HARTSVILLE, S.C.- The Coker softball team battled Lees-McRae and Fairmont St. on day one of the Coker Spring Tournament. The Cobras defeated the Bobcats 1-0 and the Fighting Falcons 14-4.
Game One
At the top of the sixth inning, the Navy and Gold got a run on the board. Mindy North doubled down the left field line. Kelsi Bachmann sacrifice bunted to the third baseman, moving North to third. The second baseman then committed an error, allowing Bachmann to score.
Christine Carver picked up her seventh win of the season, allowing only two singles and striking out five. She had a no-hitter until the fourth inning, in which the two occurred.
Cacey Simmons, Maria Williamson, Madison King, and North accounted for the four hits for Coker. King and North both hit a double. Simmons stole a base against the Bobcats as well. The team walked four times, once by Williamson and King, with two from Hannah Price.
Game Two
Coker started game two against Fairmont St. fast by scoring six runs in the first inning. With both Bachmann and Simmons on courtesy of a walk and a single, Williamson singled to right field. This brought in Bachmann and moved Simmons to third. Price came up to the plate and homered to right field for three RBI. After batting around, Bachmann singled with the bases loaded, scoring Anna Gluhosky. A wild pitch brought home Courtney Boan. The Fighting Falcons retaliated with a run in the bottom of the inning.
To lead off the top of the second, Williamson homered to straight-away center to bring the score to 7-1. In the bottom of the third, with two runners in scoring position, a single and an error scored a run. Another single brought a runner in unearned.
In the top of the fourth, Williamson singled to left field, which plated Bachmann yet again. With runners on second and third, Allyson High reached on an error, allowing Simmons to score.
Price hit another home run, this time a solo shot to center field to extend the Cobras' lead to 10-3 in the top of the sixth.
With two runners on in the seventh, Bachmann singled to left field, plating Katelyn Chambers. Simmons cleared the bases, as the next batter, tripled to right field, bringing home Bachmann and Hannah Goodman. Williamson singled to left field, scoring Simmons. In the bottom half of the inning, Fairmont St. hit a solo home run to center field, bring the final score to 14-4.
Brianna Strickland (2-0, 1.17 ERA ) garnered the victory with four innings pitched, giving up three hits, one earned run, two walks, and struck out three batters.
The Navy and Gold will compete against Shepherd at 1:00 p.m. and King (Tenn.) at 3:00 p.m., both on field six, at Byerly Park.
McDonald's Player of the Game- Hannah Price