Charleston Cougars softball team lost both games on the second day of the I-75 Tournament in Atlanta, Georgia. The team was defeated by Purdue with a score of 5-2 and later fell to Georgia Tech 13-5.
In the first game against Purdue, Charleston trailed 2-0 until centerfielder Audri Bates hit a home run in the third inning, reducing the deficit. In the fourth inning, Austy Miller singled to bring Karlee Hughes home and tie the game at two runs each. Pitcher Mackenzie Mathis kept Purdue from scoring again until the fifth and sixth innings, when Purdue added three more runs to secure their win.
During the second game against Georgia Tech, Charleston was down 6-0 by the fourth inning. Leela Langston walked and advanced to third base on a double by Hailey Seymour before scoring on a groundout by Sally Trent. Georgia Tech extended their lead with five more runs in that inning. In an effort to avoid an early end to the game, Charleston scored four runs in the fifth inning—Savannah Scott singled in two runs, Lily Thorpe hit a sacrifice fly allowing Scott to score, followed by Cadence Alberty singling as Samatha Horn crossed home plate. The Yellow Jackets responded with two additional runs in their half of the fifth inning to close out the contest.
Mathis pitched all seven innings for Charleston in game one, marking her third complete game this season and recording four strikeouts against Purdue. Against Purdue, Sally Trent and Audri Bates each had two hits; Hailey Seymour led with two hits versus Georgia Tech. Ryley Kutter and Campbell Schaen took turns pitching against Georgia Tech, with Schaen collecting one strikeout.
Charleston’s record now stands at 7-7 overall and 0-3 in tournament play. The Cougars are scheduled to play Yale at 11 a.m., followed by another matchup against Purdue at 1:30 p.m., on Saturday during the final day of tournament action.
For updates on Charleston softball, fans can follow @CofCSoftball on X or @CofC_Softball on Instagram.
