Cleveland State softball (17-18, 9-15) travelled to West Tennessee to play a scheduled conference 4-game series vs. the Lady Saluqis of Southwest Tennessee CC on Friday the 13th and came away with a 2-game sweep on day one winning the first game 18-5 and the second game 11-3 and then saw day two games on Saturday, April 14 washed out.
Shiann Stockwell won her 12th game of the season in game one, striking out seven in the five inning run rule game as the Cougars mounted a 17 hit, 18 run attack in the 18-5 win. Southwest jumped off to a two run lead scoring two in the 1st inning only to see Cleveland State answer back with three in the 2nd, 10 in the 4th and five in the 5th.
Every Cougar in the lineup had at least one hit with freshman Sadie Coons leading the way collecting three hits, driving in five runs while Stockwell, Macy Bryant, Cortney Mooneyham, Hailey Galvan, Baylee Woods and Emily Yell each had two hits and Grayson Brown and Rachel Pierce had one hit each.
Woods who scored three runs on the game, hit a 3-run homerun in the 4th and Brown hit a solo shot in the 5th. Other RBI hitters included Yell, Mooneyham and Brown who drove home two runs each with Stockwell, Pierce and Bryant each plating one.
Kaitlyn Pickens took the mound for the Cougars in game two, striking out 11 and did not yield any earned runs while winning her second game of the season in the six inning 11-3 win.
Game one pitcher Stockwell, played right field and set the table four out of five times for Cleveland State, collecting four hits on the game including a leadoff double to start the game, scoring on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Brown. Galvan and Tori Ogle each had two hits while Brown, Mooneyham and Coons each had one.
Cougar player Summer Dean was the hitting star of the game. Head Coach Katie Willingham gave Dean who had knee surgery during the summer, her first start of the season and she went 4-for-4 with a double in the 2nd, another double in the 3rd, a leadoff homerun in the 5th and a single in the 6th and final inning. Each hit led to an RBI for Dean as she drove in a total of four runs. Dean's four hits rounded out the barrage of Cleveland State's 15 hits.
Cougar softball returns on Friday, April 20 and Saturday April 21 when they will host Dyersburg State in their final home conference games of the season. Friday's doubleheader is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. while Saturday's doubleheader starts at 12 n. and 2 p.m.
Saturday will be a special day for Cougar softball as sophomores, Grayson Brown, Macy Bryant, Bre Dunsmore, Rachel Pierce and Lakelyn Reed will be honored as they play in their last home games at Cleveland State.