CHARLESTON, South Carolina – Seniors
Merritt Wilkinson and
Lauren Moore each drove in three runs as UNCW opened its season with a pair of victories over Virginia and Charleston Southern as part of the Buccaneer Invitational at CSU Softball Field on Saturday afternoon.
The Seahawks edged Virginia by a 2-1 margin in the opener before rallying for an 11-5 victory over the host Buccaneers in the nightcap.
Wilkinson went 3-for-7 in the two victories with two runs scored and a home run. Moore collected two hits and scored two runs while also hitting a home run.
Sophomore infielder
Hannah Adamczyk also added three hits, including a double, as the Seahawks banged out 22 hits in the doubleheader.
Senior pitcher
Peyton Jordan scattered two hits in the opener and allowed just one unearned run. She recorded four strikeouts with one walk. Sophomore
Haley Lenderman claimed the win in the nightcap, throwing 3.1 innings of scoreless relief with one walk and one strikeout.
How It Happened – Game 1: After Moore gave UNCW a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the second inning, she increased the lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth by scoring a run. Virginia trimmed the deficit to 2-1 in the top of the sixth inning with an unearned run.
Coach Kristy Norton Says – Game 1: "Peyton did a great job against Virginia's offense during the entire game. Offensively, our hitters did a great job of swinging early in counts and produced well in situations."
How It Happened – Game 2: The Seahawks overcame a 5-2 deficit by scoring nine times in the final three innings. After scoring three runs on a pair of errors in the fifth inning, UNCW used a sacrifice fly and a three-run home run from Wilkinson to build a 9-5 edge in the sixth inning. A two-run home run by Moore in the seventh inning upped the advantage to 11-5.
Coach Kristy Norton Says – Game 2: "This team showed some grit today. We could have folded, but some good mound presence and great two-strike swings helped us win this one."
Inside the Box Scores: The Seahawks were 12-for-32 with runners on base and 23-for-36 in advancement opportunities … UNCW hit .379 in the doubleheader with six extra-base hits, including three doubles and three home runs … The Seahawks were 3-for-9 in two-out situations against Virginia.
#SeahawkStats: UNCW won its season opener for the sixth time in the last seven seasons … Jordan became the fifth pitcher in UNCW history to record 30 career victories, improving to 30-33 in her career … The Seahawks scored 11 runs for the first time since Apr. 4, 2015 in an 11-7 win over Drexel … UNCW also hit three home runs in the same game for the first time since Mar. 30, 2014 against Delaware … Sophomore
Kelli Freeman belted her first career home run in the win over Charleston Southern, a two-run shot in the third inning that gave the Seahawks a 2-0 lead … Freshmen
Meghan Whitecavage,
Dominique Travers and
Hannah Runge all made their college debuts in the doubleheader.
Up Next for UNCW: The Seahawks complete their season-opening weekend with a pair of games on Sunday, starting at 1 p.m. against East Tennessee State before a 3 p.m. contest against Charleston Southern.
