COLUMBIA, S.C. - It was a historic afternoon in the circle for CIU softball on Thursday afternoon versus St. Andrews (N.C.) as a near no-hitter from Miranda Fulmer highlighted game one (11-0). Cissy Doolittle kept the impressive pitching going as she tossed a shutout in game two (4-0). The Rams move to 16-24 overall on the season and 11-15 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC). The doubleheader was the final home conference series of the season for the Rams. 

GAME ONE CIU 11 SAU 0: Fulmer set a precedent for the game as she opened the top of the first with three consecutive strikeouts. The offensive got going immediately in the bottom of the inning on Haylee Wilkerson's RBI single and a Josie Self RBI-double. CIU opened the contest up in the second as they scored four unanswered runs. The Rams added four more in the fourth as their scoring run was punctuated by back-to-back RBI-doubles from Macey Drye and Megan Stolzenbach. Fulmer had not allowed a hit through four innings, but unfortunately, the Knights barely squeezed out a hit in the top of the fifth as CIU still run-ruled their opponent 11-0. 

Box Score Notes: 

• Fulmer was a hit and an error away from a perfect game as she recorded a career-high ten strikeouts while allowing one hit and yielding no walks. 
• The Rams went 10-of-22 at the plate as a team with five doubles, two of which came from Stolzenbach.
• Lauren Baker went 2-for-3 on the afternoon with two RBIs. 

Game Two: CIU 4 SAU 0: The Rams again displayed their dominance in game two as they once again took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on doubles from Baker and Hallie Miller. The Rams tacked on two more, one in the second on a Dallas Mayers sacrifice fly and one in the fourth on a Miller RBI-single. The Knights threatened momentarily in the sixth, but Doolittle stayed solid in the circle, and the Rams closed out St. Andrews with three consecutive outs in the top of the seventh. 

Box Score Notes:

• Doolittle threw seven innings, giving up just three hits while collecting four strikeouts. 
• The Rams had nine hits as a team, with Baker again leading the way, going 2-for-3 with an RBI.
• Margaret Schubert recorded a triple in game two. 

What Coach Sara Allen is saying: "It's always a good day when everything is clicking right like it was today. Miranda and Cissy did a fantastic job controlling the game from the circle, our hitters made great adjustments at the plate, defense was solid, and our communication and teamwork was exactly what we've been working toward all year. It's a really fun environment to be a part of right now, and good momentum going into a big series with Reinhardt on Saturday."

Up next: CIU will try to keep their postseason hopes alive on Saturday, April. 15 as they travel to Reinhardt University (Ga.) for their final conference series of the season. First pitch is slotted for 2:00 PM.