Softball winless in opening weekend

The ETSU softball team took the field for the first time in 2013 on Friday at the Plainsmen Invitational, hosted by Auburn, but suffered their first two defeats at the hands of the Tigers, 11-3, and Kent State, 5-4.

ETSU came out swinging with two runs in the very first inning by way of RBI singles from sophomore Haley Thompson and junior Jackie Baird, but Auburn responded by plating six in the bottom half with the help of a three-run homer and two ETSU miscues in the field.

A run in the third brought the Bucs to within three, but the Tigers put two across in the fourth and ended the game with three more runs in the sixth.

The Bucs didn’t have long to think about the first game, facing off with Kent State 30 minutes later. Three errors ultimately cost the young team, as freshman Sam Harrell pitched six innings in her collegiate debut and gave up just one earned run.

Freshman Sam Carpenter knocked in all four ETSU runs with her first two collegiate home runs, but ETSU could not overcome the five runs they gave up in the first two innings.

Carpenter’s multi-homer game is ETSU’s 13th in program history.

The ETSU softball team continued to struggle on day two of the Plainsmen Invitational Saturday from Jane B. Moore Field, getting shut out by Austin Peay in the Governors’ season opener, 5-0, and ending the tournament with a, 10-1, loss to Army in the night cap.

Lauren de Castro went the whole seven innings for Austin Peay in game one, allowing just five hits and striking out two en route to the complete game shutout. The Governor pitcher also went 3 for 3 at the plate with an RBI triple in the third and later scored to put her squad up by three.

Game two was all Army, jumping on ETSU from the get-go with two runs in the first. The Black Knights went on to score in five of the seven innings, chalking up crooked figures on four occasions.

Freshman pitcher Harrell startedagainst Austin Peay and came on to relieve game two starter Elliana Cabrera midway through. On the day, Harrell combined for 6.2 innings pitched, allowing eight runs, four earned, nine hits, walking six and striking out eight.

Cabrera went 3.0 innings against Army, taking the loss by allowing five earned runs, three hits, walking four and striking out two. Junior Katie Wolff went 4.1 in relief of Harrell in game one, holding the Governors to just two earned runs and striking out four.

Offensively, the Bucs totaled 10 hits to the oppositions’ combined 18. Baird reached base in all six plate appearances, singling twice, getting hit by two pitches, reaching on an error and walking once. Sophomore Alex Everett drove in the only ETSU run of the day, scoring Carpenter in the first inning against Army. Everett was 3 for 7 through both games with the RBI, while Carpenter was 2 for 7.