The Elon University softball team finished the second day of the Phoenix Opening Tournament on the right and wrong side of comeback wins Feb. 22 at Hunt Softball Park.
In the first game, Phoenix junior Caitlin O’Shea, who has been typically used as a relief pitcher, hit a pinch hit single into left field to score freshman catcher Carey Million and give the Phoenix a 2-1 win over St. Joseph’s University.
The Phoenix broke through in the second inning. With two outs and freshman designated player Emily Roper on third, Hawks freshman pitcher Emily Rogers threw a high pitch that tipped off freshman catcher Stephanie Chaiser’s glove and to the wall behind the plate, giving Roper a chance to scamper home with the Phoenix’s first run of the game.
“I saw the ball go off her glove and tip up in the air,” Roper said. “I wasn’t sure at first how far away from her it was going to go, but once I saw it was going all the way to the backstop, I took off. (Head) coach (Kathy Bocock) told me to stop, but I was already two-thirds of the way home, so I was like, ‘I gotta go.’
Phoenix junior pitcher Chelsea White was able to stymie the Hawks offense until the fifth. With the bases loaded, White plunked sophomore second baseman Sarah Yoos, scoring junior left fielder Melissa Ruf and knotting the game at 1.
Neither team could break through in the sixth, and White shut the Hawks out in the top of the seventh, setting the Phoenix up for its second walk off win in as many days.
“We got a lot of confidence in our hitters,” Roper said. “We now we can go out there and make something happen.”
White (3-3) threw a complete game, giving up one run on five hits, walking one and striking out a batter, picking up her third win of the season.
“That’s the performance Chelsea needed,” Bocock said. “She can pitch like that, she’s done it many a time for us. We need her to go seven innings and have confidence and get a win out of it.”
In the second game, the University of Maryland-Baltimore Country used a dribbler up the first base line from sophomore shortstop Bridget O’Malley that crept by junior first baseman Grace Eng to score the winning run and escape with a 3-2 win in the eighth inning.
“It’s disappointing for a couple of reasons,” Roper said. “One, because we had 10 hits and only scored two runs, and personally, I had that girl all day. I hit her hard. But in my last at bat (in the bottom of the eighth), I hit a weak pop up. That was the most frustrating thing.”
After two and half scoreless innings, the Phoenix broke through in the bottom of the third. With two outs, sophomore left fielder Emily Cameron ripped a double down the third base line, and scored on Roper’s single to center.
“I got a changeup and literally just stuck my bat out,” Roper said. “I only swung halfway, but managed to hit a line drive to center.”
Neither team could score in the fourth, but with two outs in the fifth, Elon added a second run. Roper ripped a double into right center, scoring Cameron and giving Roper her second run batted in of the game.
With the way freshman pitcher Alli Burdette was dealing, it appeared the Phoenix would cruise to the finish, but the Retrievers had other ideas.
O’Malley hit a one-out double over freshman left fielder Alaina Hall’s head. The next batter, junior designated player Taylor Hall, lofted a fly ball to right. Cameron caught it and threw a laser to third to try and punch out O’Malley, who had tagged up. Cameron’s throw hit O’Malley and bounced away from junior third baseman Aly Quintana, allowing O’Malley to trot home.
Senior first baseman Chelsea Bertoglio then doubled down the third base line and the next batter, senior right fielder Caitlin Chance, lined a single to center to score sophomore pinch runner Jordan Sgagna and knot the game at 2, setting UMBC up for its dramatic extra-innings win in the eight.
Freshman pitcher Alli Burdette went five and two-thirds innings, giving up two runs on four hits, walking two and striking out three. She was given a no decision.
“I thought I pitched pretty well in the five innings I was out there. I only gave up three hits,” Burdette said. “(The hits) were just untimely. They started to catch up with me a little bit. That was their third time through the lineup, so they were on my pitches better.”
O’Shea was given the loss after going two and a third, allowing one run on one hit.
With the loss, the Phoenix dropped to 7-4-1, while UMBC improved to a perfect 3-0.
Elon will conclude its home tournament with a game against Iona College at 1:45 p.m. Feb. 23.