Koalas Split with Union on Senior Day

COLUMBIA, S.C. - The Columbia College softball team celebrated senior day on Sunday afternoon by splitting their conference series with Union College (Ky.). Union outlasted the Koalas 12-8 in game one before CC won a 3-2 pitcher's duel in game two.

Senior pitcher Kylie Smith threw her second straight complete game victory by allowing 2 runs on 10 hits with a walk and 3 strikeouts as she continued to work out of trouble all afternoon including leaving the bases loaded in the 7th to get the win. Smith improves to 10-8 on the season with a 2.86 ERA. 

The Koalas got on the board first in game two in the opening inning as sophomore outfielder Hope Azurdia's sac fly brought home senior 3B Aislyn Sharp, who had led off the game with a single. Sophomore 1B Aliyah Crawley's solo home run in the 2nd inning put CC up 2-0. Crawley's home run was her second of the season to go with her 11 RBIs.

Union then tied the game in the 5th with back-to-back 2-out doubles before Columbia answered in the bottom half as a leadoff single from CF Mary-Catherine Sanders saw her advance to third on sacrifice groundouts before senior catcher Katie Poole drove her in with her infield single. Recording multi-hit games in the win were Sanders and Crawley with two hits apiece. Smith, Poole, and Sharp also had hits in the game.

Game one was then the opposite of game two as it lasted over 2 and 1/2 hours and featured 20 combined runs, 26 hits and 6 errors along with a combined six different pitchers used. Unfortunately, a grand slam in the 2nd inning helped propel the Lady Bulldogs to the 12-8 win.

Koala senior starter Meghan Dennis gave up two unearned runs in the first inning due to errors before Union put a five-spot up in the 2nd to lead 7-2. The Koalas, though, would score two runs each in the 1st and 2nd innings to get to within 7-4 after three innings. Azurdia and Smith drove in runs in the first on a sac fly and single while an RBI double from senior 2B Brooklyn Franco and a sac fly from Poole scored the other two Columbia runs.

Union would pad their lead again with two more runs in the 4th, but Columbia would not go away and scored two of their own in the bottom half to get to within 9-6. Azurdia's RBI double and senior SS Skyler Monson's RBI single were the offense in the 4th. Monson then smoked a two-run homer in the 6th inning to pull CC to within 10-8. It was Monson's 7th home run of the season and 28th RBI. However, Union added two more runs in the 7th to pick up the win.

Dennis got the loss falling to 8-7 as she allowed 7 earned runs on 7 hits with 2 walks and a strikeout over 3 and 1/3 innings. Relievers Kynsly Gehling and Bailey Strickland then combined to throw the final 3 and 2/3 innings allowing 3 runs on 5 hits while Strickland struck out two.

Sharp led the offense with 3 hits as she is now hitting .366 on the season along with 33 runs scored and 8 stolen bases, while K. Smith, Monson, BK Franco, and outfielder Ruthie Roman all recorded two-hit games.

Columbia improves to 22-18 and 14-10 in the conference while UC goes to 11-20 and 9-13. 

The Koalas will next be in action on Thursday as they head to North Georgia to battle Brenau in a 4 PM DH.