The Elon University softball team used timely hitting and a dominant showing on the mound from junior Caitlin O’Shea to hold off Presbyterian College, 4-2, March 5 at Hunt Softball Park.
Phoenix sophomore starter Kayla Caruso lasted just two innings, giving up two runs on two hits. Although it appeared Caruso was taken out because of her early struggles, Elon head coach Kathy Bocock had only planned to keep Caruso in the circle for a handful of innings.
“Kayla didn’t do badly tonight,” Bocock said. “In the second inning she struggled a little bit, but that’s going to happen as she’s trying to get back in the flow of things. Our game plan was to only throw her a couple of innings anyway.”
Caruso cruised through the top of the first, but in the bottom of the second, the Blue Hose broke through with two runs.
Junior left fielder Shelby Petik led off the inning with a walk, was sacrificed to second, and moved up to third on a passed ball on the fourth ball to freshman designated player Abby Allen.
The next batter, junior first baseman Erin Taylor ripped a double down the left field line to score both Petik and Allen and give the Blue Hose a 2-0 lead.
The Phoenix pulled within one on senior center fielder Carleigh Nester’s home run to straightaway center in the bottom of the third.
“My mentality every time I step in the box is to have a good at-bat,” Nester said. “So whenever I hit the ball and it goes over the wall, it’s a bonus. But it was great to get our team on the board and back in the game.”
In the bottom half of the fourth, freshman designated player Emily Roper lined a double to the wall in left-center to score senior shortstop Ali Ford from first after she had hit a two-out single.
The Phoenix added its last two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Catcher Carey Million led off the inning with a high, sky-scraping home run over the left field wall to put Elon up 3-2.
Freshman right fielder Alaina Hall followed Million’s home run with a booming double off the wall in left-center. Hall moved to third on Nester’s groundout to second, and scored on sophomore left fielder Emily Cameron’s bloop single that landed just out of the reach of Blue Hose sophomore second baseman Erin Ruff.
O’Shea, who picked up her third win on the year, went the last five innings in relief of Caruso, holding the Blue Hose hitless, walking one and striking out two.
It was her effort, Nester said, that allowed the Phoenix time to get their offense going and get itself back in the game.
“Caitlin did a great job coming in and picking Kayla up and shutting them down when we needed her to,” Nester said. “She did an ideal job. She kept them off the board and let us get our offense going.”
With the win, the Phoenix moves to 13-5-1 on the year, while the Blue Hose, who have dropped two straight to the Phoenix, fell to 6-8.
Elon will welcome Radford University to Hunt Softball Park this weekend for a three game set. The first of a Saturday doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m.