Game 1 Boxscore
Game 2 Boxscore
MISENHEIMER, N.C. - The Goldey-Beacom College softball team lost both ends of its season-opening doubleheader against Pfeiffer University on Friday afternoon at Jack Ingram Field by scores of 5-3 and 8-0.
GBC fell to 0-2 with the two losses while Pfeiffer, of the Conference Carolinas, improved to 6-8 on the season. The Falcons dawned camouflage jerseys as they celebrated Military Appreciation Day.
GAME 1:
Each team traded runs in the first frame as sophomore catcher Danielle Rice scored rightfielder Leanne Miller with her base hit to right-center. Pfeiffer's Amber Johnson would then reach on a single back up the middle and moved into scoring position by swiping second. After a sacrifice bunt by Mariah Chalk, Johnson would score the game-tying run on a balk by Lightning starter, freshman Tori Anne Davies.
Chalk gave the Lady Falcons a 2-1 lead in the third as her ground ball to short brought in Kylee Nichols from third. Nichols reached with a lead-off double to left and moved to third on a Johnson sac-bunt. As Pfeiffer starter Allison Braswell sat down 17-straight Lightning hitters, the Falcons would tack on three more late runs and held off GBC for a 5-3 win.
In the fifth, Andrea Wagner scored on a wild pitch after beginning the stanza with a double to left-center while Chalk and Sarah Waylock (Cary, IL) scored on an error and wild pitch in the sixth.
The Lightning put two on the board in the seventh, but Braswell settled down to retire the side and earn the complete game win. A Shannon O'Hara RBI-double put GBC within three before freshman Angelina Myers dropped down a bunt for the game's final RBI.
Braswell didn't allow a single base runner between Ashley Paige's two-out bunt in the first and her one-out single in the seventh. Braswell struck out eight in the win.
Davies (0-1), in her first collegiate start at GBC, took the loss as she gave up five hits, three runs (all earned), walked one and struck out one in five innings of work. Sophomore Sadie Jones allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits in one inning of relief. Paige led the Lightning with two hits.
GAME 2:
The second game saw the pitching season-debut of junior Heather Draper. The right-hander tossed two scoreless innings before Falcons leadoff batter Kylee Nichols singled up the middle and drove in catcher Sam Taylor for the first run of the game.
GBC looked like it might get that run back in the fourth inning when Rice had a one-out single and freshman Leanne Miller came on to pinch run. On the ensuing at-bat, Paige singled to center field and Miller tried to score but was thrown out at the plate. Paige reached second on the throw to the plate, and later reached third base when sophomore center fielder Cailin Cavanaugh reached on a throwing error. Cavanaugh would steal second, but Falcon pitcher Shelby Brown was able to get out of the jam by striking out sophomore second baseman Shannon Graves looking to preserve the shutout.
The Falcons would then erupt for six runs in the fourth inning using four hits and two Lightning errors to extend their lead to 7-0. Taylor drove in two RBI's and scored a run of her own during that frame.
Brown retired the side 1-2-3 in the top of the fifth, and in the bottom of the fifth, Falcon second baseman Heather Nobles singled to right-center to drive in pinch runner Melanie Conklin for the decisive eighth run.
Draper (0-1) took the loss while allowing five hits, seven runs (five earned) and two walks while striking out two batters. Sophomore Sadie Jones came on in relief in the bottom of the fifth and gave up three hits in three at-bats as she surrendered the final run of the game before she could retire a Falcon batter.
Brown earned the win for Pfeiffer, giving up just two hits and striking out four while walking zero batters in five innings of work.
