ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. --- The Golden Eagles softball team wrapped a successful opening weekend with a doubleheader sweep on Sunday afternoon, taking two games from Elizabeth City State to improve to 3-1 on the season. Clarion won the first game 12-4 in five innings and took the second game by a 5-4 score, on a go-ahead home run by
Emily Buchleitner.
Game 1: Clarion 12, Elizabeth City State 4 (5 inn.)
RECAP: An early deficit turned into a run-rule rout, as the Golden Eagles scored 10 unanswered runs across the fourth and fifth innings to stun the Vikings and pick up the win. Elizabeth City State led 4-2 through three innings after steadily chipping away on offense, but the Golden Eagles got to starting pitcher Reagan Seelye for two big innings to flip the script.
With Clarion trailing 4-2 entering the top of the fourth inning,
Desi Allen and
Delanie Davison strung together two hits to lead off the inning, followed by a sacrifice fly from
Avery Bellish and an RBI single from
Annika Smith. That evened the score at 4-4 but the Golden Eagles weren't done as they strung together three straight extra-base hits.
Jordy Best doubled to bring
Alexis Valencia and Smith home, and
Emily Buchleitner followed up with a two-run homer to give the Golden Eagles an 8-4 lead.
Haylie Rimmey followed with a double, allowing the Golden Eagles to bat around in the inning, but Allen flew out to center to end the threat.
Emma Hipps gave the Golden Eagles just what they needed in the bottom of the inning, retiring the Vikings in order to preserve the lead. That provided Clarion an opportunity to take an eight-run lead in the fifth inning, a task the Golden Eagles got to work on when they loaded the bases with two outs. Best hit a two-run single to make it 10-4, and she eventually scored on a wild pitch to make it a 12-4 game. Hipps threw a shutout fifth inning, including a strikeout of Ema Cebrian with two outs to end the game.
Clarion led 2-0 after the top of the first inning, with Buchleitner striking an RBI triple to score Best, and Rimmey hitting an infield RBI single. Buchleitner and Best both went 2-for-3, with Best driving in four runs and Buchleitner plating three runs. Valencia and Rimmey both had two hits. Golden Eagle batters finished with 13 hits.
Game 2: Clarion 5, Elizabeth City State 4
RECAP: Buchleitner hit her second home run of the day in the late win over the Vikings, breaking a 4-4 tie in the process. With one out in the top of the seventh, Buchleitner hit a solo shot that put the Golden Eagles ahead 5-4.
Ainsley Perdicaris allowed a leadoff single to Cebrian in the bottom of the seventh, and after Courtney Ward reached second base on an error the Vikings had runners on second and third with one out. Perdicaris whiffed Emma Fleming for the second out and induced a groundout from Karrigan Belangia for the complete game victory.
Best again put the Golden Eagles ahead in the first inning, hitting a double to left field to score the leadoff runner Valencia, who drew a walk to start. Buchleitner made it 2-0 with a one-out RBI single in the top of the third inning, bringing Valencia around after the latter stole second base and advanced to third on a groundout by Best.
Kathryn O'Horo added on to the lead with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning, scoring Davison, and
Angelina Pepe scored from third base after an RBI groundout from Smith to make it 4-0. The Vikings clawed their way back in, with Allison Perry hitting a two-run double in the fifth inning to cut it to 4-3 and evened the game with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth.
Perdicaris allowed four runs on eight hits, striking out four batters and walking two in the complete game victory. Buchleitner added another two hits and two RBIs, while Davison went 2-for-4 and Smith 2-for-3 at the dish.
