CHARLESTON, S.C. – On the back of a lead-off home run and a third-inning home run by
Makayla McClain, the App State softball team sprinted out to a 10-0 victory in five innings over the Charleston Southern Buccaneers on Wednesday. The win was App State's sixth in a row, with all six coming via run rule.
Along with hitting her 11th and 12th home runs of the season in her first two at-bats, McClain posted a perfect day at the plate and drove in five of App State's (19-5) 10 runs. The Liberty, N.C., native sits just five home runs away from matching the program's single-season home run record of 17, set by Katie Boyd in 2009, with 26 games to play in the regular season.
App State scored in all but one inning against Charleston Southern (5-21) on Wednesday, with its biggest inning coming in the fifth frame. The Mountaineers scored four runs in the inning to break the game wide open. This included an RBI single by
Grace Barrett, which gave her three RBIs for the game to match her season high.
Sophie Moshos provided one of her best outings of the season in the circle, pitching a complete-game shutout while allowing just three baserunners. She faced three over the minimum in the game and threw just 57 pitches in her effort.
How it Happened
It took just two pitches for the Mountaineers to take a 1-0 lead against the Buccaneers, as McClain launched an 0-1 pitch high over the left-field wall for a home run. Charleston Southern retired the next three batters quietly, but Moshos opened her game with a quick inning to keep App State in front by one through an inning.
Moshos continued her dominant day by sitting down the Buccaneers in order in the second frame, and the Mountaineers responded with two more runs in the third to triple their lead.
Julia Girk led off the inning with a single into center field, and McClain unleashed her second home run in as many at-bats into center field to make the score 3-0. Looking to answer, Charleston Southern loaded the bases with three hits, its only three hits of the game, in the bottom of the inning, but Moshos forced back-to-back popouts to maintain her shutout into the fourth inning.
KB Bradshaw responded to her pitcher escaping a jam by singling to lead off the fourth. Girk and McClain walked to load the bases for
Macy Hamby, and she drew the team's third straight walk to plate App State's fourth run of the game. A batter later, Barrett stroked a single that dropped between the defense to plate both Girk and McClain to extend the Mountaineers' lead to six.
After another 1-2-3 inning from Moshos, the Mountaineers totaled four runs to take a 10-run lead into the bottom of the fifth.
Leah Gore opened the frame with a double before
Dakota Daniel and Bradshaw walked to load the bases. McClain promptly plated two more runs to mark her fourth and fifth RBIs of the day. Barrett followed that RBI single with one of her own to make it 9-0, and a stolen base that drew a throw through the bag gave App State 10 runs for the sixth game in a row.
Needing just three outs to secure win No. 19 for the Mountaineers, Moshos induced two popouts and struck out a batter to clinch the win. The left-handed pitcher retired each of the final eight hitters she saw.
Wednesday Notes
Home runs
App: McClain 2 (12)
CSU: N/A
WP:
Sophie Moshos (9-2): 5 IP, 3 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts
SV: N/A
LP: Kinsey Clopton (1-6): 3.1 IP, 5 hits, 5 runs, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts
Up Next
The Mountaineers will open Sun Belt play with a three-game set against the reigning Sun Belt Tournament champion Coastal Carolina Chanticleers that starts Friday. App State's three road games in Conway will mark its last games away from home in March. First pitch on Friday is slated for 6 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
