ETSU fends off Detroit Mercy and Charleston Southern

CHARLESTON, S.C. – A pair of one-run victories allowed the ETSU Softball team to get off to a strong start for the second weekend in a row. With the doubleheader sweep, the Bucs improve to 4-0-2 for a .833 winning percentage. ETSU’s .833 win percentage marks the best win percentage through the first six games in program history.

Game 1: ETSU 1, Detroit Mercy 0

Detroit Mercy threatened to score early in the game after the first two batters reached safely. However, Kelly Schmidt (Norcross, Ga.) settled down, punching out two of the next three batters to get out of the early jam.

The Bucs picked up their first hit in the bottom of the third inning as Jordan Durbin (Mechanicsville, Va.) singled up the middle, pushing Julia Fritz (Glen Allen, Va.) to third for runners on the corners and nobody out. On the very next play, Fritz came home to score following a double play induced by the Titans.

Both offenses stalled over the next three innings with each team registering just one hit apiece. However, the Titans threatened in the top of the seventh with runners on first and second with one away. Once again, Schmidt slammed the door shut with back-to-back strikeouts to wrap up the victory.
 
Pitchers of Record
» Win: Kelly Schmidt (2-0)
» Loss: Ashley Mauser (0-2)

Stat of the Game

The two starting pitchers seemed nearly untouchable in the opening game, combining for 17 strikeouts and only seven hits allowed. Schmidt won the duel, allowing zero runs despite surrendering five hits. 

Player of the Game

It comes as no surprise that Schmidt garnered the honors of player of the game after delivering an 11-strikeout, five-hit shutout performance to improve to 2-0 on the season.

Notables
» Kelly Schmidt finished the game with a career-high 11 strikeouts, earning her fourth career shutout and second of the season.
» Durbin and Demi Coleman (Maryville, Tenn.) were responsible for ETSU’s two hits on the day.
» The Bucs improve to 3-1 all-time against the Titans following today’s win.

Game 2: ETSU 4, Charleston Southern 3

The Bucs scored four runs in the first two innings, setting the tone early on with the 4-0 advantage. Taylor Wright (Erwin, Tenn.) delivered a bases-clearing double in the first inning, while Kylie Toler (Bradenton, Fla.) plated an RBI single in the second inning.

Charleston Southern trimmed the ETSU lead down to three in the bottom half of the second with a one-out home run. The host squad later pulled within one run in the bottom of the seventh inning following a two-out, two-run single to left field. However, freshman righty Taylor Boling (Jasper, Ga.) buckled down to get the final out for her second save of the season.

Pitchers of Record
» Win: MacKenzie Dyson (Hanahan, S.C.) (2-0)
» Loss: Arizona Pilgrim (1-5)
» Save: Taylor Boling (2)

Stat of the Game

After combining for seven hits in the first game of the day, ETSU tallied seven hits on its own in game two. The Bucs plated four runs on those seven hits. 

Player of the Game

Taylor Wright delivered a critical three-run double in the opening inning to boost the ETSU offense and set the tone early. Wright finished the game 1-of-2 at the plate with three RBIs and two walks.
 
Notables
» MacKenzie Dyson picked up her second win of the season, hurling four innings of work and allowing one run on four hits.
» Taylor Boling picked up her second save of the season, throwing three innings of work and surrendering two runs on two hits with two strikeouts.
» Wright and Toler accounted for the four RBIs in game two, with Wright plating her first three runs of the season.
» ETSU improves to 4-2 all-time against Charleston Southern in the “Battle of the Bucs”.

Record Update
» ETSU: 4-0-2
» Detroit Mercy: 3-3
» Charleston Southern: 4-5
 
Up Next
ETSU will return to the diamond on Saturday at noon against Detroit Mercy in day two of the Wingate by Wyndham Invitational. The Bucs will then turn around at 5 p.m. to face host Charleston Southern.

Keeping up with the Bucs

For complete information on ETSU softball, follow the program via social media on Twitter (@ETSUSoftball), Instagram (@etsubucssoftball) and Facebook (@BucSoftball). For more information on Buccaneer softball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the softball link.