BOONE, N.C. – It didn't take long for the App State softball team to respond to a Gardner-Webb lead-off home run, as the Mountaineers scored two in the bottom of the first to take the lead before exploding for a single-game record-tying 20 runs in their 20-3 victory in five innings on Tuesday. On top of tying the single-game record, App State also set its single-season runs scored record (277) in the second inning, and
Makayla McClain broke her own record for runs scored in a season with her 56th in the fourth inning.
App State (24-13) scored at least two runs in every inning against Gardner-Webb (24-16), highlighted by an eight-run second frame. After it took the lead in the bottom of the first, App State sent 13 batters to the plate in the bottom of the second inning and tallied five hits to take a nine-run lead.
Macy Hamby provided her first of two home runs in the second, a three-run home run the opposite way, for the biggest jolt of the frame.
Every batter who took an at-bat on Tuesday scored at least one run, while all but three players drove in a run. Hamby,
Emersyn Presutty,
Leah Gore and
KB Bradshaw each drove in multiple runs. The Mountaineers scored 20 runs on just 10 hits, as they also drew a season-high 11 walks in the contest.
Hamby provided a nearly historic night against the Runnin' Bulldogs, as she fell one RBI short of the team's single-game record with seven RBIs. In addition to her three-run home run in the second inning, she produced a grand slam in the third inning for her second home run of the game. App State totaled two grand slams on Tuesday, as Gore hit a fifth-inning grand slam, marking her second grand slam of the season.
How it Happened
Garnder-Webb took the lead just two pitches into the game, as Jailyn Tineo homered to left field to lead off the contest.
Sophie Moshos limited the damage to just the one run, and App State quickly put runners on the corners for
Taylor Schafer thanks to a McClain walk and an error. Schafer scored McClain from third base for App State's first run before Bradshaw sent a fly ball into right field for a sacrifice fly to give App State a lead it wouldn't relinquish.
Moshos worked around a two-out single in the second to post her first scoreless frame of the evening, and App State responded with eight runs in the bottom of the inning.
Emilie Ching started the action with a walk, and
Madison Fletcher drove her home with an RBI double to right-center field to make the score 3-1. The Mountaineers eventually loaded the bases, and Gore drove in another run with a sacrifice fly for her first RBI of the night.
After a wild pitch scored another run, Bradshaw plated App State's sixth run of the game with a single into left that forced a pitching change.
Julia Girk then plated the seventh run of the game with a single into center, which set the team's single-season record for runs scored. Capping off the fray, Hamby launched a three-run homer into the visitor's bullpen to give App State a 10-1 cushion as play moved to the third inning.
The Runnin' Bulldogs responded with two in the third to cut their deficit down to seven, but a Hamby grand slam, her second home run of the night, extended App State's lead to 11 in the bottom of the inning. Moshos responded to Hamby's long ball with a scoreless fourth, working around a lead-off single to do so.
App State capped off its strong offensive night with a six-run fourth to take a 20-3 lead. Walks to Fletcher, McClain and
Grace Barrett loaded the bases for Gore with nobody out, and she launched the first pitch she saw just inside the left-field foul pole for the Mountaineers' second grand slam of the game. Bradshaw, Girk and Ching worked to load the bases again, and Presutty sent a ringing single into left field to plate two runs, which gave App State 20 runs to tie the program single-game record.
Gardner-Webb finally retired the side in the fourth frame, and
Bel Varadi came on and slammed the door shut with a perfect fifth inning to secure App State's 24th win of the season.
Tuesday Notes
Home runs
App: Hamby 2 (5), Gore (6)
GWU: Tineo (1)
WP:
Sophie Moshos (11-7): 4 IP, 6 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
SV: N/A
LP: Addie Stem (0-1): 2.1 IP, 3 hits, 8 runs (7 earned runs), 5 walks, 1 strikeout
Up Next
The Mountaineers will jump back into Sun Belt play this weekend with a visit to ULM from Friday to Sunday. This weekend's series will be App State's penultimate road trip of the regular season. First pitch against the Warhawks is slated for 6 p.m., and all three games will be streamed on ESPN+.
