Game Box (1) | Game Box (2)
Charleston, S.C. – Growing up just minutes away from the Charleston Southern campus in Goose Creek, Erin Schattle had a great homecoming Tuesday afternoon as the senior catcher hit a solo home run and drove in three runs to lead the USC Upstate softball team to a doubleheader sweep of the Buccaneers. The Spartans won game one, 7-4, and game two, 6-0.
Upstate stands 16-0 on the year and will open A-Sun play this weekend when it hosts Jacksonville in a three-game series Saturday and Sunday at Cyrill Stadium. Charleston Southern fell to 7-7-1.
Upstate's 16-0 start to the season ties the 2012 squad for the second-best start during the program's Division I era and the third-best overall. The 2011 team owns the DI era record with 25 straight wins to begin a season. The all-time record is 28 consecutive victories to start a season set by the 2000 team in NCAA Division II.
"The score in the first game was not indicative of how well we played in the first game. I felt Charleston Southern was a very good hitting team. We did what we do best, which was get good pitching and defense and timely hits when we needed them," said Upstate head coach Chris Hawkins.
After holding Upstate to a walk in the top of the first, Charleston Southern made some noise in the bottom of the frame. With two outs and a one-run lead, the Bucs loaded the bases. Georgi Delio was credited with a double on a missed fly ball to right that cleared the bases, giving Charleston Southern a 4-0 lead.
Upstate responded in the third inning, plating seven runs on five hits and four costly Charleston Southern errors. After Hayley Reinfeld reached on a single, the Spartans put runners on first and second with no outs after the throw to second to force Reinfeld was high. Dana Landers laid down a sacrifice bunt, but the throw from the catcher got by the Bucs' first baseman, allowing Reinfeld to score from second and putting runners on first and third.
Shellie Robinson singled to right to score Aly Schneider and cut the Charleston Southern lead to 4-2. The Spartans put runners on second and third after a wild pitch. After a ground out, Cheyenne Griffin laid down a squeeze bunt and reached first when the throw home was not in time to get Landers at the plate. Griffin advanced to second on the play and the throw by the catcher went into the outfield and got by the center fielder, allowing everyone to score on the play as Upstate opened a 5-4 lead.
Upstate wasn't done in the inning. Maddison Kieffer and Kendall Settlemyre both singled. Pinch runner Lindsey Greeson and Settlemyre moved up a base on a double steal to put runners on second and third with one out. Schattle singled to drive in Greeson and chase Charleston Southern starter Jennifer Giles from the circle.
Upstate opened a 7-4 lead when Settlemyre scored from third after Reinfeld flied out to right and the right fielder's throw sailed over the catcher for the fourth Buccaneer error in the inning.
Charleston Southern put runners on first and second with one out in the bottom of the fourth. However, Upstate reliever Lexi Shubert, who entered the game with one out in the fourth, got two ground outs to end the inning.
Following the early fireworks offensively when the teams combined for 11 runs in the first three innings, things settled down as both teams were held scoreless the rest of the way. Shubert tossed 3 2/3 innings of no-hit ball in relief to earn the win and improve to 7-0 on the year. Giles took the loss for Charleston Southern, falling to 3-2 after allowing seven runs, only two of which were earned, on five hits and a walk.
Schattle led Upstate at the plate with two hits and an RBI.
Upstate didn't take long to get things going in the second game of the doubleheader, scoring two runs in the top of the first. With runners on second and third, Kieffer singled to drive in a run. Schattle later slapped a two-out single through the right side of the infield to plate another run as the Spartans opened the game with a 2-0 lead.
Schattle continued to have a tremendous homecoming. She accounted for Upstate's third run of the game on a solo home run to left in the top of the fourth inning to give the Spartans a 3-0 advantage. Upstate padded its lead with a run in the sixth inning on Danyele Smith's sacrifice fly. Robinson made it a 5-0 lead in the top of the seventh with a solo shot to center. Upstate opened a 6-0 lead in the top of the seventh when pinch runner Ryan Rector scored on a failed pickoff attempt by the Charleston Southern catcher.
Anna Miller, who earlier in the day learned she was named the Louisville Slugger/NFCA co-National Player of the Week, was in command throughout the day. She tossed two no-hitters last week in back-to-back starts. While she didn't toss a no-hitter Tuesday, Charleston Southern had a difficult time getting anything off the righty.
Miller went 4 2/3 innings to earn the win and improve to 4-0 on the year. She allowed just two Buccaneers to reach third base in her outing, but got out of the jam each time and allowed just three hits in her work in the circle.
Shubert tossed the final 2 1/3 innings, earning her first career save. Combined with her winning effort in the first game, she tossed six innings of hitless ball on the day.
Schattle was simply spectacular to lead the Spartans at the plate in the game. She finished 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a run. For the day, she had four hits and three RBIs.
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