Updated as of 10:39 a.m. on Feb. 9 to include additional photos.
The Elon University softball team split a doubleheader in the Elon Softball Classic, losing 4-3 to Ohio State University and dominating 13-7 against North Carolina Central.
Elon was coming off an 0-2 start to the season after losing to the University of Connecticut and Ohio University in the first two games of the Elon Softball Classic tournament.
Strong pitching defined the first game of the doubleheader. Starting pitcher Meredith Wells was a bit shaky to start, allowing a walk and a double to get two on base for Ohio St. in the first inning, but got it together soon after. After an error on a routine out at first base by Elon, Wells got out of the jam, stranding a pair. Wells went on to get a pair of strikeouts in the second inning.
At the bottom of the first inning, the Phoenix got off to a hot start with an opening single by sophomore Greta Hessenthaler followed by redshirt junior Chloe Hatzopoilos belting a home run to left field. Senior Kaitlyn Wells then worked a length count to a double and brought in another run.
In the third inning, the Buckeyes got back on the board with a single down the line, which was immediately followed by a double that rocketed into the gap in center field. Meredith Wells received a mound visit as the Phoenix tried to prevent any runs from being scored. However, Ohio St. drove in two runs to tie the game.
Head coach Kathy Bocock said the team didn’t adjust as well as she’d like against Ohio St.’s pitchers.
“Some of the pitches that we were chasing, we probably should have set back off on some of those and just been a little bit more disciplined,” Bocock said.
In the fourth inning, both teams began to dip into their bullpens, and Ohio St hit a single up the middle to drive in one more run, securing a 4-3 lead. Throughout the next few games, relief pitchers dominated as hits became scarce for both teams.
Going into the seventh and final inning, Elon trailed by one. Relief pitcher Anna Dew allowed two straight singles to the Buckeyes, but she forced a fly out and survived the inning, giving the Phoenix a fighting chance with three outs remaining.
Senior Reagan Hartley opened the bottom of the seventh by getting to first off a fielding error. However, two outs would follow and the game was down to the final out and the bat of senior Allee Seering. Seering was coming off a strong performance on Feb. 7 against UConn with a 3-4 day off a home run and two RBIs.
The final at bat of the game was lengthy as Seering hit numerous foul balls to extend the at bat to a full count. However, Ohio St. pitcher Lorin Boutte threw the final pitch, striking her out and securing the victory for the Buckeyes.
Thirty minutes later, Elon got back on the diamond, ready for the second half of its doubleheader against North Carolina Central. The second game of the night showcased more offense than the first as Elon had scored more runs than they did in the entire game against Ohio St. by the second inning.
North Carolina Central got the first hit of the game with a single that skied over the infield to drop into shallow left field, but Elon’s starting pitcher, sophomore Lia Miller, prevented any first inning runs with an early strikeout.
In the second inning, Kaitlyn Wells continued her strong day for Elon, smashing a home run, knowing from the swing of her bat that it was gone with a point towards the wall as she ran towards first base. After going 2-3 against Ohio St., Wells hit 3-4 with 3 RBIs and 2 home runs. Soon after, the Phoenix scored again off a botched throw by a North Carolina Central infielder. A sacrifice fly by freshman Lani Wyrick got one more run in, and then a pair of RBI singles up the middle capped off a 5-run inning.
Wells said she tried to ignite the offense early after the loss against the Buckeyes.
“I was just trying to get something going for our team,” Wells said. “We needed a momentum shift, and so I'm glad that I was able to do that. We were just so close in that Ohio State game, and we kind of took that energy and we used it to start off this game really strong.”
In the third inning, Elon looked to extend the lead and loaded the bases thanks to a sequence of hits mixed with walks, but North Carolina Central got out of the jam, stranding all three Phoenix runners. The Eagles then had an explosive inning of their own, scoring five runs in the fourth inning.
Three of the runs came off of errors by Elon as their infield defense allowed North Carolina Central to tie the game up. However, Elon was hot off the bats in the fourth, too. They scored off a wild pitch and then fifth year Gabi Schaal doubled, driving in Wells and Hatzopoulos. Schall is coming off a strong 2024 year where she led the Coastal Athletic Association in home runs with 11.
Wells was happy with the team’s offensive performance against North Carolina Central and said they were seeing the ball a lot better and stuck to their game plan more than they did in the Ohio St. game. Bocock praised the team’s ability to score in spurts and sustain rallies.
“I think we were just kind of keying on the pitcher a little bit, but also we're trying to make sure that we pass the bat a little bit and try to have back-to-back hits and make things happen, and just try to keep the rally going,” Bocock said.
Elon continued the scoring in the fifth, extending the lead to 11-5. Hatzopoulos doubled to left field and Seering advanced to home. Wells improved upon her stellar day homering again with a 2-run shot that towered over the left field wall.
Wells praised the depth of the team and its ability to get hits from so many people. She also attributed her success to the team.
“I was just doing it for my team because we needed that win because we were so close, and we've really just been showing everything that we have, and we've been working so hard,” Wells said. “I was really just trying to get something going for my team, just put the ball in play, hit something hard.”
Both teams scored two more runs in the next two innings and the offensive explosion by the Phoenix proved to be too great for the Eagles to overcome.
Wells said she is happy with how the team has started the season and said they will improve as they learn to play with each other and that they will take what they learned this weekend forward to the rest of the season. Bocock was also impressed with how the team performed this weekend in the Elon Softball Classic and believes starting the season off with it will prepare the team for conference play.
“We always try to start off with really good competition because we're not afraid to go against anybody, because we have to get ourselves ready for conference,” Bocock said. “I saw some good things. I think that a couple times we were a little rough but I think the girls have kept their spirits up and really just keep working hard and getting better.”
Elon plays its final game of the Elon Softball Classic at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 9 at Hunt Softball Park versus UNC Greensboro.