BOONE, N.C. – Playing at home for the first time in Sun Belt play, the App State softball team nearly broke a 10-year record with seven home runs in its 17-4 win to open its series with Southern Miss on Friday. App State cracked seven home runs in just five innings of play, which tied the team's single-game record for home runs that was previously set on March 19, 2016, at Troy.
Things started quietly for the Mountaineers (21-7, 2-2 SBC), as the Golden Eagles (20-13, 2-2 SBC) retired the first two hitters of the game, but a two-out solo home run by
Grace Barrett opened the floodgates. App State hit two home runs in the first inning, two home runs in the second inning, two home runs in the third inning and a home run in the fourth inning to get to its final tally of seven long balls.
Not only did Barrett's home run kick-start a nearly historic night, but she also hit App State's sixth grand slam of the season in the second inning. Barrett's two home runs in her first two at-bats on Friday marked her first career multi-home run game. Six different players hit a home run at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium, as
Makayla McClain,
Taylor Schafer,
Emilie Ching,
Leah Gore and
Madison Fletcher each blasted a home run.
All but one player in App State's order recorded an RBI against Southern Miss, while all nine starters recorded at least one hit. It was truly an offensive show for the history books as the Mountaineers set their season highs in runs, hits, RBIs, doubles and home runs in the first game of their three-game set with the Golden Eagles.
How it Happened
Camryn Fisher and the App State defense worked around a lead-off single and a one-out walk in the top of the first inning to post a scoreless frame. Gore nabbed a would-be base stealer at second base to fire up the App State crowd early on, which helped send the Mountaineer bats to the plate.
Southern Miss retired the first two hitters in quick succession in the bottom of the first, but Barrett kept the inning going with a line-drive home run to center field to put App State on the board first. Schafer followed that with a single, and Ching unloaded on a 3-1 pitch and sent a two-run home run into left field that nearly cleared the newly constructed hitting facility to give App State a three-run lead after one.
Trailing for the first time, Southern Miss responded with two runs in the top of the second, but an eight-run inning in the bottom of the frame blew the game wide open. Fletcher,
KB Bradshaw and
Julia Girk started the inning with hits before McClain and
Macy Hamby drew walks to load the bases. Four pitches later, Barrett cracked her second home run of the game, this one a grand slam, over the left-field wall to push App State's lead to eight with nobody out in the inning.
After the first out was recorded, Ching drew a walk, and Fletcher sent the Mountaineers' fourth home run of the game the opposite way to send App State over the double-digit mark through two innings. Fisher answered the onslaught by posting another scoreless inning in the third, and the Mountaineers led by nine as play entered the bottom of the third inning.
Continuing the fireworks, Hamby lined a two-out double into right-center field in front of a Barrett walk to put two on for Schafer. The freshman didn't waste time, sending her 10th home run of the season into the visitor's bullpen to give App State a 12-run lead on the second pitch of her at-bat. Then, after a walk to Ching, Gore obliterated the first pitch she saw and launched a two-run home run that cleared the hitting facility in left field. This gave App State a season-high 16 runs.
Fisher worked around a bases-loaded jam in the top of the fourth, and McClain sent her 14th home run of the season down the right-field line that barely stayed fair, which tied App State's single-game home run record. Although Southern Miss scored twice in the top of the fifth, App State and Fisher forced a weak popout to left field that ended the game, which sent the App State faithful home happy.
Friday Notes
Home runs
App: Barrett 2 (3), Ching (7), Fletcher (4), Schafer (10), Gore (3), McClain (14)
USM: N/A
WP:
Camryn Fisher (12-3): 5 IP, 6 hits, 4 runs, 6 walks, 2 strikeouts
SV: N/A
LP: Kayla Giardina (10-4): 0.2 IP, 3 hits, 3 runs, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts
Up Next
The middle game of the series between App State and Southern Miss awaits, with first pitch coming on Saturday at 3 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
