Armstrong Atlantic State University sophomore designated player Rachel Reynolds led off the bottom of the 11th inning with a solo home run to give the fourth-ranked Pirates a 6-5 victory over Anderson (S.C.) in the first game of the 2013 NCAA Division II Southeast Super Regional on Friday afternoon.
The Pirates (41-8-1) now hold a 1-0 lead heading into today’s final day of the regional. Armstrong needs just one more win while Anderson (40-14) needs to sweep a pair of games to advance to the NCAA DII Softball World Series next week in Salem, Va. Game two of the super regional will be at noon today, with the if necessary game coming at 2:30 p.m.
Megan Barnwell (26-4) picked up the win in the complete-game effort, hurling 11 innings of eight-hit ball, giving up five runs and six walks while striking out six.
SOUTH FLORIDA 1,
GEORGIA SOUTHERN 0
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — South Florida pitchers struck out 18 Georgia Southern batters and the Bulls converted a lead-off single into a run in the eighth inning to defeat the Eagles to open the NCAA Tournament.
GSU’s Sarah Purvis tossed seven innings of shutout ball to send the game into extra innings. But in the eighth, Ashli Goff led off with a single, stole second, advanced to third on a single by her twin sister Courtney Goff and scored on a squeeze bunt.
The Eagles will face the loser of Friday night’s second game between Hampton and Florida at 3:30 p.m. GSU will need a win today at 6 p.m. to stay alive in the NCAA Tournament.
BASEBALL
MOUNT OLIVE 7,
ARMSTRONG ATLANTIC 3
MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. — Top-ranked and top-seeded Mount Olive College eliminated No. 14 Armstrong Atlantic State University from the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional.
Armstrong’s season ended at 31-17.
The Pirates had a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning after an RBI single by Cody Sherlin and a wild pitch, but Mount Olive scored the final six runs.
Chris Base (4-5) took the loss for the Pirates, giving up six hits and four runs in 5 2/3 innings of work, walking two while striking out four.
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 3,
GEORGIA SOUTHERN 2
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Morgan Phillips hit a walk-off sacrifice fly in the ninth inning to hand the College of Charleston a win over Georgia Southern.
GSU slipped to 25-29, 13-16 in Southern Conference play. Chris Myers (1-2) took the loss after loading the bases in the ninth inning and allowing the sacrifice fly.
Myers tossed 1 2/3 innings and allowed one hit.
WOMEN’S GOLF
Sammarco tied for 9th in
women’s championships
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Armstrong Atlantic State University junior Kristen Sammarco is tied for ninth individually at the 2013 NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championships after Friday’s third round of action at LPGA International.
Sammarco shot a third-round 78 to sit tied with four other golfers with a three-day 224 total, nine strokes off the individual lead of Linnea Johansson (215) of Nova Southeastern.
Play concludes in the tournament today with a single round of 18 holes.