#18 Pfeiffer Earns a Pair of Wins Over Mary Baldwin
GAME 1
No. 18 Pfeiffer def. Mary Baldwin, 5-1
MISENHEIMER, N.C. -- The Pfeiffer University softball team earned a pair of USA South wins over visiting Mary Baldwin University on a sunny Saturday afternoon at Jack Ingram Field
The 18th-ranked Falcons took a 2-1 lead in the second inning and never trailed from there on the way to a 5-1 victory over the Mary Baldwin Fighting Squirrels on Saturday.
Senior Kali Morton (10-0) started in the circle and picked up the win for Pfeiffer (23-0, 3-0). The right-hander went 4.1 innings, giving up one run on five hits, allowing two walks and striking out one. Junior Emma Bullin also made an impact in the circle for the Falcons, starting the ballgame and throwing 2.2 shutout innings while allowing two hits.
At the plate, the Falcons were led by junior Kenzi Lyall, who went 2-for-4 on the day with a triple, a home run and three RBI. Junior Emma Chopko furnished a standout performance at the dish as well, going 2-for-4 with a double. Junior Gracie Griffin also chipped in for Pfeiffer, putting together one hit in four trips to the plate while adding an RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Falcons were trailing 1-0 in the second inning when they first put runs on the board. Lyall's triple off of Emily McCreery plated two for Pfeiffer.
The Fighting Squirrels failed to push any runs across before the Falcons built on their lead in the fourth inning. Pfeiffer picked up a run on Lyall's two-out solo home run off of McCreery, which brought the Falcons lead to 3-1.
Pfeiffer held Mary Baldwin scoreless before building their lead to 5-1 in the sixth inning. Griffin's run-scoring single highlighted a two-run output in the frame for the Falcons. The score remained 5-1 for the rest of the game, as Pfeiffer coasted to the win.
GAME NOTES
» The Falcons power output was led by Lyall, who compiled two extra base hits in the ballgame.
» Pfeiffer's highest scoring inning was the sixth, when it pushed two runs across.
» The Falcons had control of the rest of the game after moving ahead of the Fighting Squirrels 2-1 in the bottom of the second.
» Four Falcons had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» The Falcons out-hit the Fighting Squirrels at an 11-7 clip.
» Pfeiffer pitchers limited Mary Baldwin to just 1-for-8 (.125) with runners in scoring position.
» Pfeiffer pitchers faced 30 Mary Baldwin hitters in the game, allowing 12 ground balls and eight fly balls while striking out one.
» Lyall led the Falcons at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a triple, a home run and three RBI.
» Mary Baldwin was led offensively by Leanna Rankin, who went 2-for-4 with a double.
» Reagan Frazier led the Fighting Squirrels pitching staff, throwing one inning of two-run ball.
GAME 2
Pfeiffer def. Mary Baldwin,4-2
In game two, Pfeiffer took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and never surrendered the advantage on the way to a 4-2 win
Junior Emma Bullin (5-0) got the win for Pfeiffer (24-0, 4-0). The right-hander pitched 3.2 innings, giving up just one run on two hits, allowing no walks and striking out one. Junior Kenzi Lyall started the game and went 3.1 innings, surrendering one run on two hits, walking one and striking out five MBU batters.
Offensively, the Falcons were paced by junior Gracie Griffin, who went 3-for-4 on the day with two doubles and an RBI. Freshman Rileigh Dalton compiled a noteworthy performance as well, going 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Bullin also helped out for Pfeiffer, putting together one hit in two trips to the plate while adding a walk and an RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Falcons got the scoring started early, putting one run on the board in the bottom the first inning with the game still scoreless. Pfeiffer got on the board thanks to Dalton's RBI double with two outs.
The Falcons then held the Fighting Squirrels scoreless before expanding their lead in the third inning. Pfeiffer scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Bullin, which brought the Falcons lead to 2-0.
Mary Baldwin narrowed Pfeiffer's lead to 2-1 before the Falcons stretched the advantage to 4-1 in the fourth inning. The Falcons picked up two runs in the frame, the big hit being an RBI double from Griffin. Mary Baldwin put one run on the scoreboard before the game was over, but Pfeiffer still held on for the 4-2 win.
GAME NOTES
» Griffin picked up three hits in the game for Pfeiffer.
» Lyall struck out five Fighting Squirrels hitters.
» The Falcons power output was led by Griffin, who had two extra base hits in the ballgame.
» Pfeiffer's highest scoring inning was the fourth, when it pushed two runs across.
» Pfeiffer grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom half of the first and didn't surrender that lead for the remainder of the game.
» The Falcons out-hit the Fighting Squirrels at a 10-4 clip.
» Pfeiffer pitchers limited Mary Baldwin to just 1-for-5 (.200) with runners in scoring position.
» Pfeiffer pitchers faced 26 Mary Baldwin hitters in the game, allowing nine ground balls and six fly balls while striking out six.
» Griffin led the Falcons at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI.
» Mary Baldwin was led offensively by Hadley May, who went 1-for-2 with a home run and an RBI.
» Molly Thompson led the Fighting Squirrels pitching staff, throwing two shutout innings.
Up Next
Pfeiffer will continue USA South play with an April 2 road doubleheader at N.C. Wesleyan. First pitch at NCWU's Edge Field is slated for 1:00 p.m.
