Childers Breaks Single-Season Strikeouts Record
4/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 23, 2008
Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2
Greenville, S.C. - Morgan Childers recorded five strikeouts on the day, three in the first game and two in the second, breaking the USC Upstate single-season school record for strikeouts and helping Upstate to a split at Furman Wednesday afternoon at Pepsi Field. Upstate won the first game, 10-1, in five innings before dropping the second game, 8-5, in extra innings.
Childers now has 237 strikeouts on the season, breaking the school record of 236 help by Maricela Panuco and set during the 2000 season. Childers got three strikeouts in game one as the freshman from Kings Mountain, N.C., earned her 24th victory of the season in the circle. The 24 wins ties the single-season school record held by Kristy Middagh and set during the 2002 season.
Upstate now stands 31-14 on the year, while Furman is 20-26. The Spartans travel to Presbyterian Thursday for a 2:00 p.m. doubleheader in Clinton.
"Obviously, we played well in the first game, getting pitching and hitting to turn in a dominant performance," said Upstate head coach Chris Hawkins. "I thought we hit the ball hard in the second game and gave ourselves a chance to win. Furman just kept battling and came up with the bigger hits in the second game.
"I am really thrilled for Morgan in breaking the strikeouts record and equaling the wins record. Maricela (Panuco) was a very good pitcher and the strikeouts record stood for eight years. The year Kristy (Middagh) won 24 games was a good year for our team in Division II. But for Morgan to win 24 as a freshman in our first year in Division I is something special."
Childers gave up a run in the first inning, but settled down after that to allow just one hit after the first and three total on the day to earn the win and improve to 24-5 on the year. Lana Mackey gave up four runs on five hits in five innings to take the loss for the Paladins and fall to 14-20. She later won the second game to improve to 15-20 on the year.
Upstate and Furman each plated a run in the first inning and Upstate jumped on top for good with a run in the second. Ana Mitchell doubled to drive in Tiffany Pitcher with the eventual winning run. Upstate added a pair of runs in the third inning on Pitcher's RBI single and when Courtney Feldon scored from third on a passed ball.
The Spartans blew the game open with six runs in the fourth inning. Mackey was lifted as Bethany Ullrich started the fourth inning in the circle for Furman. Upstate jumped on her right away as the first eight Spartans reached base safely in the inning. By the time Furman recorded its first out and Mackey reentering as the pitcher, Heidi Gibbs drove in a run on a single, Feldon singled to drive in two runs, Gibbs stole home on a double steal, and Quevedo drove in a run on a single. Amber Patterson later drove in a run with a grounder in the infield as Upstate opened a 10-1 lead.
Childers allowed a hit in the sixth inning, but Furman did not pose a threat as the Spartans took the win. Shay Slater had a pair of hits and three runs to lead Upstate at the plate. Gibbs and Pitcher also had two hits for the Spartans.
Upstate fell behind 1-0 after three innings, but scored three runs in the fifth inning of game two to turn the tide in the game. In the fifth, Kim Brasil tripled to drive in a run, Patterson laid down a perfect squeeze bunt to score Brasil and later scored on Gibbs' RBI single to give Upstate a 3-1 lead.
Furman battled back to tie the game at 3-3 with a pair of bases loaded walks in the bottom of the fifth. The game went into extra innings and Upstate scored twice in the top of the eighth to open a 5-3 lead. Gibbs singled to drive in Slater from second and Feldon delivered an RBI single as well. However, Furman rallied in the bottom of the inning, drawing to within one on Ullrich's RBI single before Morgan Hughey hit a walk-off grand slam to end the game.
Gibbs was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run to lead Upstate at the plate in game two. She finished the day 5-for-7 with four RBIs. Mackey went the distance for Furman in game two, striking out four and allowing four earned runs to improve to 15-20 on the year. Briattany Rice, who started the game, was lifted and then returned to the circle, tossed four innings to take the loss and fall to 6-8. Childers tossed three innings of relief, giving up one run and allowing four hits. Her record breaking strikeout occurred in the seventh inning when she struck out Mackey for the second out of the inning.
