CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Eagles softball again comes away with a two-game split on the final day of the First Pitch Classic at Sue M. Daughtridge Stadium to start the season with a 2-2 record.
Morehead State started Sunday by defeating North Carolina A&T (1-5) 5-0 followed by a five-inning loss to host Charlotte (5-6) 11-1 to the end the afternoon. The victory against North Carolina A&T marks the first shutout win under head coach
Samantha Jones.
The Eagles will now travel to Conway, Ark. where they will compete in the Michelle Short Memorial Classic hosted by Central Arkansas. The team begins the event on Saturday with games against Jackson State (4-5) at 12:00 p.m. and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-9) at 2:15 p.m.
HOW IT HAPPENED – NC A&T
- Freshman
Taylor Rhea began the scoring for the Eagles with a groundout in the first that drove in a runner.
- Sophomore
Adeline Nicholson hammered a two-run home run in the fourth to make it a 3-0 game.
- Later in the same inning, junior
Alexis Strother added to the lead with a solo homer.
- In the sixth, sophomore
Peyton Rose hit an RBI single to account for the 5-0 margin.
KEY STATS – NC A&T
- Nicholson continues her hot start to the season, going 3-for-3 on the game, highlighted by her first home run in an Eagles uniform.
- Nicholson has recorded two RBI in each of MSU's first three games.
- Senior
Randi Hamilton (1-0) pitched a complete game shutout while striking out two.
- The Eagles allowed only four hits for the Aggies, a season-low to this point in the new year.
- Sophomore
Peyton Slater went 1-for-2 on the game with two runs scored.
HOW IT HAPPENED – CHARLOTTE
- Charlotte struck early with four runs in the first coming from an RBI single, a two-RBI double, and another RBI single.
- The 49ers furthered their lead in the next inning off back-to-back solo homers, an RBI sac-fly, and a three-run home run that pushed the margin to 10-0.
- MSU managed to get some of that deficit back in the third inning on a wild play that saw a single by sophomore
Peyton Slater lead to a run scored off a throwing error from Charlotte's right fielder.
- The home team responded in the bottom of that inning from an RBI fielder's choice to account for the 11-1 final score.
KEY STATS – CHARLOTTE
- Charlotte exploded for 10 hits in the first two innings against Eagles pitchers with freshman
Kelsey Perkins (1-1) taking the loss.
- MSU came away from the game with zero errors, the first occurrence for the team this season.
- Charlotte bested Morehead State in hits with 11 compared to five for the Eagles.
