LAURINBURG, N.C.— The Montreat softball team went on the road to St. Andrews University Saturday afternoon for two Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) contests. With a 6-4 win in game one and a 3-0 loss in game two, the Cavaliers moved to 4-19 (2-4 AAC) on the season.
Montreat used three hits to get on the board first in the opening matchup. A walk by
AJ Martin Aiken and single by
Ashley Starnes set the table for RBI base knocks from
Allison Chapman and
Abigail Christopher that put the Cavs on top 2-0 in the initial frame.
St. Andrews (5-17, 1-11 AAC) answered the Cavaliers with runs in each of the first three innings, going up 3-2 heading into the fourth.
Despite the response from the home team, a walk by
Alyssa Hudson followed by a
Katie Johnson single then allowed two ground outs to knot the competition at three in the top of the fourth.
Two scoreless frames meant the squads went into the seventh without separation. In the final inning of regulation, Montreat plated three runs on a two-RBI single by Starnes and an RBI single from Christopher to give the visitors the separation they needed down the stretch.
Though the Knights got a run back in the bottom of the inning, the pair of unearned runs in the top of the seventh gave the Cavaliers their 6-4 triumph.
Deanna Waddell got her first win of the season (1-4) after tossing 2.0 innings in relief while allowing two hits and the sole run in the seventh.
Offensively, a trio of Cavs ended the matchup with multiple hits as Starnes, Christopher and Johnson all finished 2-for-4 at the plate.
Game two featured less offense from the Cavaliers, who notched five hits compared to their nine in the opener.
The teams were scoreless until the third when a two-RBI double put the hosts up by a pair of runs. Montreat struggled to get multiple runners on base through three innings and, after
Cameryn Bass and Starnes singled to start the fourth, three consecutive outs allowed SAU to maintain its advantage.
Following another St. Andrews run in the fifth, the Cavaliers looked to answer. Despite threatening and putting pressure on the SAU defense, the Cavs stranded two runners in both the sixth and seventh as the Knights picked up their first AAC win with the 3-0 scoreline.
Starnes (2-3) concluded the second competition as the only Montreat batter with multiple hits.
Softball continues its season with a home doubleheader against Columbia International on Tuesday. First pitch of game one is slated for 4:00 p.m.
