Much of the hype surrounding the Elon University softball team leading up to the 2013 season centered around the team’s new home stadium.
Now, the Phoenix has hype for its on-field performance as well. Elon stunned the nation’s preseason No. 8 team, the University of Georgia Bulldogs, in Athens, Ga. on Friday by a score of 5-2.
Sophomore pitcher Chelsea White of the Phoenix went toe-to-toe with freshman pitcher Chelsea Wilkinson of the Bulldogs in the pitching circle. A single and a pair of walks loaded the bases for the host Bulldogs in the bottom of the first inning, but White used two strikeouts and a lineout to escape the jam.
While Wilkinson was keeping the Phoenix in check, White sat down six straight Bulldogs in the second and third frames.
After a fruitless top of the fourth for Elon, Georgia broke through in the bottom of the frame when sophomore infielder Anna Swafford singled, stole second, went to third on an error, and scored on a wild pitch. Elon limited the damage to one run and went to work.
In the top of the sixth, Wilkinson was working on a one-hitter. That is, until senior outfielder Carleigh Nestor singled to left. Junior outfielder Lauren Oldham followed with a knock to center. All of a sudden, Elon was in business.
Enter senior outfielder Tomeka Watson. The senior, a preseason All-Southern Conference selection started her 2013 season off right by launching a homer to left to give Elon a 3-1 lead.
White stranded a Bulldog at second in the bottom of the frame, and Elon added insurance when freshman infielder Emily Cameron homered in the seventh, pushing the lead to 5-1.
Although Georgia scored a run on three hits in the bottom of the seventh, White completed her job and sealed the upset when freshman Geri Ann Glasco popped out to second base.
The game was the second of the day for the Phoenix, which dropped a 10-2 decision in the opener to the Ohio State University Buckeyes.
In that game, freshman pitcher Kayla Caruso, playing her first collegiate game, got the start in the circle. The Buckeyes put up three runs in the first inning courtesy of a walk, an error, and a pair of RBI singles.
Sophomore Grace Eng, playing first base for the Phoenix, cut into the defecit with a two-run shot in the second, making the score 3-2. Caruso settled down, not allowing a hit until the bottom of the fifth, when the Buckeyes pushed across seven runs to finalize the score at 10-2.
Eng went 2-2 on the contest, with sophomore infielder Aly Quintana and junior catcher Johanna Spencer also recording hits for the Maroon and Gold.
Elon, sitting at 1-1 on the year, has a quick turnaround: a rematch with the Bulldogs at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, followed by a date with the Winthrop University Eagles at 5:30 p.m. to close the Georgia Red and Black Showcase.