RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Meredith College softball team held on for a 5-4 victory over the visiting Christopher Newport Captains in game one of Saturday's non-conference doubleheader. The Captain's, ranked 16th in the NFCA's preseason poll, capped off the action with a 4-0 win in game two.

Game 1
In the bottom of the first inning, Erica Occena and Brittany Bucklin advanced on a pair of singles. Eran Artigues drove in Occena with a base hit to left, and Katie Kepley scored Bucklin to give Meredith an early 2-0 advantage.

CNU scored an unearned run in the top of two to bring Meredith's catcher Rachel Peel to the plate in the bottom of the frame. She advanced on a single, and Julia Allsbrook sacrificed her at-bat to move Peel to second. Haley Ervin beat out a throw to first to advance Peel to third, and Occena scored Peel with a single up the middle.

In the next inning Bucklin ripped a double down the left field line and scored later in the frame thanks to a misstep from the Captains. Annunziata blasted what would be the game winning run over the center field fence to give the Angels a 5-1 lead.

Newport scored their second run in the top of the fifth on an RBI-triple to right and added two more in the top of six thanks to the first of two home runs on the day from rookie Calah Savage. 

With one out and a runner at third, Occena threw a caught fly ball home to Peel to catch CNU's Leah Andrews at the plate for the win.

Taylor Jackson recorded her second win on the season allowing eight hits with three earned runs, three base-on-balls, and a pair of strikouts. Captain Tara Heatwole earned the loss allowing eight hits with four earned runs in three innings pitched.

Game 2
Occena and Bucklin put up a pair of base hits early in game two, but the Avenging Angels would not find a way around CNU's pitcher Aubrey Bates. The Captains peppered four runs through the first five innings to close out their opening day with a split.

Rookies Myah Morse and Julia Cerasi handled the pitching duties for the Angels with Morse earning the loss in her second start. Cerasi struck out three in three innings in her third appearance for Meredith.

Next up
The Avenging Angels host their second ranked opponent in Virginia Wesleyan next Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in the first of two weekend doubleheaders. The Marlins sit in 25th in the preseason national poll. Sunday, Meredith will face off with the McDaniel Green Terror of Westminster, Maryland.