App State Opens Liberty Softball Invitational With Sweep of Lehigh

LYNCHBURG, Va. - Opening the weekend at the Liberty Softball Invitational, App State Softball picked up back-to-back wins over Lehigh to sweep the tournament's first day. The Mountaineers gave up the evening's first run in the first inning of the front end of their doubleheader but then rode six straight shutout innings to a 3-1 win over the Mountain Hawks. App State then completed the sweep over Lehigh with an 8-3 wire-to-wire victory in the back half of Friday's doubleheader.

Sophie Moshos opened the weekend by posting the first complete game from a Mountaineer pitcher this season. After giving up a run in the opening inning, she tallied eight strikeouts and shut out the Mountain Hawks (2-10) through the game's remaining six frames.
 
Makayla McClain was efficient at the plate throughout Friday's action, hitting 4-4 with two RBI, three walks, a stolen base and Friday's lone home run by either side. It was her third home run of the season and closed tonight's scoring in the sixth inning of the second game. Taylor Chumbley also stayed hot, posting two doubles and two RBI on her three hits. 
 
Macy Hamby and Grace Barrett joined the group of Mountaineers (5-11) with multiple hit days. Hamby recorded a pair of hits and three RBI while Barrett posted three hits and an RBI. Jaylee Williams also accounted for an RBI with a base hit in the nightcap.
 
Sejal Neas earned her first win of the season in game two, with freshman Bel Varadi entering in the fifth inning to pick up her first career save. In another freshman first, Grace Taylor recorded a sacrifice fly to send Chumbley home for her first career RBI. 
 
How it Happened
Game 1: App State 3, Lehigh 1
After Lehigh scored a quick run on a pair of hits to open the game, Moshos wouldn't give up another run through the remaining six innings. She allowed just three more hits after the first inning in her outing.
 
Lehigh added their third hit in the second inning but could not convert it into a run. Hamby recorded the first hit of the day for App State on a single in the second. After giving up the fourth of five Mountain Hawk hits in the top of the third, the Mountaineers began their scoring response. 
 
Marti Henkel got the action started in the bottom of the third with a single before Julia Girk joined her on base with a double, placing both runners in scoring position. McClain stepped up next with a single into the outfield to bring Henkel home and stick Girk on third.
 
The next Mountaineer run came thanks to some great base running. McClain took off to steal second and was safe before the throw arrived from home. As the ball left the catcher's hand, Girk took off for home, making it two steals on one play leading to App State's second run.
 
Moshos continued her stellar outing, retiring 13 straight batters between the game's third and final innings. She would not allow another hit until the game's final frame. 
 
Chumbley added a double in the fourth, but App State's final score came in the fifth inning. McClain led off with a booming triple to right center field. Barrett followed by singling through the left side, sending her home for a 3-1 lead.
 
Henkel walked in the sixth inning to claim the final base of the day for the Mountaineer offense. Moshos allowed one more single in the top of the seventh then tossed her eighth and final strikeout on her way to her third win and first complete game of the season. Hamby fielded a ground ball and turned it to first to end the game on a double play.
 
Game 1 Notes
Home runs
App: N/A
Lehigh: N/A
 
WP: Sophie Moshos (3-4): 7 IP, 5 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
SV: N/A
LP: Chloe Hess (0-4): 5 IP, 7 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts
 
Game 2: App State 8, Lehigh 3
The Mountaineers wasted no time in the backend of the doubleheader, jumping out to a three-run lead in the top of the first. They would hold on to the lead for the entirety of the game.
 
McClain continued her perfect performance at the plate with a lead-off walk. Barrett kept things going with a single up the middle that sent McClain to third. Barrett would then steal second to slot both runners into scoring position. Hamby did not leave them waiting long, singling into the outfield to bring both runners home.
 
Chumbley kept the energy rolling for the offense by dropping a double beautifully down the right-field line. Hamby made it all the way home to give the Mountaineers a 3-0 lead. Sejal Neas then retired the first three Mountain Hawk batters of the game, keeping App State's three-run lead intact after the first full inning of play.
 
To open the second inning, Taylor walked before being thrown out by a fielder's choice hit by Girk, who would reach first and then take off to steal second. McClain then recorded her second walk of the day, but no runs made it home. Neas pitched another shutout inning to bring the Mountaineer bats back out in the third.
 
App State's offense kept the line moving in the third inning, tallying two more runs to extend its lead to five. Hamby started things with a walk and moved on to second after Chumbley struck a base hit. Williams would follow them up with an RBI single into right-center field to send Hamby home. Taylor then recorded her first career RBI on a sacrifice fly into the outfield to send Chumbley home.
 
After a pair of fielding errors by the Mountaineer infield, Lehigh recorded its first of two hits on the game with a double. Two runners got home on the play but Neas managed to strand a runner in scoring position to end the inning.
 
The Mountaineer offense got right back to work in the fourth inning. McClain led off with a single and was joined by Barrett in scoring position once again after she dropped a double down the left-field line. Hamby then got to second off a fielder's choice, advancing Barrett to third and sending McClain home courtesy of some more good base running. Neas made quick work of the next three batters to set up App State with a 7-2 lead after four innings.
 
After an error and a walk to start the fifth inning, Varadi entered the game in relief of Neas, who allowed only a single hit in four innings of work. Lehigh recorded their third and final run thanks to a pair of fielder's choice situations.
 
McClain stepped up big time to lead off in the sixth inning, crushing the game's lone home run by either side out of left-center field. Despite a fifth Mountaineer fielding error allowing a runner on base, App State escaped the sixth inning with an 8-3 lead.
 
Lehigh recorded a single in the seventh inning to mark their second and final hit of the game. It would not be enough, as Grace Barrett caught a low line out and quickly flipped it to first, throwing out the runner and ending the game to give App State a 2-0 start to the Liberty Softball Invitational.
 
Game 2 Notes
Home runs
App: Makayla McClain (3)
Lehigh: N/A
 
WP: Sejal Neas (1-3): 4 IP, 1 hit, 3 runs (0 earned runs), 2 walks, 1 strikeout
SV: Bel Varadi (1)
LP: Madison Finnerty (2-4): 3 IP, 5 hits, 5 runs, 4 walks, 0 strikeouts 
 
Up Next
App State will take on another doubleheader on Saturday at the Liberty Softball Invitational. The Mountaineers are slated to take on the Drexel Dragons at 2 p.m. to open the day before facing the No. 21 Liberty Flames at 6 p.m. to close the night. Liberty will be the Mountaineers' fourth opponent that is currently ranked in the top 25 this season.