MARYVILLE – It's all about progress for the Maryville Scots these days.
They continue to make it and suddenly find themselves one of three teams in the Collegiate Conference of the South with 21 wins and counting. The Scots blanked Agnes Scott twice here Friday by the scores of 8-0 and 10-0, improving to 21-9 for the season.
Only eighth-ranked Belhaven (25-4) and No. 12 Huntingdon (22-4) have more wins than the Scots in the CCS.
It was the usual suspects doing most of the damage for Maryville.
Sara Koonce went 3-for-5 in the doubleheader with four runs scored and four driven in. She smashed her sixth home run of the season, a three-run shot that keyed a seven-run second inning in Game 2. Koonce is now second in the CCS in both home runs and RBI's (35).
The senior catcher credits patience as a big reason for her brilliant success thus far.
"I'm watching the first pitch," said Koonce, who leads the team batting .442. "Usually, when I see it, I want to hit it. But in my first at bat, I have started to take at least one pitch. It's a very new strategy for me, and not swinging at the changeup as often has helped a lot as well.
Line Drive Blast
Koonce's home run was a line drive over the left fielder's head and over the fence in front of the scoreboard.
"I honestly felt early on that one," she said. "I knew it was in the gap, but I didn't know it was going to go out."
What Koonce is doing at the plate,
Megan Ackerman continues to do in the circle. The senior southpaw won her 12th game and pitched her NCAA Division III-leading 12th complete game, allowing four hits over five innings with six strikeouts and just two walks.
"We both are playing really relaxed," Koonce said of she and her batterymate. "Coach has told us what she wants out of us, which means we don't have to put so much pressure on ourselves. That's opened both of us up to play our game and have fun out there."
Brecca Williams went 2-for-3 in the second game, giving her a 2-for-5 afternoon with three runs scored and two stolen bases. Williams is up to 43 runs and 44 hits – leading the CCS in both categories. She is second in the league with 17 stolen bases.
Woodruff Drives in Pair
Kaitlin Woodruff in the second game went 2-for-3 with a run scored and two driven in, while
Bailey Myers was 2-for-4 on the day with two runs scored, one driven in and two stolen bases.
Emily Hill returned from an injury break to go 2-for-4 with a run scored, and
Micayla Clark finished the day 2-for-5 with one run scored, one stolen base and two RBIs.
Paige Dickinson contributed one hit in three at bats with a run scored and two driven in, while
Cierra Hudson added two stolen bases to go with two runs scored and one driven in.
Whitney Carr pitched four innings in the second game, allowing four hits without a walk and striking out two. Carr improved to 6-1 and lowered her ERA to 2.89.
Mikayla Hoschak hurled a perfect fifth inning to close it out. Hoschak over her last six appearances, covering 10 and 1/3 innings, has allowed just three earned runs on six hits, with two walks and 10 strikeouts.
The Scots are home again Saturday for a 1 p.m. doubleheader against Wesleyan (5-11). The Wolves won 11-2 and 10-5 at Berea on Friday.
