Lady Cougars Win Series vs Columbia State
Cleveland State softball (13-14, 5-11) won three out of four home conference games from the Columbia State Lady Chargers, splitting a doubleheader on Friday March 24, losing game one 3-1 and winning the night cap 7-4. On Saturday March 24, the Cougars won both games, 11-3 in six innings in game one and 13-11 in game two giving them their first conference series win of the young year.
Game One
The Cougar bats came up with a meager six hits in support of starting pitcher Shiann Stockwell (10-5), scoring a lone run in the 5th when Cortney Mooneyham plated Grayson Brown who had singled with one out and moved to second on a ground out. The scoring started in the 4th inning as Columbia State scored three runs in what was enough to send the Cougars to a loss, 3-1.
Mooneyham and catcher Baylee Woods had two hits each while Brown and Emily Yell had one hit each.
Game Two
Another meager six hits were not so meager in the Cougar 7-4 win as Brown started the scoring in the first with a two run blast over the left field fence giving Cleveland State a 2-0 lead driving in herself and Galvan who had doubled on the first pitch of the game. Bekah Copas (3-6) would get the win combining her 4 innings of pitching with Kaitlyn Pickens who went two and finally Stockwell who went one inning notching her first save of the season.
Cleveland State would add to their scoring in the 3rd inning with five runs, scoring on a combination of four walks, a hit batter and two timely hits off the bat of Brown and Copas. Columbia State scored three in the 4th and one more in the 7th to end the scoring in the game.
Game Three
To start the day in conference action, the Cougars used an 19 hit attack to run rule the Lady Chargers, scoring seven runs in the bottom of the 6th for an 11-3 win. Stockwell won her 9th game, striking out seven in the six inning contest.
Cleveland State would score in every inning but the 4th and were led by Brown who homered in the first inning in what would be the first of her four hits in the game including two doubles. Stockwell coupled her stellar pitching with three hits herself would be joined by Galvan who also had three hits.
Cleanup hitter Bryant also had three hits including a 2-run home run and double in the inning ending 6th while Yell had two hits including a double with Woods chipping in with a single and a double. Rounding out the Cougar hitting with one hit each were Rachel Pierce, Mooneyham and Sadie Coons. Cleveland State would receive five walks on the game while striking out only once.
Game Four
Head Coach Katie Willingham used three Cougar pitchers in the 13-11 win in game four with Stockwell once again getting the win, pitching the final four innings, striking out five in her 10th win of the season. Cleveland State kept their hitting shoes on with 18 hits, taking a 7-1 at the end of the 2nd by scoring five in the 1st inning when they banged out five hits in a row ending with a 3-run homer by Copas, her 1st on the season and two in the bottom of the 2nd , on a 2-run homerun by Galvan, only to see the lead disappear as Columbia State scored nine runs in their half of the 3rd to take a 10-7 lead.
The Cougars would chip away at the lead, scoring one in the 3rd when Yell doubled in to right center and was driven home by coons. In the 4th Bryant and Mooneyham doubled with one out and scored on a single by Stockwell and a sacrifice fly by Tori Ogle, respectively.
With the score tied at ten in the 6th Cleveland State would use six hits and a two base throwing error to take a three run lead that ultimately led to the win as Columbia State would score one in the top of the 7th.
On the game Mooneyham had three hits, Galvan, Pierce, Brown, Bryant, Stockwell and Yell each had two while Copas, Ogle and Coons each had one.
The Cougars continue conference play on Thursday March 29 and Friday March 30 when they travel to Morristown TN to play the Lady Senators of Walters State in doubleheaders each day.
