Boone, N.C. (April 27, 2002) � Behind solid pitching and superb defense by both teams, Appalachian and East Tennessee State split a softball doubleheader Saturday afternoon from a blustery Watauga County Complex in Boone, N.C. ETSU won game one 2-1 before falling in game two, 2-0. In game one, Appalachian struck first as they plated one run in the bottom of the third. Sophomore Wendy Lewis helped the Mountaineer cause as she singled to right-center field. Lewis would later reach second on a sacrifice bunt by Casey Jacobs and then stole third. Lewis scored as Christa Hicks punched in a two-out single to left field to give the Mountaineers a 1-0 lead. East Tennessee State would respond in the fifth inning as sophomore first baseman Miranda Byerly (Candler, N.C.) led off with a single to left field. After reaching second on a fielders choice, the Mountaineers turned one of two double plays in the first game. With two outs, East Tennessee State pushed across two runs, the first coming as freshman third baseman Lindsay Lane (Erwin, Tenn.) singled down the right field line which scored Byerly. Senior second baseman April Arnold (Mountain City, Tenn.)then doubled for East Tennessee State to push the score to 2-1. Appalachian then forced ETSU sophomore pitcher Tiffany Vandergriff (Sale Creek, Tenn.) to pop up for the third out. That was all East Tennessee State needed as Vandergriff (7-8) allowed only one more hit, a double by Laura Ammarell in the seventh, as East Tennessee took the first game 2-1. In game two, Appalachian started aggressively at the plate as they poured two runs across in the first to take a 2-0 lead. Candace Shelton led off with a single that barely made it over a leaping Lane and dropped just inside the left field line. Shelton would go on to steal second and with one out, advanced to third as April Joyner ripped a single to right field. The Mountaineers hit a snag after Joyner stole second but smart base running helped keep the Appalachian threat alive. Lael Rorie reached on a fielders choice as Joyner was caught in a rundown between second and third base. During the rundown, Rorie wisely advanced to second to keep runners in scoring position. The move paid off as Kelly Doss doubled down the left field line to plate both Shelton and Rorie. Rorie (3-12) mastered the East Tennessee State batters as she hurled a complete game two-hitter allowing only one walk and striking out one. The doubleheader split improves East Tennessee State to 23-29 overall, 9-11 in SoCon action while Appalachian improves to 10-43, 3-15 in SoCon play. Appalachian and East Tennessee State will conclude Southern Conference play tomorrow at the Watauga County Complex. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.