Receiving notice earlier in the day that they had won their opening season doubleheader by forfeit
due to illegal participation, the Cleveland State softball team won a home doubleheader on Thursday February 22 with scores of 10-8 and 15-7 to give them a perfect record on the season of 8-0.
The Cougars used four homeruns in the two games, three by Kristen Fowler and one by Morgan
Willingham to give them an eight-game winning streak.
Giving up four runs in the first inning Cleveland State came roaring back in their half of the first
scoring five runs as Fowler and Willingham each banged out 2-run homers.
Fowler's homerun
followed Abby Murrill reaching base on an error while Willingham's loud shot came after a walk to Ava Layne. The Cougars fifth run of the inning came when Caleigh White singled home Whitney Lee who had singled and was moved to second on a Carissa Montgomery hit by pitch.
Calhoun's 2-run tying score in the third was short lived as the Cougars scored two in their half of the fourth as Murrill and Fowler each singled with two outs and were plated by Layne and Willingham for the 8-6 lead.
Both teams were back at it again in the fifth and sixth innings as Calhoun scored one while Cleveland State added two when Lee doubled home Layne who had singled and Willingham who had doubled. With a score of 10-7 Calhoun pushed across a run in the top of the seventh but left the bases loaded as Layne made a running backhand shoestring coach in left field to end the game.
Kylie Hayes won her third game of the season as she was supported by a Cougar 14-hit attack.
Willingham had three hits while Murrill, Fowler, Layne and Lee each had two with one each coming
off the bats of Layla Pettigrew, Montgomery and White.
Game two turned into a five-inning run rule game as the Cougars scored 15 runs on 14 hits giving
Kadence Brewer her third win of the season with a final score of 15-7.
Cleveland State scored nine runs in the first two innings as Fowler smacked a three-run homerun in the first followed by a Lee RBI double driving home Layne who had walked. In the second Torrey
Cummings walked and scored on another Fowler hit while Layne's two-run RBI double plated Fowler and Murrill who had singled.
With a 9-2 lead going into the third the Cougars saw Calhoun score four runs to cut the lead to 9-6. With a quick bounce back in the bottom of the third, Cleveland State scored five quick runs on a
leadoff walk from Cummings who scored on a Layne single. Willingham drove in two scoring Murrill and Fowler who had singled with Willingham scoring on a single to left off the bat of Daelynn Cochran.
Fowler capped off the scoring in the bottom of the fourth with a solo homerun to centerfield giving her three on the day. Fowler was 4-for-4 while Murrill, Layne and Lee had one hit each while Willingham, Pettigrew, Kendyl Phillips and Cochran each had one. Fowler had five RBI's on the game while Layne had three and Willingham and Lee had two each.
Next on the schedule for Cougar Softball is a Cougar home double header contest vs Georgia
Highlands on Saturday February 24 with game time starts of 12 and 2 p.m. EST. This marks the
second half of a home and home doubleheader as the Cougars bested Highlands on Saturday
February 17 winning with scores of 9-1 and 10-9
Games are played on the Cleveland State campus at the Cougar Softball Field. Admission charge is
$8 per person with no charge to Cleveland State students, faculty and staff.