April 21, 2009

Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2

Boone, N.C. - Heidi Gibbs and Crislyn Chewning each had three hits in game one and Morgan Childers fanned nine as Upstate claimed an 8-2 victory to earn a doubleheader split at Appalachian State Tuesday. The Mountaineers took a 7-2 win in game two of the twin bill.

Upstate stands 27-14 on the year and travels to Kennesaw State Friday for an A-Sun doubleheader. Appalachian State is 23-24 on the year.

"We got timely hits in the first game and hit the ball really hard in the second," said Upstate head coach Chris Hawkins. "We just couldn't catch any breaks in the second game for us to score more runs.

Chewning started things off in the first game, knocking a two-run homer in the top of the first. On an 0-2 count, the junior from Willamina, Ore., hammered a pitch off the foul pole in right.

Appalachian cut into the lead in the fourth inning on Katie Boyd's solo home run to left center. Upstate got the run back in the fifth on Gibbs' RBI single. Upstate broke the game open in the seventh, plating five runs to open an 8-1 lead.

Amber Patterson reached on an error with the bases loaded to drive in a run and the Spartans followed with a single and three straight fielder's choices which drove in runs. Patterson, Jenna Torbert, Janna Lewis, Lauren Quevedo and Keri Sarratt each had RBIs in the frame.

Appalachian scored an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh for the final margin.

Childers went the distance, striking out nine and allowing one earned run on four hits to improve to 21-8 on the year. She now has 251 strikeouts on the season, seven shy of her single-season school record of 258 set last year. Appalachian starter Ashley Stubbs took the loss and fell to 9-10.

Gibbs finished with three hits and two runs, while Chewning had three hits with two RBIs and two runs.

Appalachian opened the second game with a run in the top of the first on a sacrifice fly by Michelle Lighton. The Mountaineers added to the lead in the fourth on Boyd's second solo home run of the day to give Appalachian a 2-0 lead.

Appalachian broke open the game with five runs in the bottom of the fifth. The Mountaineers scored a run on a wild pitch and Lighton plated two with a two-run single. Morgan Price drove in a run with a single to end the scoring and give Appalachian a 7-0 lead.

Upstate scored two runs in the top of the sixth on RBI singles by Chewning and Patterson, but the Spartans could get no closer as Appalachian prevailed with the win.

Chewning finished with two hits in the game to finish with five on the day to lead the Spartans at the plate. Patterson also had two hits in game two. Lighton was solid at the plate, driving in three runs for Appalachian.

Appalachian starter Teri Fister went the distance, scattering six hits to earn the win and improve to 2-1 on the year. Upstate starter Amber Hamilton went the distance and took the loss to fall to 4-5.