CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Charlotte Softball (11-4) split the afternoon on day two of the Charlotte Invitational, winning game one against Jacksonville (7-7), 11-2 in five innings, before falling to Marshall (9-7) 7-6 in heartbreaking fashion. 

GAME ONE – JACKSONVILLE

The bats came alive against Jacksonville in game one of the afternoon. Charlotte struck first, with Jenna Lord scoring on an RBI single in the bottom of the first. Jacksonville responded quickly when Sarah Beth Brake blasted a homer to center field to tie the game 1-1. 

The Niners quickly regrouped and in the next inning loaded the bases for Teagan Ritchie, who hit the first grand slam of the game, and her fourth homer in three games, to make the score 5-1. 

The Dolphins got a run back in the third, but that was all for Jacksonville. In the bottom half of the inning, Jaylah Jarrell hit another grand slam for the Niners, which was then followed by two more runs coming around. In the third inning, six different Niners scored.

Aubrey Yarnall got the start in the circle, recording the win and moving to 2-0 on the season. 

GAME TWO – MARSHALL

Marshall scored first in game two, scoring a run on a wild pitch to give The Herd a quick 1-0 lead. The lead was quickly erased when Olivia Williams scored on a fielding error from the right fielder on a ball hit by Audrey Wilson, making the game 1-1. 

After a scoreless second, Marshall struck again when Charlotte’s pitching loaded the bases and walked Haleigh Adkins to allow Chandler Hoskins to score. In the bottom of the third, Charlotte took the lead, when Marshall once again made a fielding mistake that allowed both Jenna Lord and London Dirks to score on a hit by Brelyn O’Hearn. 

In the fifth inning, The Herd tied it up again at 3-3 when Ava Blake hit a monster homer to left. Marshall went on to score two more in the sixth on a homer from Bella Gerlach and one in the seventh on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch to make the score 7-3. 

Looking for some seventh-inning magic, with two outs, pinch-hitter Sydney Lewis hit a two-run bomb to center, her first of the season, to get the Niners within two. Immediately after, catcher Reece Cammarn had her third hit of the game, and then came around to score on a triple down the line from Jaylah Jarrell. With Jarrell, the tying run at third, Olivia Williams came up to bat, but ultimately ended up flying out to left field to end the game, 7-6. 

Jules King got the win for Marshall and improved to 4-3 on the season, while Brooke Bowling (2-2)recorded the loss. 

UP NEXT

Charlotte will close out the tournament and 11-game home stand tomorrow (Feb. 22) afternoon by taking on Jacksonville at 12:30 p.m. 

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