BOONE, N.C. – The Elon softball team suffered a pair of setbacks today, March 19, after dropping two games to the Appalachian State Mountaineers to open up a three-game set. The Mountaineers won the first game, 11-5, and the second, 4-3. The Phoenix falls to 13-9 and 2-3 in Southern Conference play, while ASU improves to 9-13 (3-2 SoCon).
 
Rookie Carleigh Nester went 2-for-4 at the plate in the first game scoring one run. Senior Emerald Graham recorded two RBI in the second game to increase her season total to a team-best 24 on the season.
 
Game 1
 
After a scoreless first inning, ASU pitcher Caitlin Wainright issued a two-out walk to Kaitlyn Piazzolla in the top of the second. Danielle Lafferty kept the two-out rally going with a double to center to Piazzolla to third. With two runners in scoring position, Jackie Gonzalez reached on an error by Wainright, which scored Piazzolla and Lafferty. ASU managed to get out of the inning on the next at-bat, but not before Elon had grabbed a 2-0 lead.
 
The Mountaineers responded in the next half with an unearned run to close the gap to one run. Hannah Dow, who reached on a single up the middle, scored the run for ASU from second after advancing to third and eventually home off an error by Lafferty.
 
In the top of the third, Nester got another two-out rally going for the Phoenix with a single to bring up Caitlin McGowan. McGowan sent a pitch by Wainwright to left center for a two-run homer, her first round tripper of the season, to increase the Elon lead to 4-1.
 
Appalachian State tacked on another run in the third to make it two-run game after Katie Boyd, who reached after being hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, scored on a Megan Rembielak base hit.
 
The Mountaineers added on three more runs off three hits in the bottom of the fourth to take a 5-4 lead over the Phoenix. Elon came back to tie the game at 5-all with an RBI single through the left side from Lafferty that scored Lauren Oldham, a pinch runner for Morgan Wright who doubled earlier.
 
However, ASU blew the game open in the bottom of the sixth recording six runs off five hits to take an 11-5 advantage, all but sealing the game one win.
 
Lauren Taylor fell to 8-4 on the season after giving up 11 hits and seven earned runs in 5.1 innings. Wainright (3-3) earned the win after going 5.1 innings and giving up three earned runs off seven hits.
 
Game 2
 
The Mountaineers got on the board first in the second game with a leadoff home run by Boyd in the first inning. ASU increased its lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the third off a three-run bomb run by Allie Cashion.

Elon fought back in the top of the fifth beginning with a single through the left side by Piazzolla, who was then replaced by Camille Hill. A double to right center by Lafferty moved Hill to third to place runners in scoring position. Gonzalez then singled to first to load the bases for Tomeka Watson. Two straight fielder’s choices on at bats by Watson and Pam DelPizzo found Lafferty and Hill out at home, but still left the bases loaded for Graham. With two outs, Graham drilled a two-run single to right center that cut the Mountaineer lead to two runs and put runners on the corners. Nester kept the inning going with a single through the right side that scored DelPizzo to add another run to the board for Elon. The inning ended on another fielder’s choice that caught Graham out at third, but the damage had been done as the Phoenix recorded three runs off five hits to limit ASU to a 4-3 edge.
 
Elon starter #Erin O’Shea# pitched a complete game for Elon in the nightcap, yielding four runs off four hits and striking out six. Dow picked up the win for the Mountaineers after giving up three runs off five hits in 5.1 innings of work, tallying five strikeouts.

Elon nearly tied the game in the sixth and seventh, but could the Phoenix could not get runners into scoring position and the Mountaineers held on for the win.
 
The Phoenix and the Mountaineers will wrap up its series with a 1 p.m. game tomorrow, March 20, at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium