Charleston Southern sweeps twin bill at Campbell

Game 1 Box Score (PDF)

Game 2 Box Score (PDF)

BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Charleston Southern clubbed four home runs and swept a Big South Conference softball doubleheader from Campbell Tuesday at Amanda Littlejohn Stadium.

In the opener, Marci Christian and Cheyenne Gandara hit back-to-back homers in the third inning and Gandara struck out six in a complete game effort to lift the Bucs to a 4-2 victory.

Christian and Natalie Yonan launched two-run shots to account for all the CSU runs in a 4-2 win in the nightcap.

Charleston Southern improved to 23-15 overall, 5-3 in the Big South. Campbell dropped to 19-17, 2-8 in the league. The teams conclude the three game set Wednesday in a 4:00 p.m. start.

In the opener, CSU struck for a pair of unearned runs in the first on Stephanie Baro's two-out, two-run single. Kerstine Womack's two-out RBI hit pulled the Camels within 2-1 in the bottom of the second.

The Bucs answered in the third when Christian hit her 14th home run of the season and Gandara followed two pitches later with her 15th round-tripper.

In the Campbell fourth, Brittany Bruce doubled with one out and eventually scored on Katie Baker's two-out single. The Camels had the tying run at the plate in both the fifth and sixth frames, but did not score.

Gandara (14-8) scattered seven hits and three walks over seven innings to earn the win. Baker (10-10) suffered the loss after allowing two earned runs on nine hits with two walks and eight strikeouts.

Christian and Baro each had a pair of hits for the Bucs. Womack finished 3-of-3 for the Camels.

In the nightcap, the Camels took the lead in the third when Stephanie Jones drew a two-out walk and Brittany Bruce followed with her second home run of the year.

CSU drew even in the fourth when Amanda Matsumoto led off with a bunt single and Christian homered to center. Natalie Yonan then clubbed a two-run shot to left – her first of the year – to give the Bucs a two-run lead (4-2) in the fifth.

Charleston Southern loaded the bases with two out in the top of the seventh, but Campbell shortstop Ericka Nesbitt drove into the hole to stop Christian's grounder then threw out the runner from her knees to save at least one run.

A CSU error with two out in the bottom of the frame brought the tying run to the plate for the Camels, but Womack grounded out to end the game.

Jennifer Giles (7-7) claimed the win in a complete-game effort, allowing two runs on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts. Julia Callicutt (8-5) took the loss, giving up four runs on three hits with four walks and three Ks in six and 1/3 innings.

Bruce had two of Campbell's four hits in the nightcap. Matsumoto had a pair of hits for the Bucs.

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