TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University softball team had a couple of close games against CAA foe Elon but fell in each contest 4-3 and 4-2 against the Phoenix.
 
Alexa Nemeth came out of the bullpen to pitch 4.2 innings of scoreless relief to lead Elon to a 4-3 come from behind win over Towson in the first game of their doubleheader on Satuday afternoon.
 
Rebecca Murray doubled twice and drove in two runs as Elon University came from behind in each game.  In the second game, Elon took a 2-1 lead into the seventh inning. With one out, Allee Seering homered down the left line for a 3-1 lead. It was her second home run of the season. After Megan Grant singled, Murray doubled to left center to give Elon a 4-1 advantage.
 
Key Stats:

• Four Towson players hit safely in each game.  Nicole Kidwiler reached base on five of eight plate appearances, batting 3-for-6 with a run scored.  Briana Ramirez was also a combined 3-for-6 with a run, adding a sacrifice bunt.  Rylee Penrod and Mackenzie Lake each had home runs in game one.
• Two Towson pitchers each had a complete game despite defeats.  Julia Jackson (10-12) went the distance in game one with seven innings, four runs and four strikeouts.  Paige Kostick (0-2) fell in game two despite holding Elon to a .222 average, having four runs and two strikeouts in seven innings.
• For Elon, Megan Grant multi-hit in each contest, going 4-for-6 a double and a run.  Rebecca Murray had two doubles in the second game, combining to be 2-for-7 with two RBI.  McKenna McCard did not decision in game one, going 2.1 innings with three runs.  Alexa Nemeth (8-2) came in relief and won the game, going 4.2 scoreless innings with two strikeouts and pitching out of a big jam in the seventh.  Kaitlin King (2-1) won game two with 6.1 innings and two runs, being saved by Taylor Cherry with the final two-thirds of an inning in the seventh.

How It Happened (Game 1):

• Both teams threatened in the early innings. In the bottom of the first, the Tigers had runners on first and third with no outs. But a pop fly and a nifty double play by second baseman Megan Grant ended the inning.   In the second, Megan White lifted a long drive to left centerfield that bounced off the top of the fence for a double. Julia Jackson struck out the next hitter to end the threat.
• The Tigers broke through in the bottom of the third. First baseman Rylee Penrod led off with a home to left field, giving Towson a 1-0 lead. After Nicole Kidwiler reached on a bunt single, Brianna Ramirez popped up. Then, shortstop MacKenzie Lake hit a two-run home run to left, giving Towson a 3-0 lead. At that point, relief pitcher Alexa Nemeth came in to pitch and retired the side.
• With two outs in the fourth, the Phoenix rallied to tie the game. Base hits by Chloe Hatzopoulis and Bella Devera gave Elon two runners on base. Then, White drew a walk to load the bases. On a 3-2 pitch, Keegan Goldwait lined a double to.left-center field, scoring all three runners to tie the game. Allee Seering lined out to end the inning.
• In the fifth, Elon grabbed the lead. Grant led off with a double to centerfield. After Johnson retired the next two hitters, Davis singled to left, driving in the go-ahead run. Elon proceeded to load the bases. But, Johnson got White to ground out to end the threat.
• In the seventh, ,Gracyn Houmis reached on an infield error. With one out, Kidwiler drew a walk. With runners on first and second, Ramirez hit a ground ball to shortstop. But Houmis was called for interference. Nemeth nailed down the win by retiring Lake on a ground ball. 

How it Happened (Game 2):

• Elon had two runners on base with no out but could not score a run in the first inning. In the bottom of the first, the Tigers were the recipients of a bad hop. With two outs and Briana Ramirez on first base, Chloe Poulich hit a hard ground ball towards shortstop.  The ball took a bad hop and went by shortstop Bella Devasa. The ball rolled all the way to the left centerfield fence as Ramirez scored all the way from first while Poulich made it to third. Madyson Peters was retired on a ground ball to shortstop.
• Meanwhile, freshman Paige Kostick shut out Elon on one hit through the first three innings. But, leading off the fourth inning, catcher Carley Davis lifted a high fly ball down the left field line. The ball hit the top of the fence and bounced over the fence for her second Homer of the season to tie the game at 1-1.
• In the fifth inning, Rebecca Murray came up with a big hit for Elon. With a runner on first and two outs, Murray lined a double to right center to score Drew Menscer with the go-ahead run. Brianna Ramirez saved the Tigers a run when she made a diving catch on a fly ball to right by Davis.

• In the bottom of the seventh, Cori Jones led off with a triple to right field. After Jones scored on an infield grounder, relief pitcher Taylor Cherry retired the final two hitters to earn the save.

Inside the Numbers:

• Briana Ramirez has hit safely in 15 of her last 16 games, hitting .391 on the season.
• Paige Kostick has thrown complete games in each of her starts, having a 4.00 ERA in those two starts.

Next Game:
Towson returns to the Tiger Softball Stadium for a rematch against Elon tomorrow at 1 p.m.
 
- TowsonTigers.com –