PORTSMOUTH – Softball salvaged a split of its doubleheader with Davenport University on Saturday afternoon at Boone Coleman field with a 6-3 victory in the second game. The Panthers (17-7-1), who are receiving votes in the most recent NAIA Coaches Poll, took game one in eight innings, 6-4, over the Bears (7-9).
The first game saw Davenport quickly put three runs on the board in the top of the first inning. The leadoff hitter singled to start the game and the second and third hitters both reached base while trying to put down bunts as the first bunt attempt was dropped at first and the second was bunted for a single. The first run would come across on a walk to force in a run. The second would score on an RBI groundout to put the first batter away. A single would score the third run of the inning but Ali Thompson would strand two more runners as she got a strikeout and grounder to short to end the inning.
Thompson would settle in and find her grove for the remainder of the game as she did not give up another run until the sixth inning. However, Davenport's starter Amy Cole was perfect through 4.1 innings as she retired the first 13 hitters that she faced. With one out in the bottom of the fifth, Abbey Barrett and Hannah Dittoe gave the Bears their first base runners with back-to-back walks.
A strikeout would put two away but Kelsey Jenkins would come up the clutch two-out RBI single – SSU's first hit of the afternoon – to score the first run while the second run would come across following a wild pitch and the ensuing at-bat to make the score 3-2 after five innings.
Davenport would add a run to their lead in the top of the sixth as it manufactured a run with two singles and a sacrifice bunt. The Bears were shut down in the sixth inning but rallied in their final at-bats with two runs to tie the game and force extra innings.
In the Bears' final at-bats, Dittoe and Brytan Givens singled to start inning. However, the lead runner was picked off on a snap throw to second by the catcher and a pop up to short put two away with a runner on first. Tara Prater would then by hit-by-pitch to keep the inning alive for Ericka Leighty who came up with a two-out two-RBI double into left-centerfield to knot the game at four-all.
The Panthers would load the bases with two outs after a bunt fielding error and bunt single to start the eighth with the international tiebreak rule in effect. A wild pitch would bring the go-ahead run home while a one-out single scored the second run of the inning. When the Bears started the eighth with a runner on second, they would get an infield single with one out but nothing more as Davenport finished off the 6-4 win.
Shawnee State committed just two errors in the opening game but they both proved costly as Thompson allowed just three earned runs in her eight innings of work on nine hits while striking out seven batters.
In the second game, Shawnee State jumped on the Panthers early with a run in the bottom of the first after Allie Chapman set the side down in the top half. That first run would score on a two-out single by Kirsti Yates that was followed up with a double by Holly Brabson. The Bears would then add two more in the second as Jenkins singled with one out and was driven in by a two-out RBI double by Leighty. Leighty would then come around to score on a single by Katy Bender to make it 3-0 after two innings.
Davenport would answer back with a two-run home run off the bat of Amber Getty with one out in the top of the third but that would be the only time the Panthers would score besides the seventh inning. The Bears would add two more in the bottom of the sixth with RBI singles from both Yates and Brabson. Over the first six innings of play, Chapman allowed just four hits to help her squad take a 6-2 lead into the seventh inning..
In that final inning, Chapman conceded a leadoff single but got the next hitter to strike out swinging before an infield single off her glove was followed by a fly to out to right. With two outs, the Panthers would beat out a pair of infield singles to load the bases and then score a run to create some tension as the game-winning run stepped to the plate.
However, Chapman would get that final out to ground to short as she picked up the win in her complete game effort. She improved to 4-4 overall on the season with her sixth complete of the season. Brabson finished the second game with three hits in the winning effort, including two extra base hits. She drove in three of the Bears six runs.
After three doubleheaders in three days, softball will have tomorrow off before returning to Boone Coleman field for two straight days of doubleheaders with Montreat College. The first doubleheader will be Monday beginning at 3 p.m.
