ANDERSON, S.C. - Paced by freshman Danielle Swygert's six hits on the afternoon, the Anderson softball team posted a sweep of Friday's home-opening doubleheader with Shaw by identical 10-1 scores at Smether's Field.
The contest, which was moved to Anderson due to snowfall in the Raleigh, N.C., area Wednesday night,
Anderson (2-1) bounced back from a season-opening setback to Brewton-Parker to claim the sweep while Shaw dropped to 1-5 on the season.
Game #1
Anderson 10, Shaw 1 (5 innings)
AU pitcher Casey Deer started off the game by fanning five of the first six Shaw batters, while the Trojans' offense got off to a fast start with a four-run first inning. Danielle Swygert hit a lead-off home run that carried over the center field wall. After a double, from senior Emily Monteith, Abby Child hit a two-run blast to increase the lead to 3-0. At the end of the inning the Trojans led 4-0 thanks to five hits.
Shaw was able to pick up a run in the third inning after a Jeneva Carner single that led to a stolen base and a throwing error from the Trojans' infield.
In the fourth inning Emily Monteith was able to bring home Lyndsey Huitt with a line shot to left field for the RBI, enabling Anderson to take a 5-1 lead. One batter later Amber Duncan hit a two-run shot that sailed just over the leftfield wall, increasing the lead to 7-1.
In the final inning, Danielle Swygert came to the plate with Kayla Hipp and Laura Jansky on base. Her three-run homer sealed the 10-1 win for the Trojans in just her second collegiate game.
Swygert led the Trojans with three hits in four at-bats and four RBI. Amber Duncan also came through with two RBI off two hits. Jeneva Carner had the lone Shaw hit and ended up being the only run for the visiting team.
Casey Deer started off the season's first home game with 11 strikeouts as the Shaw bats proved to be no match for her. She pitched a complete game for the Trojans, giving up one run off of just one hit. Jeneva Carner was the only pitcher to appear for Shaw. She gave up 10 runs off 11 hits in 4 1/3 innings of work.
Game #2
Anderson 10 Shaw 1 (5 innings)
Swygert was a perfect three-for three in the nightcap, recording her third home run of the twinbill, a two-run shot over the right-field fence in the decisive fourth inning. The 5-foot-11 rookie also scored twice and drove in three runs. Senior Emily Monteith posted a single and blasted a round-tripper in the fourth, while scoring twice. Freshman catcher Laura Jansky was two-for-three, with a single and a double and scored a run in the fourth.
After recording just a lead-off single in the first inning, the Anderson bats woke up in the third frame, as the Trojans jumped out to a 4-1 lead. Junior Brooke Lucas led off with a shot that the Shaw shortstop was unable to handle and AU followed with back-to-back singles from Swygert and Monteith, another Shaw error and a single from Jansky to gain the four-run edge.
The Lady Bears countered with a lone unearned run in the top of the fifth by taking advantage of back-to-back walks to open the frame. Sophomore Emily Montgomery led off with a walk, stole second and moved to third on a one-out fly ball to right field. She crossed the plate after an errant throw from AU went down the left-field line.
Lucas began the fifth with a double to left and one out later, Swygert and Monteith displayed their hitting prowess with back-to-back homers and AU capitalized on a walk and successive doubles from Jansky and Amber Duncan to push out to a 9-1 cushion. Sophomore Kelly McInnes came off the bench to collect an RBI with a fly to right that plated Duncan for the final run of the contest.
Senior hurler Alex Waldroup tossed five innings of two-hit one-run softball to record her first win of the young season, while recording five strikeouts and surrendering four walks.
Anderson opens a four-game road swing with a pair of doubleheaders this weekend, beginning with a twinbill at Chowan scheduled for Noon Saturday and then closes the trip with two games at Meredith College Sunday afternoon.
