2012 Meredith Softball has breakout year; Finish 2nd in USA South Conference

2012 was a breakout year for the softball Avenging Angels. The team won the most conference games in team history (12), beat Christopher Newport for the first time, had seven (7) representatives on the USA South All-Conference teams, and was also represented on the North Carolina Sports Information All-State team.  

Great team play and a fun atmosphere made for a great year, fun times, and a lot of great memories!

  How do you like your turkey smoked?

Meredith Softball Team Awards
Amanda White - Team MVP-Offense
Sara Cranford - Jack Huber Softball Award
Amanda Beirne - Dean Burris Coach's Award

Season Awards

USA South All Conference - First Team, Alex Warren (SS)

USA South All Conference - First Team, Amanda White (2B)

USA South All Conference - Second Team, Emily Cooke (OF)

USA South All Conference - Third Team, Jessica Dzeskewicz (P)

USA South All Conference - Honorable Mention Team, Lorri Cole (C)

USA South All Conference - Honorable Mention Team, Amanda Beirne (P)

USA South All Conference - All-Sportsmanship Team, Ashley Green (OF)

USA South Coach of the Year, Kim Scavone

USA South Softball Pitcher of the Week (4/2/12) - Jessica Dzeskewicz

USA South Softball Rookie of the Week (4/9/12) - Amanda White

NCSSIA All-State Team - First Team, Amanda White (Infield)

USA South 2012 Season and Tournament Recap
(see Coach Scavone talk about her Coach of the Year!)

White Named to NCCSIA 2012 North Carolina All-State College Division Softball Team

From Meredith Sports Information Department

Greensboro, N.C. – Twelve student-athletes, representing seven different schools, comprise the 2012 North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) College Division All-State Softball Team released Thursday. The ninth-annual team consists of non-NCAA Division I student-athletes from North Carolina colleges and universities. Sports information professionals from across the state submitted the nominees, and NCCSIA members voted for the all-state team, which consists of two starting pitchers, one catcher, four infielders, three outfielders, one designated player and a utility player.

Meredith's Amanda White, the lone freshman on this year's all-state team, was the Avenging Angels' leader in batting average (.415), RBI (35), hits (49), home runs (6) and doubles (10). She earned First Team All-USA South recognition and ranked fourth among the league's batting leaders.

NCAA Division II Southeast Regional finalist Lenoir-Rhyne University placed four students on the team. Chowan University and Methodist University both had two students honored. Guilford College, Mars Hill College, Meredith College, Queens University of Charlotte each received one selection.

NCCSIA Website

44 Meredith Student-Athletes Named to USA South Academic All-Conference

From Meredith Sports Information Department

Fayetteville, N.C. - The USA South Athletic Conference has released its 2011-2012 Academic All-Conference Team.  Meredith had 44 student athletes qualify for the honor.

A student-athlete must have earned a 3.0 GPA in each of the two semesters of a given year to be eligible. Any student-athlete participating in any varsity sport at any Conference institution is eligible. The sport does not have to be a Conference-sponsored sport.

Softball was represented by the following student-athletes:

Juniors: Kristin Piner and Alex Warren

Sophomores: Lorri Cole, Leah Friedman, Carrie Webster, and Whitney Williams

Freshmen: Kayla Lane and Katelyn Whitehead

USA South website

Softball Falls to Hornets 2-0, Eliminated From USA South Tournament

From Meredith Sports Information Department

Coach Scavone rallies the team in-between innings

Burlington, N.C. - The Meredith softball team dropped their second game of the USA South Tournament with the loss on Saturday. The Avenging Angels were eliminated from the tournament with a
2-0 loss to Shenandoah and the Hornets remain alive. Meredith (27-13) ended their season with it's highest finish in the USA South and 12 conference wins.

The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the third inning when Shenandoah (22-16) put one run across the plate. Heather Sink had an RBI-single to score Ashley Crawford. The Hornets put another run across in the sixth as a bloop triple down the right field line scored Jordan Wolford.

Meredith had a last inning rally in the seventh but couldn't get the run across. Leah Friedman led the inning off with a single. Amanda White's one-out single to right center field moved the runners to first and second. A hit back to the pitcher by Lorri Cole loaded the bases with only one out. Shenandoah pitcher Brooke Over struck out Emily Cooke and then had Ashley Green pop up to the catcher to end the game.

Over picks up her 12th win as she struck out five Meredith batters. Amanda Beirne is credited with the loss as she held Shenandoah to four hits.

Box Score

Softball Drops Opener 4-3 to Averett in USA South Tournament

From Meredith Sports Information Department

Tournament action!

Burlington, N.C. - The #2 seeded Meredith softball team opened up play in the USA South Athletic Conference tournament against the #7 seeded Averett Cougars on Friday. The Cougars' seventh inning comeback dropped the Avenging Angels 4-3.

Meredith got on the board early as the Avenging Angels put two across in the top of the first. Leah Friedman and Amanda White both got on base on singles and a steal moved the runners to second and third with two outs. A fielding error by the Cougar's third baseman scored both Friedman and White. The Avenging Angels added another run in the third inning as Lorri Cole's RBI-single to right field scored Alex Warren.

Averett answered in the top of the fourth as they scored three runs to tie the game at 3-all. The Cougars started the inning with two ground outs but took advantage of Meredith errors. Kayla Renn's RBI-single to left-center field scored Brooke Hensley. Lauren Averitt then singled to right to score Chrissy Pickett. Kayla Renn then scored on a fielding error on a pick off throw from the catcher.

The game remained tied at 3-all until Averett scored one in the top of the seventh. Emily Atkinson's two-out single to left field scored Morgan Jones to give the Cougars the one run lead. Averett took Meredith down in order in the bottom of the seventh to take the win.

Both teams move onto Saturday as Meredith next plays the winner of #8 Peace/#6 Shenandoah at 10am while Averett moves on to play #3 Ferrum at 12 pm.

Box Score

Softball Completes Regular Season With Split at Guilford

From Meredith Sports Information Department

Greensboro, N.C. - The Meredith softball team (27-11) completed their regular season on Wednesday with a non-conference split at Guilford. Meredith took the comeback win in game one with a 6-5 victory while the Quakers took the second game 4-0.

Game One: Meredith 6, Guilford 5 - The Quakers took the early 4-0 lead as they scored three in the bottom of the first and one in the third. Meredith put two up in the fourth to cut the lead to 4-2. Katelyn Whitehead started the inning with a single and Alex Warren hit a double to put two on at second and third. A 2-RBI single by Amanda White scored Whitehead and Warren. Meredth would put three runs up in the top of the sixth inning to take the 5-4 lead. Lorri Cole's single scored Warren and Kristen Piner's 2-RBI single scored Cole and White. Carrie Webster picked up the win as she struck out three and only gave up six hits.

Game Two: Guilford 4, Meredith 0 - The Quakers responded with a 4-0 win over Meredith in the nightcap. The Quakers scored four in the bottom of the fifth inning and that would be all they would need for the win.

Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2

USA South Softball Awards Announced: Scavone Named Coach of Year, Seven Players Placed on Teams

From Meredith Sports Information Department

2012 USA South All-Conference Selections

Fayetteville, N.C.- The USA South Athletic Conference has announced its 2012 All-Conference awards for softball. A total of 55 student-athletes have been named to the USA South All-Conference teams. Christopher Newport University's Sabrina Hill collected both Player and Rookie of the Year accolades while her teammate, Whitney Haller, earned Pitcher of the Year accolades. Methodist University's Kayla Malone picked up Rookie Pitcher of the Year honors while Meredith College's Kim Scavone took home Coach of the Year accolades. Also, the USA South recognized an All-Sportsmanship Team, consisting of one member from each competing school.

All honors were determined by votes from the softball coach at each institution.

In her second season at Meredith, Head Coach Kim Scavone collects her first Coach of the Year honor. She becomes the first Meredith softball coach to earn a USA South Coach of the Year award. Scavone has led the Avenging Angels to a 26-10 overall record and a program-best 12-6 conference mark, which tied for second place in the league standings. Scavone now takes her squad into the USA South tournament as the second-seeded team.

The Avenging Angels were also well represented on the playing field.  Meredith gained two players on the first team as the middle of the infield was dominated by the Avenging Angels.  Junior Alex Warren took the shortstop position while freshman Amanda White earned her position at second base.  Warren, the New Bern, N.C. (New Bern High School) native hit .311 while hitting six home runs, driving in 25 RBIs and stealing eight bases.  White, the Wilmington, N.C. native (John T. Hoggard High School) led Meredith with eight home runs, eight doubles, two triples and 33 RBIs plus had a team high batting average of .406.

Sophomore Emily Cooke earned a spot on the second team for her play in the outfield. Cooke, Ahoskie, N.C. (Ridgecroft School), led the team in triples (3) while also hitting four home runs and eight doubles.  Junior pitcher Jessica Dzeskewicz took a spot on the third team.  Dzeskewicz, Yadkinville, N.C. (Forbush High School) led the team from the circle with a high of 11 wins, nine complete games while striking out 62 in 81 innings pitced.  

Honorable Mention honors were given to sophomore catcher Lorri Cole and junior pitcher Amanda Beirne.   Cole, Kinston, N.C. (South Lenoir High School) was a defensive force behind the plate and helped control opposing runners while also batting .355 for the Avenging Angels.   Beirne, Bath, N.C. (Northside High School) led the team in strikeouts (100) while picking up nine wins and pitching 108 innings and 11 complete games.

Sophomore Ashley Green was placed on the All-Sportsmanship as Meredith's representative.

USA South website article - 2012

Softball Splits With CNU, Takes #2 Seed in USA South

From Meredith Sports Information Department

USA South Conference regular season runner-ups!

Raleigh, N.C. - The Meredith softball team finished the season in second place in the USA South after a split with the first place Christopher Newport Captains on Saturday. Game one featured a dramatic 6-5 victory for Meredith (26-10, 12-6 USA South) in game one and the Captains (29-7, 15-3) evened the series taking game two 4-0 .  The win for Meredith was the first over the Captains since the Avenging Angels joined the USA South five years ago.  Meredith will be the second seed in the USA South tournament and will play the winner of #7 Averett vs. #10 Mary Baldwin on Friday April 13 at 1 p.m. in Burlington, N.C.

Game One: Meredith 6, Christopher Newport 5 - Emily Cooke started off the inning with a double that went over the center fielder's head and rolled to the fence.  Leah Friedman's base hit bunt moved Cooke to third and put runners on the corners.  Alex Warren's sacrifice fly to center scored Cooke.  One out hits by Amanda White and Lorri Cole loaded the bases.  A wild pitch by the Captains scored Friedman to give Meredith the 2-0 lead after the first inning.  

The Angels added three more runs in the second inning as a two out walk put Cooke on base.  A single by Friedman put two on and Warren knocked in Cooke with a single to left field.  White then singled to center filed to score both Warren and Friedman and gave Meredith the 5-0 lead after two innings.  The Captains answered with one in the third and four in the fifth to tie the game at 5-all.

The game remained tied at five as another dramatic walk off win was produced by the Avenging Angels.  White's leadoff blast to center field broke the deadlock and gave Meredith the 6-5 victory.  It's was White's sixth home run on the season and gave her the team lead on the year.

Amanda Beirne picked up her ninth win in the relief appearance as she pitched 2.2 innings, striking out three.

Game Two:  Christopher Newport 4, Meredith 0:  The Captains held Meredith in check in the second game with the 4-0 win.  The Captains put across two runs each in the third and sixth innings and held the Avenging Angels to four hits.  White and Cole had doubles for Meredith.  Beirne pitched the complete game and picked up the loss as she gave up 12 hits and four strikeouts.

Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2

Softball Splits With The Hornets, Securing at Least a Top Five Finish

From Meredith Sports Information Department

Carrie looks to steal second base.

Raleigh, N.C. - The Meredith softball team split a home opener with the Shenandoah Hornets on Friday afternoon. The Avenging Angels (25-9, 11-5 USA South) took it to the Hornets (19-12, 8-8) in game one 12-4, while Shenandoah answered in game two with a 2-1 victory. Meredith has secured themselves at least a top five finish in the USA South and could get as high as second depending on the results on Saturday. The Avenging Angels have also eclipsed their USA South win total as they surpassed their ten wins in 2010.

Game One: Meredith 12, Shenandoah 4 - 6 innings: Shenandoah started quick out of the gate as a three-run home run in the top of the first gave the Hornets the 3-0 advantage. Meredith would answer with two in the first, six in the second and one in the fourth to give the Avenging Angels the 9-3 lead. Highlights by the Avenging Angels included doubles by Alex Warren and Amanda White and Warren's three-run homer in the second inning. Shenandoah added a another run in the top of the fifth inning to cut the Meredith lead to 9-4. Sara Cranford's three-run home run in the bottom the sixth inning gave Meredith the 12-4 lead and ended the game with the run rule. Jessica Dzeskewicz picked up the six inning complete game and her 11th win on the year.

Game Two: Shenandoah 2, Meredith 1: The second game saw the Hornets come out and throw a three-hitter on the Avenging Angels. The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when Meredith's White scored on a ground out to give the Angels the 1-0 lead. Shenandoah would add a run in the top of the fifth and sixth to take the 2-1 lead. Meredith had a chance in the bottom of the seventh as a single by Ashley Green followed up by a fielder's choice on Katelyn Whitehead moved the runners to second and third with no outs. Shenandoah's Brooke Over took control and was able to get out of the inning and take the win for the Hornets. Amanda Beirne took the relief appearance loss as she struck our four in the last four innings.

Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2

Video - Game 1
Video - Game 2

Cooke's Walk Off Home Run Gives Meredith Sweep Over Methodist

From Meredith Sports Information Department

Emily Cooke's walk-off bomb wins Game 2.

Raleigh, N.C. - The Meredith softball team swept the Methodist Monarchs on Tuesday afternoon in a USA South match up. The two victories were the first sweep of the Monarchs by the Avenging Angels in the USA South and Meredith is currently on a eight game winning streak, six in the USA South. Emily Cooke's walk off home run in the bottom of the seventh of game two sealed the deal for Meredith. Meredith (24-8, 10-4 USA South) is now currently in second place and await an important home stand as Shenandoah and Christopher Newport visit this Friday and Saturday.

Game One: Meredith 6, Methodist 5 - The Monarchs (23-12, 11-5) struck first in the top of the third as they scored one run to take the 1-0 lead. The Angels then avenged that run and added a few more as they put up three to take the 3-1 lead. Highlights included Alex Warren's walk that scored Sara Cranford and Amanda White's single to score Lorri Cole. A fielder's choice by the Monarchs allowed Warren to score. Meredith added another run in the fourth as Katelyn Whitehead singled to score Cooke. Methodist would add another in the top of the fifth, but once again Meredith added two of their own in the bottom of the inning to move to the 6-2 advantage. Ashley Green's triple scored pinch runner Tracy Kemp and Carrie Webster's single to center scored Green. The Monarchs last ditch effort in the top of the seventh only produced three runs as the Angels escaped with the 6-5 win. Jessica Dzeskewicz picked up the complete game win as she struck out five.

Game Two: Meredith 4, Methodist 3 - Meredith started with the runs early as the Avenging Angels put up three in the bottom of the first inning. Leah Friedman singled with one out to get on and Warren doubled down the left field line to score Friedman. White then followed that up with a triple to right field to score Warren. As Cole grounded out, White scored as she out ran the throw. The Monarchs would answer with single runs in the second, fourth and fifth innings to tie the game up at 3-all. The game remained deadlocked until the bottom of the seventh when Cooke's bomb to deep center field ended the game. Dzeskewicz (10-2) picked up the relief win in three innings work and her 10th on the year. Amanda Beirne pitched the first four innings and struck out two.

Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2

Video - Game 1
Video - Game 2  (starts at 1:33 in the video <1 hour, 33 minutes>)

Softball Traps the Vixens In Sweep

From Meredith Information Department

Avenging Angels get ready for the Vixens!

Sweet Briar, Va. - The Meredith softball team finished their Virginia road trip with a perfect 4-0 record as the Avenging Angels swept Sweet Briar on Sunday. Meredith took the games with a combined 31-1 score in only 10 innings played. With their sweep of Mary Baldwin on Saturday they have moved into fourth place in the USA South standings.

Game One: Meredith 17, Sweet Briar 1 - 5 innings: Meredith (22-8) fell behind early as the Vixens (0-6) took the early 1-0 lead. The Angels then put the throttle down as they scored ten runs in the top of the second to dominate the game. Meredith put up the 10 runs on eight hits as Amanda White's three run home run led the scoring in the onslaught. The Avenging Angels then added five more runs on Lorri Cole's lone hit and and six walks in the fourth inning. Meredith put two more across in the fifth as Shelby Decker's double sealed the game. White ended up with five RBIs while Alex Warren and Sara Cranford had two each. White also pitched the five inning complete game as she struck out eight to gain the win.

Game Two: Meredith 14, Sweet Briar 0 - 5 innings: The Avenging Angels continued to put runs across and take advantage of mistakes as Meredith had 15 hits and the Vixens gave up five errors. White had her second home run of the day as she put in two runs in the fifth inning. White had a total of five RBIs and a double for Meredith. Doubles were also added by Emily Cooke and Leah Friedman. Katelyn Whitehead and Tracy Kemp both added two RBIs to go with their three hits each. Jessica Dzeskewicz struck out four in the five inning complete game no-hitter and her eighth win on the year.

Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2

Softball Takes Fight Out Of Squirrels With Sweep

From Meredith Sports Information Department

Emily Cooke throws in from the outfield.

Staunton , Va. - The Meredith softball team continued their winning ways with a conference sweep of Mary Baldwin on Saturday. The Avenging Angels won game one 4-1 and game two 4-2. The wins gave Meredith a four game USA South winning streak.

Game One: Meredith 4, Mary Baldwin 1 - Meredith (20-8, 8-4 USA South) trailed early as host Mary Baldwin (5-21, 0-14) scored one run in the bottom of the first inning. Meredith avenged their deficit with four runs in the top of the fourth to take the lead. Ashley Green got the inning started and scored on an error as Jessica Dzeskewicz reached base on the play. Dzeskewicz then scored on an error with Sara Cranford getting on base. Alex Warren hit a home run to score two runs to give Meredith four runs in the inning. The game remained scoreless the rest of the way as Dzeskewicz (7-2) picked up the complete game win as she struck out seven batters and only gave up one run on two hits.

Game Two: Meredith 4, Mary Baldwin 2 - The Avenging Angels struck first as they scored two in the top of the second inning. Green singled to get on base and Emily Cooke followed her with a home run to score two runs for Meredith. Meredith added another run in the top of the third as Green sacrifice flied to left field to score Amanda White. The Fighting Squirrels put up a run in the bottom of the third to cut the Meredith lead to 3-1. The Avenging Angels would add another run in the top of the fourth as Whitney Williams singled to center field to score Cooke. Mary Baldwin added a run in the bottom of the fifth to finish the scoring and Meredith took the 4-2 win. Carrie Webster (4-0) picked up the complete game win as she struck out nine in her fourth win on the season.

Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2

Softball Sweeps the Bishops

From Meredith Sports Information Department

Meredith infield gets pumped up.

Raleigh, N.C. - The Meredith softball team swept N.C. Wesleyan on Wednesday in a USA South conference match up. The Avenging Angels took game one 3-2 and game two 4-0. Jessica Dzeskewicz picked up the wins in both games with a relief appearance in the first and a complete game in the second.

Game One: Meredith 3, N.C. Wesleyan 2: The Avenging Angels (18-8, 6-4 USA South) scored first as Emily Cooke's triple to right field scored Sara Cranford in the third inning. The Bishops (12-12, 3-9) answered with a run a piece in the fourth and fifth innings to take the 2-1 lead. Meredith tied the game up at 2-all in the bottom of the 6th inning on Amanda White's blast to left field. The game stayed tied until the bottom of the seventh as Sara Cranford's single to center field scored Kristen Piner from second base.

Game Two: Meredith 4, N.C. Wesleyan 0: Meredith held the Bishops scoreless as Dzeskewicz struck out seven for the win. The Avenging Angels took the early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first as White's single to right field scored Alex Warren. The game remained at 1-0 until the bottom of the 6th when the Angels put three more runs up on the board. Cooke scored on an RBI-single by Lori Cole. White and pinch runner Leah Friedman scored on errors by the Bishops.

Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2

Softball Splits Road Doubleheader with Panthers

From Meredith Sports Information Department

Alex Warren tags runner out at second base.

Ferrum, Va. - The Meredith softball team traveled to Ferrum to take on the Panthers on Friday in USA South action. The Avenging Angels and Panthers split the doubleheader with Meredith taking game one 3-2 and Ferrum game two 3-1.

Game One: Meredith 3, Ferrum 2 - Meredith (16-8, 4-4 USA South) broke the scoreless game in the top of the third when Alex Warren hit a solo home run to give the Avenging Angels the 1-0 lead. Ferrum (21-5, 5-3) answered in the bottom of the third and fourth as the Panthers put up a run in each inning to take the 2-1 advantage. The Angels avenged with two runs in the top of the fifth as singles by Lorri Cole and Amanda Beirne scored Emily Cooke and Amanda White. Beirne picked up her eighth win on the season in the complete game, striking out two and forcing 16 ground outs. Meredith outhit Ferrum 13-7.

Game Two: Ferrum 3, Meredith 1 - Just like in game one, Meredith got on the board first with a home run in the third inning. The Avenging Angels only run was put up on the board on the solo home run by White. The Panthers answered with three in the bottom of the inning as they had an RBI-single and an 2 RBI-double to take the 3-1 lead and finish the scoring for the game.

Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2

Softball Gains Split With Peace in StrikeOut Cancer Game

From Meredith Sports Information Department

Meredith and Peace softball teams play every year the Pink game.

Raleigh, N.C. - The two cross town rivals met on the softball field in a double header that was postponed from the the day before. The day ended in a split as Peace (10-14, 3-5 USA South) took the first game in a seven inning thriller 6-5 while Meredith (15-7, 3-3) took the second game 1-0. Meredith's win streak finished at 10 games.

Game One: Peace 6, Meredith 5 - Both teams started the game on the offensive. Emily Cooke's double starting the scoring as Leah Friedman came in to give the Angels a 1-0 lead. Lorri Cole's single then scored Cooke to put Meredith up 2-0. Peace then answered with two of their own in the bottom of the first to tie the score. The second inning then saw Meredith's Katelyn Whitehead score on an RBI by Alex Warren to take the 3-2 advantage. Peace then answered with three runs in the bottom of the fifth to take the 5-3 lead. The game remained at 5-3 until the top of the seventh when Ashley Green's 2-run home run in top of seventh tied the game at 5-all. Peace's Tatum Townsend knocked in the solo shot walk off home run in the bottom of the seventh to end the game.

Game Two: Meredith 1, Peace 0 - In the top of the first, Meredith struck early as Green scored on a double steal in the top of the first to give Meredith the early 1-0 lead. The game then continued scoreless for the rest of the game as Meredith took the 1-0 win. Meredith's pitcher Jessica Dzeskewicz picked up her fourth win of the season.

Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2

Softball Extends Streak to Ten with Sweep of Averett

From the Meredith Sports Information Department

Alex and Sarah get a little bit of Dawn wisdom on hitting.

Raleigh, N.C. - The Meredith softball team opened up home USA South conference play on Sunday with a sweep of the Averett Cougars with wins of 2-1 and 4-2. Meredith (14-6, 2-2 USA South) stretched their winning streak to 10 games on the bat of Alex Warren and the arm of Amanda Beirne.

Game One: Meredith 2, Averett 1 - 7 innings: Alex Warren put the Avenging Angels on the board as she started the bottom of the first inning with a lead off home run to give Meredith the 1-0 lead. The game would remain scoreless until the Cougars put one across in the third to tie the game at 1-all. The game remained tied until the bottom of the seventh when back to back singles by Sara Cranford and Warren put runners on first and second. Tracy Kemp came into pinch run for Cranford and Jessica Dzeskewicz came into to pitch hit for the Angels. Dzeskewicz hit a double to right field that just got past the fielder and scored Kemp to give Meredith the walk off win. Amanda Beirne gained her sixth win on the year as she struck out four in the seven inning complete game.

Game Two: Meredith 4, Averett 2 - 7 innings: The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the third when Emily Cooke's single to center field scored Warren to give Meredith the 1-0 lead. Averett answered in the top of the fourth as a two run home run by Emily Atkinson gave the Cougars (9-15, 1-5) the 2-1 lead. Warren answered in the bottom of the fourth as she hit a double to right field to score two runs. Katelyn Whitehead came up to bat next and blooped a single over the shortstop to score a moving Warren from second base. That would be all the Avenging Angels would need as Beirne picked up her seventh win and second complete game win on the day.

Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2

Video - Game 1
Video - Game 2  (starts at 1:33 into the video <1 hour, 33 minutes>)

Softball Finishes with 6-0 Record in Florida

From Meredith Sports Information Department

Time for fun at DisneyWorld!

Lake Buena Vista, Fla. - The Meredith softball team completed their play with a 6-0 record in Florida in the Disney's 2012 Softball Spring Training presented by Champion.  Brief updates are posted below:

Mar. 7  Meredith 11, Cedar Crest 0 - 5 innings:  Meredith opened their play in Florida with a 11-0 win over Cedar Crest on Wednesday.  The Avenging Angels were led from the circle by Jessica Dzeskewicz with a one-hitter and seven strikeouts.  Box Score

Mar. 7  Meredith 11, Cedar Crest 0 - 5 innings: The Avenging Angels once again topped Cedar Crest 11-0 in game two.  Freshman Amanda White threw a four hitter and struck out six in the victory.  Box Score
    
Mar. 8  Meredith 4, Alvernia 0:  Amanda Beirne pitched a complete game shut out in game one on the day and a win over Alvernia.   Box Score

Mar. 8  Meredith 6, Alvernia 2: Beirne followed up her earlier game with another complete game and a victory over Alvernia.   Box Score
    
Mar. 9  Meredith 10, Penn St.-Hazleton 0 - 6 innings: Dzeskewicz picked up the win in the 10-0 victory by Meredith.   Box Score

Mar. 9  Meredith 8, Brooklyn 0 - 6 innings: Carrie Webster gained the complete game 8-0 win.   Box Score

Sotball Plays In Virginia Wesleyan Beach Blast on Friday, Saturday Rained Out

From Meredith Sports Information Department

Friday was fun.. Saturday was completely rained out!

Virginia Beach, Va. - The Meredith softball team is playing in the Virginia Wesleyan Beach Blast this weekend. Updates from the games with brief highlights below.

Friday - March 2

Meredith 3, York (Pa.) 2 - Carrie Webster earned the win from the circle for the Avenging Angels and Amanda Beirne picked up the save. Meredith's offensive was highlighted by Emily Cooke's deep three-run home run to center field scoring Lorri Cole and Leah Friedman.

Meredith 1, Stevenson 0 - Beirne threw a complete game one-hitter in route to a win for Meredith as the Avenging Angels won 1-0. Beirne had 12 strikeouts in the victory. Sara Cranford scored the winning run in the sixth inning after her single got her on base and a fielder's choice by Alex Warren scored Cranford.

Box Score - Game 1

Box Score - Game 2

Saturday - March 3

Meredith vs. York (N.Y.) - CANCELLED

Meredith vs. John Jay - CANCELLED

Softball Swept in Conference Opener

From Meredith Sports Information Department

Getting ready to play at the UNC-G stadium in Greensboro, NC.

Greensboro, N.C. - The Meredith softball team started USA South conference play on Tuesday at Greensboro College.  The Pride swept the Avenging Angels in the double header, 3-0 and 9-1.

Game One:  Greensboro 3, Meredith 0 - Greensboro had some early hits as the Pride put two up on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning to give Greensboro the 2-0 lead. Meredith left bases loaded twice, as they stranded runners in the fourth and sixth.  The Avenging Angels threatened in the top of the seventh as a lead off triple by Carrie Webster gave Meredith a chance.  Jordan Zachmeyer would come to the plate as the potential tying run with two out, but struck out to the Greensboro relief pitcher.

Game Two: Greensboro 9, Meredith 1: 5 innings - The Pride would get things going early as they pushed one across in the first and five in the third. Amanda White broke the no-hitter in the fourth with a single.  She would get moved to third on a single by Lorri Cole and driven home by Emily Cooke on a fielder's choice.  The Pride would score three in the fifth to finish with the 9-1 win.

Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2

Softball Rolls to 4-0 Record in Triangle Spring Classic

From Meredith Sports Information Department

Getting ready to WIN!

Raleigh, N.C. - The Meredith softball team completed a perfect 4-0 record on the weekend as a co-host of the Triangle Spring Classic 2012.  They outscored their opponents 30-0 in a combined eight innings on Saturday as they defeated the College of St. Elizabeth's 17-0 and Salem College 13-0.  They followed up two wins on Friday over Eastern Mennonite and St. Augustine's.

Game One:  Meredith 17, College of St. Elizabeth's 0 - 5 innings:  The Avenging Angels rolled to a 17-0 win over the visiting Eagles.  Meredith scored five in the first, four in the second and eight in the fourth to take the victory.  Highlights for Meredith included a triple by Emily Cooke and doubles from Amanda White, Cooke, Jessica Dzeskewicz and Jordan Zachmeyer.  Dzeskewicz picked up the one-hit win and struck out seven for Meredith.

Game Two: Meredith 13, Salem 0 - 5 innings:  Meredith began where they left off in the game against Salem.  Meredith pounded out 15 hits and 13 runs in just four innings of offensive as they scored two in both the first and second, five in the third and four in the fourth.  Ashley Green's two run home run to left center field led the scoring in the fourth. Beirne and Cooke also added doubles for Meredith.  Green and Beirne also had four RBIs a piece.  Beirne earned the win complete game win as she only gave up one hit and struck out nine.

Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2

Softball Sweeps in Opening Day of Triangle Spring Classic

From Meredith Sports Information Department

Raleigh, N.C. - The Meredith softball team opened the Triangle Spring Classic 2012 with two wins on Friday.  The Avenging Angels downed St. Augustine's 4-3 in the 1 p.m. game and then took down Eastern Mennonite 2-0 in a rain shorted six inning game in the last game of the day.

Game One: Meredith 4, St. Augustine's 3 - Meredith (2-4) opened with a 1-0 lead in the first inning as Amanda White hit an RBI-single to score Ashley Green. Meredith added another in the second inning as Leah Friedman had an RBI-walk to score Sara Cranford. St. Augustine's would answer with one run in the top of the third to cut the Angels lead to 2-1. Meredith added two more in the fourth inning as White had an 2-RBI double to left-center field to score Friedman and Amanda Beirne. St. Augustine's answered with two in the top of the seventh, but fell just short as Meredith secured the 4-3 win. Pitcher Carrie Webster picks up the win while Beirne secured the save.

Game Two: Meredith 2, Eastern Mennonite 0 - 6 innings - The game remained scoreless until the top of the fifth when Katelyn Whitehead scored on a throwing error by Eastern Mennonite's first baseman. The Avenging Angels would add to their total in the sixth inning as Emily Cooke doubled to left field to score Alex Warren. The game would end as a downpour came after six complete innings. Beirne secured the win in a the six-inning complete game as she struck out six.

Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2

Softball Narrowly Swept at Randolph

From Meredith Sports Information Office

Amanda Beirne pitched the first game of the double header.

Lynchburg, Va. - The Meredith softball team traveled on Saturday to face Randolph College.  The Wildcats swept the Avenging Angels in two close games 7-6 and 5-4.

Game One:  Randolph 7, Meredith 6 - Meredith got out the gate quick as the Avenging Angels scored first on a solo home run by Amanda Beirne.  Randolph would score two in the second, four in the third and one in the fifth to take the 7-1 lead.  Meredith would not give up as they put three across in the sixth and two in the seventh inning to just fall short 7-6.   Highlighting the scoring in the sixth was a three-run home run to left-center field by Lorri Cole.

Game Two: Randolph 5, Meredith 4 - Both teams scored in the first and Meredith's Jessica Dzeskewicz singled in the second inning to put a Alex Warren across to take the early 2-1 lead. The Wildcats (2-0) would score four in the bottom of the third to give them a 5-1 lead and all the runs they would need.  Meredith (0-4) added two more in the sixth with Amanda White's 2-RBI single to score Katelyn Whitehead and Warren.  White also had doubles in the first and second innings for Meredith.

Box Score - Game 1 
Box Score - Game 2

Softball Swept By Division II Anderson (SC)

From Meredith Sports Information Office

Sara Cranford looks to throw to third.

Raleigh, N.C. - The Meredith softball team opened their season on Sunday against Division II Anderson (SC) on Sunday.  The Avenging Angels were swept by the Trojans on a very cold afternoon 11-4 and 15-6.  

Game One: Anderson 11, Meredith 4 - The Avenging Angels (0-2) took the early 1-0 lead in the second inning as Emily Cooke's single to center field scored Sara Cranford.  The Trojans (6-2) would add one in the third and two in the fourth to take take the 3-1 lead. Meredith would score three more in the bottom of the fourth.  Scoring was highlighted by RBI walks by Carrie Webster and Ashley Green and Cooke scoring on a passed ball. Meredith gave up a lot of scoring opportunities as they stranded 11 runners in the first four innings.  Amanda White had a double and a triple while Green had a double.

Game Two: Anderson 15, Meredith 6 (5 innings) - Anderson opened the first inning with 10 runs and took the commanding 10-0 lead.  Meredith's offense was highlighted in the second inning where they scored five runs.  Singles by Lorri Cole, Carrie Webster and Kristen Piner's RBI-single set up a White's first career grand slam to cut the lead to 10-5. Anderson then scored three in the top of the third and two in the fourth to end the game.

Box Score - Game 1 
Box Score - Game 2

Meredith Athletic Department in Support of Softball Program

 Jackie Myers, an Eden, North Carolina, native, joined Meredith College in 2002 as the Athletic Director. She came to Raleigh after nine years as the women's basketball coach and assistant athletic director at Geneva College in Pennsylvania. Previously, Myers was the women's basketball and tennis coach at Elon College and held the same duties at Pfeiffer College. She was inducted into the Elon College Sports Hall of Fame in 1990 and is also a member of the Eden, North Carolina, YMCA Sports Hall of Fame.

Wendy Jones joined the Meredith College athletics program in September 2012 as the interim sports information director and was promoted to assistant athletic director/sports information director in April 2013. As part of her leadership role, Jones will manage NCAA and USA South compliance efforts for the department and support the student-athlete affairs program for the Avenging Angels.

Sharon Malley is the Head Athletic Trainer for Meredith Athletics.  She serves a dual role as an Assistant Professor of Health and Exercise and Sports Science. Sharon joined Meredith College in 2001.