Box Score

Fayetteville, NC - The Fayetteville State University women's softball team suffer an 11-0 shutout then picked up a 7-5 victory in a non-conference doubleheader against the University of Mount Olive on Wednesday, April 1st at Leonard R. Sanders Field. FSU improves to 11-7 overall and 5-3 at home.

The Lady Broncos faced a large deficit early in the first game. Mount Olive produced five hits and four runs in the top of the first. Lauren McGrath doubled to center field to open the flood gate of scoring. The Trojans followed with two hits and two runs in the second, including a 2-RBI homerun from Kayleigh Jonas.

Fayetteville State trailed 6-0 going into the third. Mount Olive dropped the hammer with a grand slam homerun from Lindsay Russell at the top of the third. FSU lost game one 11-0 in five innings due to the NCAA eight-run rule.

Sophomore pitcher Zoe Howard (Hampstead, NC) started off the game, but sophomore pitcher Skyler Peebles (Raleigh, NC) pitched over three innings in the loss.

Game two began with a completely different pace for FSU. Freshman pitcher Carley Green (Fayetteville, NC) forced out the first two batters before allowing two hits. Green survived the first inning with no runs allowed. Fayetteville produced grabbed a 3-0 lead with four hits and three runs at the bottom of the first.

Junior center field Alex Wickham (Fayetteville, NC) singled through the right side at the top of the lineup. Junior second baseman Brittany Freeman (Fayetteville, NC) followed with a single up the middle to advance Wickham to second. Both runners managed to steal the next two bases, including Wickham getting to home plate.

FSU maintained a 3-0 advantage until the top of the fifth. After a walk and a single, Beth Overman had a 2-RBI double to center field for the Trojans. A sacrifice fly to right field would tie the score 3-3 and the game remained tied until the sixth inning.

Green had a 1-2-3 top of the sixth. Fayetteville State took advantage of two errors along with two hits for four runs in the bottom of the inning. Freshman catcher Vanessa Kokoszka (Sanford, NC) earned a RBI with a double to right field. The Lady Broncos led 7-3 going into the seven and final inning.

In the seventh, Russell homered again, this time with two runners on base. However, the umpire called the runner at second base out for going ahead of the runner in front of them. Mount Olive had two hits and only those two runs in the inning.

Green won the game on the mound with three strikeouts on six hits and five runs scored.

"I'm proud of the way our team stuck together and showed some resolve in the second game," said head coach Jackie Stickley. "We beat a good team today and that should be a much needed confidence booster for our young team."

Fayetteville State will return to the diamond on Friday, April 3rd against Claflin University in a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Panthers Field on the campus of Claflin in Orangeburg, SC.