Fifth-Seeded Charleston Advances with 5-1 Victory Over Fourth-Seeded Stony Brook

Fifth-Seeded Charleston Advances with 5-1 Victory Over Fourth-Seeded Stony Brook

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Dylan Smith

PHOTO GALLERY | HIGHLIGHTS
 
ELON, N.C. – A dominant effort from Mackenzie Mathis and two-RBI afternoons from both Halle Cannon and Samantha Horn propelled fifth-seeded Charleston past fourth-seeded Stony Brook, 5-1, in the opening game of the 2026 CAA Softball Championship.
 
Cannon went 3-for-3 at the dish with a pair of RBIs and two runs scored. Horn’s lone double of the afternoon brought two runs across, while Austy Miller produced a multi-hit effort with a 2-for-4 showing at the plate. The latter also drove in a run and scored once.
 
Cannon started the contest off with a bang as she belted a two-run blast to deep center to put the Cougars up 2-0 in the opening frame.
 
The Seawolves slashed their deficit in half, 2-1, in the bottom of the first inning after Ella Hayes smashed a 2-2 pitch over the left-field wall for a leadoff solo homer.
 
Mathis was nearly unhittable after surrendering the early run, tossing five straight scoreless innings, surrendering just one hit following the first frame and seeing no runner move past second base. She also retired nine batters in a row and posted a pair of 1-2-3 innings. The sophomore finished with five strikeouts in her six innings of work.
 
After a scoreless second stanza, Charleston put a two-spot on the board in the top of the third. Back-to-back singles from Austy Miller and Cannon set up a two-out, two-run double to the alley in left-center, giving the Cougars a 4-1 edge.
 
The Cougars tacked on one more run in the top of the seventh, utilizing an RBI single up the middle to bring Julia Sitterding around to score for a 5-1 lead.
 
Ryley Kutter came on in the seventh and shut the door with a 1-2-3 frame, including a strikeout to end the game to seal the four-run victory.
 
The Cougars will return to action on Thursday, May 7, when they take on top-seeded Hofstra at 12 p.m. Stony Brook will play in tonight’s elimination game against the losing team of the current matchup between No. 3 Campbell and No. 6 Elon. First pitch is slated for approximately 5:00 p.m.
 
Wednesday, May 6
Game 1: No. 5 Charleston 5, No. 4 Stony Brook 1
Game 2: No. 3 Campbell vs. No. 6 Elon - 2:30 p.m.
Game 3: No. 4 Stony Brook vs. Loser of Game 2 - 5 p.m.
 
Thursday, May 7
Game 4: No. 1 Hofstra vs. No. 5 Charleston - 12 p.m.
Game 5: No. 2 UNCW vs. Winner of Game 2 - 2:30 p.m.
Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Lower Seed of Games 4 & 5 Losers - 5 p.m.
 
Friday, May 8
Game 7:  Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5 - 12 p.m.
Game 8: Winner of Game 6 vs. Higher Seed Games 4 & 5 Losers - 2:30 p.m.
Game 9: Winner of Game 8 vs. Loser of Game 7 - 5 p.m.
 
Saturday, May 9
Game 10: Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 9 - 12 p.m.
Game 11: If Necessary - 2:30 p.m.
 
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