ANDERSON, S.C. – UVA Wise softball was swept on the road Thursday afternoon in a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader at Anderson University. The Trojans posted a 5-2 win in the first game of the day as the Cavaliers fell 9-3 in the final game.
Senior Kaylee Jones recorded the first of six Cavalier (1-6-1, 0-4 SAC) hits in the top of the first with a single to third base, but Jones would be left stranded as neither team scored a run in the first frame.
Anderson (11-1, 2-0 SAC) jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning before scoring two more runs in the home half of the third. A Cavalier error put the Trojans' Morgan Charter on base as she advanced to second before reaching third on a wild pitch. Another UVA Wise error allowed Charter to cross home plate for an unearned run. The Trojans plated two more as Jessica Neadow and Kayson Boatner each scored for a 3-0 Anderson lead.
The Cavs recorded a hit in both the third and fourth inning before UVA Wise tallied its first runs of the day in the top of the fifth. Senior Casey Chambers hit a leadoff single to second base as freshman Kara Long followed with a one-out double as Chambers advanced an extra base. Two Trojans errors allowed the Cavs to tack on a pair of runs to cut into Anderson's advantage.
The Trojans answered with and RBI single and RBI double in the bottom of the fifth inning to extend the gap, 5-2, as Anderson held on for the game one victory.
Both teams totaled six hits while UVA Wise registered three errors and Anderson recorded two errors. Freshman Kara Long went 3-for-4 at the plate with a run while fellow freshman Sarah Barrett posted one hit. Anderson's Boatner was 2-for-3 in game one with two runs.
Senior Raychel Lapallo fell to 0-2 on the season as she allowed six hits and struck out five across six innings of work.
The Trojans' Harlie Duncan improved to 5-0 scattering five hits and striking out nine in a complete game effort.
UVA Wise came out hot in the second game of the day, scoring a run in each of the first three frames. A series of early errors by Anderson allowed the Cavs to score an unearned run to open the game.
The Trojans responded by putting a run on the board in the bottom of the first. Anderson's Neadow would leadoff with a double to right center before advancing to third on a wild pitch. A walk followed by a hit by pitch loaded the bases for Anderson as the Trojans used a sacrifice fly off the bat of Hannah Whitaker to score Neadow and knot the game 1-1 into the second.
A two-out Kailey Huffman single to third base drove home senior Alexis Miles for UVA Wise after Miles led off the second inning with a triple to center field. In the top of the third frame with one out, Anderson's right-handed pitcher Laken Maxwell walked Jones as Long doubled to right center on the next at bat to put runners on second and third. Sophomore Megan Wilson's sacrifice fly scoring Jones pushed the Cavs to a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the inning.
Anderson notched five runs on four hits and one error in the fourth frame to climb in front of UVA Wise. A three-RBI homer to center field off the bat of Boatner and a two-RBI double to left field put Anderson in front 6-3 at the end of the inning.
The Trojans pushed across three more runs in the bottom of the fifth to extend the margin to 9-3 as the Cavs were unable to come from behind in the final two innings.
Anderson finished with eight hits, including two homeruns for Boatner, and two errors. UVA Wise tallied four hits and one error in the loss.
Long, Miles, Huffman, and freshman pinch hitter Jessica McNeill each recorded a hit in the second game.
UVA Wise softball is next set to face Wingate University in the Cavs home opener Wednesday, March 3. Game one of the SAC doubleheader is slated for 2 p.m. at Cavalier Field.
