By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
Former Eastern Alamance softball standout Kenna Raye Dark was named the Pitcher of the Week in Atlantic Coast Conference softball after throwing the first no-hitter of her college career for North Carolina.
Dark blanked visiting Saint Joseph’s 10-0 on Sunday in the second game of the day for the Tar Heels. The game was reduced to five innings because of the mercy rule.
That gave the junior right-hander three complete games during a week’s span, working five innings in a 17-2 decision against visiting Elon last Wednesday and throwing a one-hitter in the 7-1 topping of visiting Harvard on Saturday. She had an 0.00 earned run average in 17 innings while recording 15 strikeouts and one walk.
Dark’s record dipped to 8-3 when the Tar Heels (18-4) lost 2-0 to visiting Michigan on Tuesday. She struck out five without a walk, but gave up eight hits.
- Tuesday at Durham, Elon lost 10-0 to 14th-ranked Duke (15-6) The only hit for the Phoenix came from Allee Seering’s single.
Elon (7-11) begins Coastal Athletic Association play with a three-game series Friday through Sunday against Hofstra at Hunt Softball Park.
Baseball
Western Alamance alum Kaden Smith homered in his second Division I game since 2022 as he has put together a solid opening stretch of the season for Charleston Southern.
Smith, a transfer who previously played for UNC Asheville and Wake Tech, hit a home run against Chicago. He also homered against Manhattan.
The outfielder and designated hitter batted .313 through his first nine games before going 0-for-4 with a walk in Tuesday night’s 4-3, 10-inning loss at Georgia Southern.
The Buccaneers (8-3) will play Friday through Sunday at Elon in a three-game non-conference series at Latham Park.
- Elon swept visiting Brown in a three-game series that ended Sunday. Declain Lavelle pitched shutout innings of the series finale as Elon won 5-0. Ryan Sprock and Hudson Narke completed the shutout with an inning apiece. Kenny Mallory Jr. hit a two-run homer as part of a three-RBI outing against winless Brown.
Mallory had three hits in Saturday’s 8-4 victory. Alec Welshans drove in three runs in Friday’s 12-2 triumph.
Elon took a 5-6 record to UNC Greensboro for a game that was pushed back to Wednesday night because of weather concerns earlier in the day.
