In the midst of what has become a season-long struggle, the Elon University softball team got exactly what it needed Wednesday May 1 in it’s final non-conference opponent, the North Carolina A&T State University Aggies.
The Phoenix swept the doubleheader in style with a 1-0 win in game one and a 4-2 victory in game two.
In the two games, the Phoenix only used two pitchers. Both respective starters went the distance to pick up the wins. Sophomore Chelsea White started game one in the circle and struck out a career-high eight batters on the way to improving her record to 5-14 this season.
The only run of the game came in the bottom of the second inning when sophomore Grace Eng led off the inning with a solo home run down the left field line. That was all the support White needed, as she allowed just two hits on the afternoon while throwing 92 pitches.
Elon’s only other hit came later in the second inning when senior Ali Ford singled. That was the extent of the offense for both teams, as all four hits in the game came in the second inning.
Game two saw more offense with the two teams combining for 13 hits and six runs.
The Aggies jumped on top early in the second inning when starting pitcher Jankika May helped her cause by hitting a two-run home run off Elon starter Kayla Caruso to straight away center field.
May held the Phoenix in check until the fifth inning when she began to struggle. After junior Lauren Oldham reached on an error by the third baseman, Ford doubled to the gap in left center field to score Oldham and cut the Aggies lead in half at 2-1.
After a Caruso groundout, sophomore Caitlin O’Shea singled to left center to score Ford and tie the game at two.
To lead off the sixth inning, junior Carleigh Nester continued her tear at the plate with a home run to left center field. The game-winning blast was her 10th home run of the season and fourth in her last five games.
Eng followed by reaching on an error by the right fielder that marked the end of the day for May. She went five-plus innings giving up all four runs, but only one was earned. She fanned one in the outing.
To add insurance for herself, Caruso singled four batters later to score Eng and give the Phoenix a 4-2 lead.
Though walking two in the seventh inning, Caruso was able to finish off the Aggies for her ninth win of the year. She moved her personal record to 9-12 while the Phoenix jumped to 18-30 on the season.
The Phoenix return to the field Saturday May 4 for a doubleheader with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga looking to finish the season with a Southern Conference series win, something they have only done once this season when they took two of three from Western Carolina University on April 13 and 14.
First pitch between the Phoenix and the Lady Mocs is set for 1 p.m. with game two following the conclusion of game one.