NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. - After 10-straight games and 19 days away from home, the Charleston Southern softball team began a three-game series with the Radford Highlanders on Saturday, coming away victorious with a 3-0 win in game one before falling in game two by a 6-1 score.
Game One
Nealy Lamb was flawless in game one, as she went the distance with 7.0 shutout innings, three hits, two walks and three strikeouts. It was her seventh complete game of the season and fourth shutout.
Charleston Southern (19-20, 6-4 in conference) jumped on the Highlanders (18-19, 3-7 in conference) for one run in the bottom of the first inning with an RBI single down the left field line from
Gracie Prince that scored
Carsten Sandvig. Prince was thrown out at second trying to stretch the base hit into a double.
The Bucs added one more in the third inning with another RBI single from Prince that scored
Madelyne Lee. Then, Sandvig made it 3-0 with an RBI single scoring
BriAnna Brooks.
Radford threatened in the top of the fifth inning, as they loaded the bases with two outs, but Lamb forced a fly out to end the threat and picked up her team-leading tenth win of the season.
Game Two
Both teams struggled to manifester runs in the first few innings, as
Annah Junge mowed through the Radford lineup through the first two innings, but the Highlanders (19-19, 4-7 in conference) scored first in the top of the third inning, loading the bases and getting an RBI groundout.
The Bucs (19-21, 6-5 in conference) did not pick up their first hit of the game until the bottom of the fourth inning, when
Weslin Jones reached on a bunt single. Radford piled on in the top of the fifth inning, sending nine batters to the plate and getting five runs on three hits off of Junge.
Charleston Southern got on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning with an RBI double from Sandvig that scored
Kendal Cook. It was one of just two hits in the latter half of the doubleheader for the Bucs.
Junge suffered the defeat to fall to 6-9 on the season. She went 5.0 innings allowing six runs (five earned) on five hits.
Riley Lauffer followed that up with 2.0 hitless and shutout innings.
On Deck
The rubber match will take place tomorrow at 1 PM, as the Bucs look to claim their third straight conference series. ESPN+ will not be streaming the affair; however, you can follow on twitter @CSUBucsSoftball.
Charleston Southern will be honoring their alumni tomorrow with a pregame ceremony, including three special guests throwing out the first pitch.