RALEIGH, NC -- William Peace University softball went 2-1 in the Grand Slam Triangle Classic. The Pacers posted two shutout wins including a no-hitter for Katherine Murphy, and improve to 8-3 overall.

THE BASICS

• Final score: 
  • Game One: William Peace 5, Carnegie Mellon 0
  • Game Two: William Peace 4, Denison 9
  • Game Three: William Peace 15, LaGrange 0
• Records: William Peace (8-3)
• Location: Raleigh, NC

HOW IT HAPPENED
Game One

Katherine Murphy would shut down the Tartans early, striking out two batters at the top of the first. Nadia Pittman would hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Lauren Conway in the bottom of the 1st to give the Pacers a 1-0 lead.

Murphy would continue to hold off the Tartans, striking out 8 batters in 7 innings and allowing just 3 hits. In the bottom of the 5th, a single from Logan Ayers would score Lauren Conway to put the Pacers up 2-0. A single to center field from Megan McAnany would bring home Candice Smith, while a single to left field from Taryn Shelton would give the Pacers a 4-0 lead. Emily Puckett would drive home Megan McAnany for the final run of the game in the bottom of the 5th to put the Pacers up 5-0, with Katherine Murphy shutting down the Tartans from the circle.

Game Two
Denison would get out to a strong start in game two, with C. Ellwanger tallying an RBI in the bottom of the first with a sacrifice fly to put them up 1-0. A double from Ellwanger would add another run in the bottom of the third, while a homerun from A. Calderon would score 2 to give them a 4-0 lead.

Ellwanger would add 3 runs in the bottom of the fourth with a double, giving the Big Red a 7-0 lead. At the top of the 5th, Candice Smith would double down the left field line to score Lauren Conway and Caitlin Bobbitt to cut the Denison lead to 7-2. The Big Red would respond in the bottom of the 5th with a double from M. Ballentin to put them up 9-2.

At the top of the 7th, Adayna Day would hit a sacrifice fly to score Lydia Hunt and bring the score to 9-3. Preston Hawkins' single to left field would drive home Lauren Conway, but the Pacers were unable to add anymore runs and would fall 9-4.

Game Three
The Pacers would dominate the early game against the Panthers, with a single from Logan Ayers bringing home Dara Orr for a 1-0 lead at the top of the first. Dara Orr would hit a 3-RBI homerun at the top of the 2nd for a 4-0 lead. A fielding error would add another run for the Pacers, while a single from Taryn Shelton would bring home Logan Ayers and Candice Smith for a 7-0 lead at the top of the 2nd. Reanna Braswell would walk, bringing home another run for an 8-0 lead.

At the top of the third, a bases-loaded walk for Preston Hawkins would bring home Lauren Conway to increase the lead to 9-0. Taryn Shelton would bring home Candice Smith to put the score at 10-0.

At the top of the 4th, Claire Yancey's single would drive home Emily Puckett and Lydia Hunt for a 12-0 lead. Chloe Moore would bring home Adayna Day and Emily Puckett at the top of the 5th with a single to right field, while Anna Sugg's would get the final run on the board to score Claire Yancey and secure the 15-0 win. Katherine Murphy picked up her 6th win of the season as she threw for 5 innings and tallied 7 strikeouts while allowing no hits.

PACER TOP PERFORMERS

• Candice Smith went 3 for 4 in game one.
• Taryn Shelton went 3 for 3 in game one with 1 RBI and tallied 3 RBIs in game three.
• Katherine Murphy pitched 7 innings in game one, tallying 8 strikeouts, and pitched a no-hitter in game three with 8 strikeouts.
• Lauren Conway and Preston Hawkins each went 4 for 4 in game two.
• Dara Orr went 2 for 3 in game two with a 3-RBI homerun.

FOR THE FOES

• C. Ellwanger went 2 for 3 in game two with 5 RBIs.

NEXT GAME
The Pacers will head to Myrtle Beach for the Fast Pitch Dreams Spring Classic, beginning play against Blackburn College on March 9th at 9:30 AM.

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