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Kiser's no-hitter, Castaneda's 2 HR help No. 9 Shorter sweep Point
By Matt Green
EAST POINT, Ga. – Kaitie Kiser tossed a Game 1 no-hitter, Jackie Castaneda hit two homers in Game 2 and Shorter University totaled seven homers over two games as the No. 9 Lady Hawks scored a two-game sweep of Point University in non-league softball action on Wednesday in East Point. Shorter (4-0) swept the doubleheader by scores of 7-0 and 16-0.
In the opener, Kiser was dominant in the circle while Emily Clements and Charlsie Broome stroked home runs en route to the 7-0 win.
Kiser, playing in her first season with the Lady Hawks after transferring from Carson-Newman, struck out 10 and walked none over seven innings to record her first career no-hitter with Shorter. Only an error in the second inning denied Kiser (2-0) a perfect game.
With Kiser cruising on the rubber, Shorter's offense kicked into gear late to seal the win. Up 1-0, Shorter got a leadoff homer from Clements – her second of the season – in the fourth to go up 2-0 and Broome led off a three-run fifth with her second homer of the year. Clements added a two-run double in the fifth to put Shorter ahead 5-0.
Two Point errors led the two Shorter runs in the seventh to account for the 7-0 final.
Broome went 3-for-4 in Game 1 while Clements finished 2-for-4 with the three RBI. Amanda Dailey added two hits and a double for Shorter, which totaled nine hits. Kiser needed just 85 pitches and faced one batter over the minimum.
In the nightcap, Castaneda went deep twice and Shorter pounded out 19 hits on its way to a 16-0 victory.
Castaneda, who hit five home runs in all of 2011, hit her second and third homers of the young season and finished a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate in Game 2. She totaled four RBI and scored three runs for the Lady Hawks.
Gracie Ayers, Courtney Bailey and Lauren Millsaps hit their first home runs as Lady Hawks as Shorter blasted five homers in the second game to give the team 13 home runs in its first four games of the year.
Shorter was up 7-0 after two innings and put the game away with a seven-run fourth that extended its lead to 15-0. 14 of the 17 players that recorded an official at-bat for Shorter ended up with at least one hit.
Bre Johnson (2-for-3, 2 RBI) and Bailey (2-for-2, RBI) were the only Lady Hawks other than Castaneda to record multiple hits. Shorter completed the rout with the five round-trippers serving as its only extra-base hits.
Maddie Bray got the win in the circle in Game 2 after she allowed two hits over two innings with four strikeouts. Millsaps and Kayla Byrom also threw for Shorter in the nightcap.
Shorter takes a week off before traveling to Decatur, Ala., former site of the NAIA Softball National Championship, where it will host the Alabama Arctic Blast tournament Feb. 23-25. Shorter is slated to take on Campbellsville, Indiana-Southeast, Milligan, Thomas, Bryan, Martin Methodist and Point over the three-day event.
