The Elon University softball team continued its torrid stretch over the past month with a 5-1 victory against the College of Charleston on April 6. Elon swept Charleston in a series where it only allowed three runs in three games. It is Elon’s third series sweep in the last 16 games in which it is 13-3.
Elon accomplished its sweep thanks to sophomore pitcher Anna Dew, who threw a complete game, striking out six batters while allowing just one hit over five innings.
After neither team scored in the first inning, Charleston managed to get on the board with a two-out RBI single by junior Sierra Paradis. It was Charleston’s first run since the second inning of its 3-2 loss to Elon in the opening game Friday after going scoreless on Saturday.
The Phoenix quickly responded in the second inning thanks to some small-ball from the lineup. A walk from redshirt junior Chloe Hatzopoulos and multiple bunts loaded the bases with one out before sophomore Greta Hessenthaler hit a single down the right field line to put the Phoenix up 2-1. Senior Allee Seering then padded the lead with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1.
Part of Elon’s gameplan before the series was to neutralize Charleston’s small-ball approach. However, head coach Kathy Bocock believed the Phoenix was just as capable of using the same formula to score runs. She thought the strategy would keep Charleston off-balance, which ultimately occurred that inning.
The score remained that way for the next three and a half innings thanks to Dew’s pitching throughout the game.
Dew said it was awhile since she last pitched over four innings of a game, and it meant a lot for her to have the opportunity. She attributed her performance to the work she put in during the offseason.
“It means the world to me,” Dew said. “I always have had the confidence that I could do it. It’s just keeping those walks down, getting ahead of hitters and keeping the pitch count low. I worked in the off season to improve that, and I think today was a great representation of all that hard work.”
After Dew allowed her first and only run of the game, she wanted to be more aggressive on her pitches.
“Once I allowed that first run, I realized I got to treat every inning like it’s the last inning of the game,” Dew said. “So kind of switching my mindset to going at these hitters and throwing my best stuff today.”
The Phoenix added insurance in the bottom of the sixth inning with two runs coming from a throwing error and a double by Charleston freshman Kayla Wilson.
Bocock trotted Dew out for the final inning where she fittingly threw a 1-2-3 inning. After throwing out Savannah Lockhart for the final out of the game, Dew was mobbed by her teammates on the mound.
It is another impressive win for the Phoenix who have embarked on a 13-3 stretch after starting the season 7-11. It also improves its conference record to 12-3, which is tied with Campbell for first in the CAA.
Bocock said she wanted the Phoenix to face tough competition early in the season so the team could be better prepared when conference play began.
“We play a very hard schedule so we know we’re going to sacrifice some of that to get ourselves ready for conference play,” Bocock said. “It just leads us to playing really well so that when we come up against schools in our conference, we’re ready to roll.”
The win gives Elon a 20-14 record. It will travel to Drexel for a three-game series at 3 p.m. April 11.