Wingate, N.C.- The Wingate University Bulldogs swept the Cobras of Coker College in NCAA Division II softball action Sunday afternoon at the WU Softball Complex. The Bulldogs won game one 5-2, while taking the second game 1-0 to improve to 19-8 overall. Coker falls to 12-16 on the year.
GAME ONE
Wingate’s sophomore first baseman Brittany Loudermilt was two-for-three with a double, two RBI and a run scored to lead the Wingate attack in game one. Senior infielder Emily Chavis and freshman outfielder Hayley Whitley each went one-for-three with a double, RBI and run scored for the Bulldogs.
Coker sophomore outfielder Sarah Rountree (Plantation, Fla.) was three-for-four with two runs scored to spark the Coker offense. Freshman infielder Katie McElveen (Hartsville, S.C.) was one-for-three with an RBI for the Cobras.
The Bulldogs got on the board first, scoring twice in the second inning. Whitley reached on an error, while sophomore designated player Stephanie Simmons followed with a single to put two on in front of Loudermilt. She delivered with a two-run double to give Wingate a 2-0 lead.
The Cobras cut the lead in half in the third, when Rountree reached on an infield single, then took advantage of two Wingate errors to make it 2-1. The Bulldogs got the run back in the fourth, when Loudermilt singled, then scored on a Coker error to push the lead back to two.
The Cobras once again cut the lead to one when Rountree singled, then scored on an RBI single from McElveen to make it 3-2 in the fifth.
The ‘Dogs responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning. Chavis drove home the first run with an RBI double to left center, while Whitley followed with an RBI double down the left field line to make it 5-2.
Senior right-hander Allison Smith got the win, improving to 11-3 on the year. She allowed one earned run on six hits in seven innings of work, striking out nine. Sophomore left-hander Jordan Atkinson (Bishopville, S.C.) took the loss, allowing five runs, three earned, on eight hits in six innings of work, falling to 3-6 on the year.
GAME TWO
The second game would be a pitching duel, with the two teams combining for only seven hits. No player had more than a hit in game two, and no team would score until Wingate’s lone run in the bottom of the sixth.
Junior catcher Brittany Barrineau started the inning with a single up the middle. Senior Jessica McCraw pinch ran for Barrineau, and went to second on a sacrifice from Chavis. After a groundout, freshman designated player Courtney Barrineau came to the plate with a runner on third and two outs. She wasted no time, attacking the first pitch, dropping it just inside the right field line over the first base bag to plate the winning run.
The Cobras threatened in the top of the seventh, getting two on with one out via a hit and an error. But freshman right-hander Ashley Brown induced a flyout and popout to retire the side, notching the complete game shutout.
Brown allowed only three hits in seven innings of work, striking out three and walking one to improve to 5-3 on the year. Senior left-hander Syndey Greenwalt (Edwardsville, Ill.) took the tough loss, falling to 5-6 on the season. She allowed a run on four hits in six innings of work, striking out two.
Coker returns to action Thursday, hosting West Virginia State in a non-conference doubleheader at 2:00 p.m.