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Box Score 2 Scots Now 7-3; Sunday's Games Washed Out
RALEIGH, N.C. – Maryville went toe to toe with a pair of Division III softball heavy hitters and came away with a split here Saturday at the Grand Slam Triangle Classic.
The Scots knocked off Rowan 9-6 before dropping a 7-4 decision to Christopher Newport in the nightcap at the Walnut Creek Softball Complex.
Sara Koonce had four hits over the doubleheader and drove in three runs, and Jenica Brown belted a grand slam that paved the way for the Game 1 win. Kaitlin Woodruff had two of Maryville's four hits in Game 2 and Brown scored a pair of runs, giving her four for the day.
"That was great competition in both games," Scots head coach Leah Kelley said. "We had that one tough inning, but my team showed up and I was proud of the way we responded. It's all about how you respond. We came up short, but I'm proud of my team and the effort today.
"That's what this weekend was about, to put us against some of the best teams in the region and give my freshmen and my sophomore transfers an opportunity to face those teams and see how they toe up against them. I was proud of the way they responded to that."
Pair of NCAA Regulars
Rowan has 27 all-time NCAA tournament appearances to rank fourth on the Division III list. The Profs have one third-place finish and two fourth-place trophies. Christopher Newport has earned an NCAA berth 21 times, and the Pilots were the 2011 national runner-up.
Maryville has made the NCAA tourney four times, including twice under Kelley after USA South championships in 2018 and 2019.
The Scots on Saturday survived a solo home run by the first game's leadoff batter, Rowan's Payton MacNair. Koonce answered with her own solo blast in the bottom of the first, and then she tied it again with an RBI-single in the third.
Maryville went in front for keeps with a five-spot in the fourth. Amaya Goodloe singled home the first run and set the stage for Brown's grand slam to straight-away center, giving Maryville a 7-3 lead.
Rowan pulled within 7-6, but then Woodruff singled home a run in the sixth and Brecca Williams followed with a bases-loaded walk to gain the 9-6 victory.
Koonce Strikes Again
In the second game, Emily Hill pushed the Scots in front with an RBI-single in the first, only to watch Christopher Newport's Brooke Greaver belt a three-run shot to center. Maryville tied it in the third when Koonce sliced a double just inside the right field line to plate one run, and Williams delivered the second on a nice safety squeeze.
The Pilots took control in the fifth on another three-run homer, this time from Kaitlyn Hasty. Kaliyah Hensic just missed a two-run homer of her own in the sixth that would have pulled Maryville within 6-5, settling for a sacrifice fly. And although they had the tying run at the place in the seventh, Christopher Newport held on for the 7-4 win.
Megan Ackerman picked up both decisions in the circle for Maryville. She went the distance in Game 1 for her fifth win and fifth complete game, scattering 11 hits. The sophomore then took her first loss of the season in relief in Game 2.
Maryville's two games were part of a 24-team tournament taking place over 10 fields. Sunday's weather forecast led to an early cancellation of Day 2, so the Scots won't get the chance to face Carnegie Mellon and North Carolina Wesleyan.
The split moves Maryville to 7-3 on the young season. Their next scheduled games are March 12 in a home doubleheader against Tennessee Wesleyan.
