ELON, North Carolina – Juniors
Jada Santiago and
Gabriella Hessenthaler each registered three hits, but it was not enough as UNCW dropped a pair of contests against Elon to open its Colonial Athletic Association softball series at the Hunt Softball Park on Saturday afternoon.
The Seahawks, who dropped to 6-15 overall and 3-2 in the CAA, lost by a 5-2 margin in the opener before falling by a 9-1 count in the nightcap. Elon improved to 10-13 overall and 3-2 in the league.
Santiago went 3-for-5 in the twinbill with a double and a run batted in while Hessenthaler added a 3-for-6 performance in addition to scoring a run. Four other UNCW players collected a hit in the doubleheader.
Senior
Rylee Pate took the loss in the first game after allowing five earned runs on four hits in 4.0 innings. Sophomore
Amberlyn Pearce was the losing pitcher in the nightcap, allowing nine runs on seven hits in 2.0 innings.
How It Happened – Game 1: Elon surged to a 5-0 lead over the Seahawks by scoring two runs in the second inning before plating three more runs in the fifth frame. UNCW trimmed the margin to 5-2 in the top of the seventh inning with RBI singles from Santiago and Hessenthaler, but was unable to get any closer.
How It Happened – Game 2: UNCW took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning before Elon responded with nine unanswered runs, including four in the first inning, to secure the run-rule victory.
Notes of Interest: Santiago extended her hitting streak to 10 consecutive games and has reached base safely in 12 straight contests … The Seahawks have scored in the first inning in 13-of-21 games this season after plating a run in the opening inning of the nightcap … UNCW has been held to two runs or less nine times this season.
Up Next: UNCW and Elon complete the three-game series with a single game on Sunday, Apr. 4, at 1 p.m.
