COLUMBIA, S.C.— Playing in its penultimate doubleheader of the regular season, the Montreat softball team lost a pair of Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) contests on Wednesday afternoon to the Columbia College Koalas, 6-0 and 4-3. After the two defeats in Columbia, S.C., the Cavaliers now sit at 4-39 (2-24 AAC) heading into their regular-season finale.
Columbia (15-15, 9-11 AAC) took advantage of two Montreat defensive miscues in the opening frame to score a pair of runs in the bottom of the first; however, outside of the early blemish,
Candace Cooper commanded a strong presence in the pitcher's circle for five-plus innings. The Marion, N.C. native faced the minimum in three of the next four frames, preventing the Koalas from tacking on more until the sixth.
After the first batter was retired to start the bottom of the sixth, the next five Columbia batters reached base safely. Two singles and a squeeze play helped the Koalas push four additional runners across home plate, expanding their lead out to 6-0 through six.
The Cavaliers' first and only hit of game one came in the seventh inning on an
Abigail Christopher single to center field. Despite finally getting into the hit column, the next three Montreat hitters were retired in order as the Cavs dropped the initial contest, 6-0.
Christopher reached base twice in the opener thanks to a hit-by-pitch and a single, while
Alyssa Hudson reached safely once on a walk. Cooper pitched 5.1 innings in the game, allowing four earned runs while striking out three Koalas.
Montreat started the scoring account in game two on a two-RBI single to right center off the bat of Christopher. That knock plated both
Cameryn Bass and
AJ Martin Aiken and handed the Cavaliers a 2-0 edge; however, the lead lasted only a half-inning.
In the bottom of the third, the Koalas jumped in front on the scoreboard thanks to a three-run shot. Then, in the fourth, an RBI single helped flip Columbia's two-run deficit into a two-run lead.
The Cavaliers got a run back in the sixth inning when Hudson blasted a solo home run. Unfortunately for Montreat, that was where the scoring ended. Montreat outhit Columbia in game two, 6-4, but a 3-for-17 showing with runners on base limited the Cavalier run production and contributed to the 4-3 defeat in the nightcap.
Hudson (3-3) registered half of Montreat's hits in game two, while Christopher (1-4), Martin Aiken (1-4) and
Coleena Selleck (1-3) had the other three knocks.
Jenae Fedewa was solid in the circle for the Cavaliers, dealing six innings while surrendering four runs on just four hits. Fedewa also struck out four Columbia batters.
The Montreat softball team closes out the regular season on Tuesday with one final AAC road doubleheader at Johnson University-Tennessee. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. in Knoxville, Tenn.
