Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Charlotte
@HerdSB Loses Pair to Charlotte
4/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Game One Box (PDF)
Game Two Box (PDF)
Coach Stanton Postgame Video
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Marshall offense could not find its rhythm losing both games of a doubleheader Sunday afternoon at Dot Hicks Field, 3-0 and 5-1. Charlotte (24-16, 5-7) gets the series sweep over the Herd (20-20, 6-6).
Game One: Charlotte 3, Marshall 0
The Thundering Herd struggled offensively recording only two hits in the loss. Seniors Kaelynn Greene (Eastvale, Calif.) and Katalin Lucas (Agua Dulce, Calif.) had one hit each.
"I really feel for our athletes right now," Herd Coach Shonda Stanton said. "It's not for a lack of effort. We played some great defense but Charlotte pitched better and hit better than we did and you need two of the three to win a ball game."
Junior Jordan Dixon (Edmond, Okla.) got the start and pitched the first three and one-third innings and allowed only three hits and two runs. However, it was just enough for the 49ers to grab the win.
Charlotte crossed the plate in the third inning and scored two more in the fourth. Freshman Ali Burdette (Buffalo, W.Va.) entered the circle in the fourth and allowed three hits and the final run.
Marshall recorded its first hit in the third as Lucas led off with a single to left. Greene got on base in the fifth but the Herd struggled to find the timely hit.
Game Two: Charlotte 5, Marshall 1
Charlotte jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first as Ali Burdette, who started in the circle for Marshall, was pulled after the three runs and two outs. Jordan Dixon came in for the Herd and pitched the rest of the way.
The Herd offense struggled once again with just two hits.
"Hats off to Charlotte they played really well this weekend," Coach Stanton said. "They had command of their pitches and they swung at strikes and hit the ball hard."
Charlotte held a 4-0 advantage when Marshall finally got on the scoreboard. In the bottom of the fifth freshman Samantha Loose (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) reached on a two-out walk. Sophomore Elicia D'Orazio (Clermont, Fla.) followed up with a double to left center that scored Loose from first. It was Marshall's first hit of the game as well. The Herd had three base runners through the first four innings from two walks and one hit-by-pitch (Loose).
The 49ers responded with one more run in the sixth to increase the lead back to four, 5-1, and shut out Marshall in the final two innings allowing just one runner in each. Loose recorded a two-out single to left in the seventh but the Herd could not keep the rally going.
"What we saw today is that we would watch a pitch that got left over the plate and then try to make up for it by swinging at the next one," Coach Stanton said. "That is not how you get it done. Our kids need to understand to stay in the moment and see the ball and hit the ball. We have really struggled offensively over the past couple weeks and it is not always going to come as easy to us as it has in the past."
The Herd made some great plays defensively to help get out of several jams. In the third inning, sophomore catcher Taylor McCord (Gilbert, Ariz.) tossed out a runner at second and then D'Orazio immediately threw back to McCord to tag out the runner trying to score. For McCord, it was the 15th time she has thrown out a would-be base stealer this season and that ties a program record set by Rachel Folden (2005-08) in 2005.
In the third, senior Raquel Escareno (Wellington, Colo.) gunned out a runner at the plate from right field after a base hit to end the inning. Marshall completed its second double play of the game when Dixon fielded a grounder, tossed to freshman Briana Daiss (Clermont, Fla.) at first, who then threw to McCord at the plate to retire the runner coming home.
"The positives is that we played well defensively," Coach Stanton said. "The double plays, Rocky throwing the girl out at the plate and Dixon staying strong on the grounder to throw the ball to Daiss and then back to the plate was great. I am very pleased with the way we played on defense this weekend.
Next up for Marshall is the final non-conference matchup of 2016 as the Herd travels to Lynchburg, Va. to take on Liberty. The doubleheader is set for Wednesday April 12 with first pitch at 4 p.m. Following the midweek slate, Marshall will stay on the road with a Conference USA series in Boca Raton, Fla. against East Division leading FAU April 16-17.
