WEST COVINA, Calif. – The Carroll College softball team used strong pitching and good hitting open the 2016 season with wins over San Diego Christian (7-2) and Hope International (6-3) in first day action at the So Cal Classic in West Covina, California, Friday.
Paige Blake led off the first game against SDC with a triple and later scored on a sacrifice fly from
Allison Bayer to give the Saints a 1-0 lead after one inning.
TJ Rucker would add to the lead with a RBI double in the second inning that increased the lead to 2-0.
Bayer led off the third inning with her first home run of the season with no runners on-base. Pitcher
Megan Gipe hit her first career home run, a solo shot coming the third inning to give Carroll the 4-0 lead after three innings.
The Saints struck again in the fourth inning with a two-RBI double by
Courtney Cloud to give them a 6-0 led.
Taylor Otswald scored on an error in the fifth inning that increased the lead to 7-0 and Carroll would ultimately go on to win 7-2.
Gipe pitched a complete game for the Saints to pick up her first win of the season. She recorded 10 strikeouts and only allowed four hits. Gipe carried a perfect game into the fifth inning, including striking out the side in the third, before walking the lead-off hitter.
"Gipe pitched great out there today." said head coach
Aaron Jackson. "We are deep on the mound and it gives us a huge advantage against hitters."
Carroll started the second game by giving up three runs in the first inning. MacKenna Landis would recover and give up one hit over the next two innings before being replaced by Ashely Davis in the fourth inning.
Davis tossed four hitless innings to close out the game and give the Saints their second win of the day. Davis collected her first career win.
A RBI single by Cloud in the third inning, and a solo home run by
Madison Soper in fourth cut Hope's lead to 3-2 after four innings.
Blake led off the fifth inning with a single past the shortstop. Cloud then reached on a fielder's choice to the second baseman. Bayer singled through the left side of the infield to set up the clean-up hitter
Tianna Harper with two runners on. Harper hit the go-ahead three run home run to give the Saints a 5-3 lead.
An Otswald solo home run in the sixth inning closed out the game, giving Carroll the 6-3 win.
Blake finished the day with five hits, two runs and a stolen base. Bayer recorded three hits, including a home run and two RBIs. Cloud drove in three RBIs on two hits and scored one run.
"Today was a great day for us." Jackson said. "Everyone contributed and gave us quality at bats throughout the lineup."
The Saints face the toughest competition at the tournament Saturday when they face 18th-ranked Vanguard University at 11 a.m. and 20th-ranked Biola University, the tournament host, at 3 p.m. Vanguard spilt their two games Friday, losing to Southern Oregon and beating Goshen in six innings. Biola also spilt their first games Friday, losing to Southern Oregon and defeating Embry-Riddle.
