holland went the distance, allowing three earned runs while punching out six batters, her most in an outing since March 4
- Maddy Altiers was 2-for-4 with a homer
HOW IT HAPPENED
THIRD INNING
- USC Aiken got on the board first in game one on a two-out fielding error
- The Pacers added to their lead with an RBI double to right field
FOURTH INNING
- Altiers cut the deficit in half with a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the fourth
FIFTH INNING
- Aiken's Anna Turner doubled down the line with two outs to score two Pacers, pushing the lead to 4-1
SEVENTH INNING
- Mallory Shaver made it a 5-1 USCA lead with a solo homer in the seventh
GAME TWO | Catawba 7, USC Aiken 4
TEAM STATISTICS
- Catawba out-hit USC Aiken 9-8
- Both teams recorded three extra-base hits, but the Catawba Indians had both homers
- Catawba committed three of four errors in game two
- The Catawba Indians left three runners on base; USCA stranded seven
- Catawba recorded all three stolen bases in game two
- The Catawba Indian starter allowed three earned runs on eight hits and two walks, striking out two; Aiken's pitchers allowed six earned runs on nine hits, striking out three
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Grace Flynn was 3-for-4 with a homer, two RBI and three runs scored
- Brianna Gallagher recorded two hits including a double with two RBI
- Altiers homered again in game two
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST INNING
- Flynn singled, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch to allow Rachel Pressley's sac fly to give Catawba its first lead of the day
THIRD INNING
- Flynn's two-run homer in the third pushed Catawba's lead to 3-0
- A fielding error and Gallagher's RBI double tacked on another score for the Catawba Indians
FOURTH INNING
- An error allowed runners to reach the corners for USCA, where a run scored while a Pacer was thrown out on a steal attempt at second
FIFTH INNING
- Aiken got within 4-2 on Kate Newberry's RBI sac fly in the fifth
- Gallagher matched with a two-out RBI single up the middle in the bottom half
SIXTH INNING
- An RBI triple and an RBI single got USC Aiken's deficit all the way down to a single run in the sixth
- Altiers responded once again with yet another solo homer to lead off an inning
- Courtnee Carter added another insurance on an RBI groundout
UP NEXT
- Catawba looks to extend its season on Friday, hosting Coker for the final doubleheader of the regular season at Whitley Field; first pitches are set for 2 and 4 p.m.
