Tiffany Vandergriff went the distance not once, but twice in leading the Buccaneer softball team to a sweep of their doubleheader against the Georgia Southern Eagles Saturday afternoon at Kiwanis Park.
The Buccaneers (8-17, 4-4) won the first game, 6-0, and received some late inning heroics from Jessica Hodge in the second game to pull out a 3-2 victory over the Eagles (13-24, 4-4).
Vandergriff pitched all 14 innings Saturday afternoon, evening her record at seven wins and seven losses, and was not phased about pitching two complete games back-to-back.
“I’ve pitched 10 innings before, so it was nothing,” she said. “We had good defense out there.”
Head Coach Stephanie DeFeo was pleased with her pitcher’s performance and went by the old saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
“She was keeping them off balance, and it was working,” she said. “She was still on (in the second game). Everything was working great.
“I had confidence in her to keep it going,” DeFeo said.
On the offensive side in the first game, Vandergriff was helped by shortstop Melonie Collins, who went 2-for-3 with two doubles and four RBIs (runs batted in).
Collins got the Buccaneers’ offense started in the bottom of the third inning with a two-run double that scored Vandergriff, who singled earlier in the inning, and Hodge, who reached on a base-on-balls.
The Bucs offense got another boost from Collins in the fifth inning when she hit another two-run double that scored Vandergriff and Hodge once again making the score 4-0.
“I was seeing (the ball) well,” Collins said. “I was staying in and hitting it solid.”
ETSU capped the game’s scoring in the sixth inning when Andrea Roberts belted a two-run single that drove home Judith St. Clair, who doubled earlier in the inning, and April Arnold, who reached on a base-on-balls, giving the Bucs a 6-0 victory.
Vandergriff struck out five with zero bases-on-balls, giving up only two hits in seven innings pitched, one against the Eagles’ leadoff hitter Meghan Correia, who doubled in the first inning.
After Correia’s double, Vandergriff retired 14 consecutive batters having that streak broken in the top of the fifth inning when the Eagles’ Julie Peel reached base off an error by the Bucs’ first baseman Miranda Byerly.
Vandergriff also helped out her cause at the plate, where she went 2-for-3 with a base-on-balls and two runs scored.
In the second game, Vandergriff got off to a rocky start, giving up one run off three hits in the first inning, but DeFeo was not worried about her pitcher.
“I have incredible faith in our defense and in Tiffany,” she said.
The Eagles’ Shannan Hoobin had one of those hits; an RBI single that scored Julie Peel, who singled earlier in the inning.
Georgia Southern added another run in the fourth inning off a single to right field by pitcher Aimee Littlejohn, scoring Hoobin, who doubled to leadoff the inning giving the Eagles a 2-0 lead.
The Buccaneers responded in the bottom of the fourth with a RBI double to left-center field by St. Clair scoring Hodge, who singled and stole second base in the inning.
Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth, after a pop out to third base by Byerly and a strikeout by Shawnda Cole, the Bucs April Roberts singled to get the offense going.
Vandergriff once again contributed to her efforts on the mound by belting a single and moving Roberts to second.
After April Arnold came in to pinch run for Vandergriff, Jessica Hodge stepped to the plate and belted a two-run triple to left field that brought Roberts and Arnold both home and gave the Bucs the lead 3-2.
Vandergriff would not give up another run the rest of the way, going the distance once again with six strikeouts and two bases-on-balls in seven innings pitched and also going 2-for-3 at the plate with a run scored.
Hodge also had a tremendous second game at the plate going 3-for-3 with two singles and her game winning triple.
Even though the Bucs got off to a rough start this season; DeFeo is pleased with the way her team is playing as of late.
“We’re coming together better,” she said. “We have a good combination. we’re finally meshing and learning how to win.”
“When you keep winning it gets easier,” DeFeo said.
The Bucs will be in action again with a doubleheader at Virginia Tech April 4 at 2 and 4 p.m.

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