With the Elon University softball team having an open weekend this weekend and the Manhattan College Jaspers completely washed out by rain last weekend, Elon added Manhattan to the schedule for a doubleheader on Sunday, March 3.
Elon jumped early in both games, almost blowing the first game in the late innings, but holding strong throughout in game two to sweep the double header 8-7 and 10-5.
Junior center fielder Carleigh Nester started the slugfest early for the Phoenix in the bottom of the first inning of game one, as she took a 3-1 pitch from sophomore pitcher Amy Bright deep to left field.
Seniors Camille Hill and Tomeka Watson followed with singles, then cleanup hitter Johanna Spencer knocked in Hill while moving Watson to third base. With freshman Emily Cameron at the plate, Watson scored the final run of the inning on a passed ball that moved Spencer to third. Bright settled down though to get the next three Elon hitters on a pop out, strikeout and a groundout.
Manahttan got one back in the third inning on a solo home run from senior first baseman Meghan McDevitt, but Elon answered in the bottom half of the frame with two homers of their own, this time from Watson and Spencer.
Elon tallied two more in the bottom of the fourth on RBI singles from Hill and Spencer to take a 7-1 lead.
Sophomore pitcher Eve Clausen was rolling for the Phoenix through five, but ran into trouble in the sixth when a one out walk came around to score on an Elena Bowen home run to center field. After another hit and a groundout, freshman catcher Andi Stallard singled up to score the run to make it 7-4.
After a leadoff double to start the seventh, junior pitcher Karen Berna came on to replace Clausen. After hitting the first batter she faced, Berna got a groundout before two straight singles scored three more runs to tie the game.
Leading off the bottom of the seventh inning, Spencer, who had already gone deep once in the game, took the first pitch she saw over the right-center field wall to give the Phoenix a walkoff win.
Spencer went 4-4 with four RBIs and two homers to lead the Phoenix. Watson launched her eighth home run of the season while going 2-4. She scored three times in the game.
Berna picked up the win to improve to 2-1 on the season while freshman pitcher Erin Hamm was charged with the loss.
In the second game of the doubleheader, Elon got it going again early, this time in the form of a first inning home run from Watson, her ninth of the season.
Elon did most of its damage in the second inning though when it struck for five runs on just two hits. The Jaspers were charged with two errors in the inning, and the Phoenix even left three on base.
Getting the start for the Phoenix was Caitlin O’Shea. The sophomore breezed through the first two innings before giving up two runs in the third inning on an RBI single from sophomore Mickayla Romero and a bases loaded walk to sophomore Amanda Paxson.
The Phoenix answered with four runs of their own in the bottom of the third inning. Hill knocked home another run that was followed by Watson scoring two on a single. Elon’s tenth and final run came on a sacrifice fly by sophomore third baseman Grace Eng.
Manhattan picked up two runs in the fourth on two passed balls, then picked up another run in the seventh against Berna, the that would be as close as they would come to the Phoenix.
Watson went 2-3 in the game with three RBIs while sophomore Amanda Allen went 2-3 with two runs scored.
O’Shea earned her first win of the year, improving to 1-0 while Kelsi Redding dropped to 0-1 for the Jaspers.
Elon next takes on the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on the road on Wednesday, March 6. The two teams will play a double header starting at 4 p.m.