Stacy Peralta won both games on the mound in the sweep over divisional rival Livingstone
Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Game One Box |
Game Two Box
Charlotte, NC – The Johnson C. Smith University women's softball team topped Livingstone College (11-10, 13-6) on Sunday afternoon in a CIAA Southern Divisional doubleheader at Biddleville Park. JCSU improves to 8-21 overall, 6-11 in the CIAA, and 4-6 in the division for fourth place. The Lady Blue Bears fall to 11-17 overall, 1-15 in the conference, and 0-8 in the Southern.
This classic rivalry stayed true to form in game one. Both teams had five-run innings; Livingstone in the first and JCSU in the third. The contest came all the way down to the seventh and final inning. The Lady Blue Bears produced one run in the sixth and at the top of the seventh. The Golden Bulls trailed 10-8 going into the bottom of the seventh.
Freshman catcher
Alicia Chaudion (Greenwood, SC) took base on balls as the first batter. Junior outfielder
Ashton Byrd (Atlanta, GA) followed with a RBI double to left field to bring home Chaudion. Senior shortstop Alexandria Buckley (Charlotte, NC) also got on base by being walked. Byrd advanced to third and eventually stole home plate off a wild pitch.
With the score tied 10-10, freshman pitcher
Melissa Vierra (Tracy, CA) came up to bat. Facing two outs, Vierra smacked a hit to the shortstop causing an infield error. Buckley crossed home plate for the deciding 11th run.
Sophomore pitcher
Stacy Peralta (Brooklyn, NY) relieved Vierra in the fourth inning and earned the victory. Peralta only allowed four runs with two strikeouts off 20 at-bats.
The Golden Bulls put Livingstone away after the third inning in game two. JCSU trailed 6-2 going into the fourth. The Lady Blue Bears gave up two runs in the bottom of the fourth and then six runs in the fifth. Despite leading 10-6 after five innings, JCSU scored three more runs in the sixth to grab a 13-6 advantage.
Peralta closed out the last inning with a line out and two strikeouts. Peralta pitched five innings and had five strikeouts total. She has three wins on the season. Freshman
Michela Vaughn (Atlanta, GA) scored one run along with three RBIs.
“It was a good win for us, especially in this divisional race towards the CIAA Championships,” said JCSU head coach
Warren Brooks. “We're constantly working to improve as a team and in the standings; I think we accomplished both today.”
JCSU returns to their home diamond on Monday, April 8th in a non-conference doubleheader against Pfeiffer University. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. at Biddleville Park.
