WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Led by freshman pitcher
Sarah Davis (Walter Williams H.S./Burlington, N.C.), the UNCW softball team closed out play at the Landfall Park Hampton Inn & Suites Invitational by splitting a pair of games against UMBC and Georgetown at Boseman Field on Saturday afternoon.
The Seahawks, who improved to 2-1 on the season, defeated the Retrievers by a 4-2 margin in their first game of the afternoon before dropping an 11-3 decision against the Hoyas in a six-inning game to complete the tournament.
Davis, who earned the first win of her college career in relief on Friday, collected her first victory as a starter in the Seahawks' 4-2 triumph against UMBC. She scattered seven hits and allowed two earned runs while recording eight strikeouts with three walks.
In addition, Davis had three hits in the victory over the Retrievers with a run batted in while scoring once. She also drove in a run during the Seahawks' loss against Georgetown. Â
After UMBC took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning, the Seahawks answered by scoring twice in the bottom of the second inning for a 2-1 advantage. Senior
Casey Rowland (Colonie Central H.S./Albany, N.Y.) tied the game with an RBI double with no outs before scoring on a single by sophomore outfielder
Claudia Spinelli (Marvin Ridge H.S./Garner, N.C.).
The Retrievers tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the fifth inning before UNCW countered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame to reclaim a two-run edge. Senior
Kristen Jernigan (South Johnston H.S./Benson, N.C.) hit a RBI double to give UNCW a 3-2 lead. Davis drove in an insurance run with a single to center field, upping the Seahawks' margin to 4-2.
Davis retired six of the final seven batters she faced in the final two innings to secure the victory.
Georgetown took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning in the nightcap when junior third baseman
Trevor Henry (Skyline H.S./Front Royal, Va.) hit an RBI single to left field. The Hoyas upped the advantage to 2-0 in the top of the third inning when junior infielder
Samantha Giovanniello (Floral Park Memorial H.S./Floral Park, N.Y.) smacked an RBI double to left field.
But, the Seahawks answered with a pair of markers in the bottom half of the frame. An RBI single by freshman
Kelsey Bryan (Garner Magnet H.S./Garner, N.C.) closed the deficit to 2-1 before a sacrifice fly by Davis tied the game at 2-2 with two outs.
The Hoyas answered with nine consecutive runs over the fifth and sixth innings to build a commanding 11-2 advantage. After scoring a pair of runs in the fifth inning, Georgetown crossed home plate seven times with two outs in the sixth inning, including back-to-back home runs by junior infielder
Grace Applebe (Xavier College Prep/Phoenix, Ariz.) and senior
Sophia Gargicevich-Almeida (Martin Luther King H.S./Riverside, Calif.).
The Seahawks plated a run in the bottom of the sixth inning, but were unable to get any closer.
While Davis led the Seahawks with three hits in the doubleheader, Jernigan added a pair of hits, including a double, with a run batted in.
In the other two games played earlier on Saturday, Saint Joseph's posted an 8-4 victory over UMBC before Georgetown edged Saint Joseph's by a 5-1 count.
The Seahawks, who will play 14 of the first 18 games at home, will travel to Charleston Southern next weekend for a four-game tournament against the host Buccaneers, Tennessee Tech and North Carolina A&T.
