COLUMBIA, S.C. - CIU softball began its final week of regular season play with an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) contest with Union College (Ky.) The Rams took care of business in game one with their third straight shutout and battled back in game two, after being down three runs, to clinch a vital series win as we near the end of AAC play. The wins allow the Rams to control their own destiny with a shot at an AAC playoff berth if they can notch wins in their final series of the regular season versus Reinhardt (Ga.) on Thursday.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
GAME ONE: CIU 6 UC 0: Hallie Miller would get the Rams going in the first inning with a single to bring in the game's first run. CIU stretched their lead in the second thanks to a Dallas Mayers double to bring in two more runs. The Rams continued having offensive success, scoring another run in the fourth and then two runs in the sixth to cruise to a 6-0 victory in game one. The shutout marks their third straight in AAC play.
BOX SCORE NOTES:
GAME TWO: CIU 4 UC 3: Neither team could manufacture offensive production in the first four innings. Then in the top of the fifth inning, the Bulldogs scored two runs to take their first lead of the series. They would then add another in the sixth inning to take a 3-0 advantage. CIU got things going with a run in the bottom of that inning. After getting three outs on defense, the Rams came up to bat with one final chance at a comeback. Shannon Patton led the bottom of the inning off with a double to right field. Then, after Lauren Baker was hit by a pitch, Josie Self would rope a double to right field to score two runs and tie the game 3-3. Union got the next two outs; however, the Bulldogs would have a costly error on a routine pop fly which brought in the game-winning run for the Rams.
BOX SCORE NOTES:
- Hallie Miller went 2-of-3 in game two with an RBI.
- Josie Self came up huge with a double to bring in two runs in her only at-bat of the contest.
- Julia Thielen pitched five innings with four strikeouts and allowing two earned runs.
- Cissy Doolittle replaced Thielen for two innings and got the win, allowing four hits and one earned run to close the game.
What Coach Sara Allen is saying:
"Today was another day of great team softball. It's so fun to watch the team play the consistent level of softball that we are capable of. All of our pitchers are doing a tremendous job in the circle to put us in position to win, with help from great defensive plays behind them. We're also starting make quality adjustments at the plate to push runs across. I challenged the team last week to finish well and they're doing a fantastic job of it!"
Up Next:
CIU will play its final series of the regular season at home against Reinhardt University (Ga.) on Thursday, starting at 2 PM.
