By Jacob Plecker. BOONE, N.C. – Trailing by two runs entering the fifth inning, the App State Softball team needed a spark to close the game. They found that in a huge way with 10 runs in the final two innings, including four home runs, helping App State post a run-rule victory over the Georgia Southern Eagles 10-2 on March 22.

The Mountaineers didn’t record a hit until the fourth inning of play but tallied seven hits across the last two innings.

Madison McIntyre helped spark a six-run fifth inning with a solo home run over the left-field wall, which was the Mountaineers’ (10-19, 1-4 SBC) first long ball at their new stadium. McIntyre struck again in the sixth inning for a two-run homer, marking her first career multi-homer game at the collegiate level. The freshman first-baseman tallied three RBI on the day and has five runs driven in heading into the series finale on Sunday.

App State went ahead for good in the fifth inning after Leah Gore belted a high-arching grand slam over the left-field wall after seeing the Eagles (19-13, 3-2 SBC) make a pitching change. Gore’s go-ahead grand slam was App State’s second of the season. Makayla McClain provided the last of the fireworks as she hit a walk-off two-run home run into right-center field, her fourth of the year, helping send the Mountaineer faithful home happy.

Left-handed pitcher Sophie Moshos dazzled in the circle for the Mountaineers in game 2, going the distance while allowing just two runs. Both runs came with two outs in the third inning. Moshos struck out three hitters, putting her at 396 for her career, and posted her sixth win of the season.

How it Happened

The Mountaineer defense started the contest strong on Saturday, posting a 1-2-3 top of the first inning. Moshos tallied the first strikeout of her day to close the frame. Macy Hamby worked a one-out walk in the bottom of the first and stole second, but App State couldn’t get her home, leaving the game scoreless after a full inning.

Another perfect inning by Moshos sent the Mountaineer bats right back into the dugout, and Marti Henkel drew the Mountaineers’ second walk of the game. Georgia Southern didn’t let Henkel get past first base, however, and kept the score at 0-0 entering the third.

The Eagles saw their first baserunner reach to lead off the third inning, a walk to Madi Gillespie. McIntyre helped record the first out of the inning by making a diving play in foul territory on a sacrifice bunt attempt before a fielder’s choice quickly tallied the second out. But Georgia Southern struck first with back-to-back doubles to plate two runs with two outs. It would be the last time the Eagles scored in the game.

Trailing for the first time in the game, the Mountaineer bats went quietly in the bottom of the third, but Moshos didn’t let that stop her as she stranded the bases loaded to keep App State’s deficit to just two after three and a half innings. App State recorded its first hit in the bottom of the fourth, a two-out double by Henkel, but she was tagged out after sliding past the bag.

Moshos continued to keep the Eagles in check in the fifth inning by working around a walk to throw up another zero. Then, the App State bats woke up and took the lead in the bottom of the fifth.

App State’s six-run inning began with an out, but McIntyre’s first home run of the game trimmed the deficit in half as she shot the first home run at the newly constructed Sywassink/Lloyd Family stadium over the right-center field wall. With one out, Taylor Chumbley reached base on an error and Summer Simpson shot a single into left field to put runners on the corners for McClain.

PHILADELPHIA — A banner season for App State Wrestling ended Friday on Day 2 of the NCAA Championships.

Three-time NCAA qualifier Will Miller won an NCAA match for the second straight year, using a second-period pin in his 2025 opener at the Wells Fargo Center to reach the Round of 16, but consecutive losses eliminated him from competition. A pair of first-time NCAA qualifiers, junior Carson Floyd (No. 33 seed) and true freshman Stephan Monchery (No. 32 seed), joined Miller in Philadelphia and went 0-2 from their pigtail paths.

The SoCon Wrestler of the Year as a senior and the No. 13 seed in Philly, Miller finished the 2024-25 season with a 22-4 record and 84 career victories. Head coach JohnMark Bentley’s program won three SoCon regular season titles and three SoCon tournament titles during Miller’s four seasons.

That included a share of a regular season team title and a dramatic SoCon tournament team title in 2025, when the Mountaineers started freshmen at five of 10 weights after losing two top-16 NCAA finishers to P4 programs via the transfer portal and having two other SoCon champions with NCAA experience suffer season-ending injuries in the first dual.

Miller’s second-period win by fall Thursday against Southern Scuffle champion Gunner Filipowicz, the No. 20 seed from Army, and an 11-1 loss to No. 4 seed Terrell Barraclough, who transferred to Utah Valley after spending four seasons at Penn State, meant that he was one of 24 wrestlers left in the 165-pound bracket.

On Friday, his match against No. 30 seed Aiden Riggins was scoreless until Riggins executed a second-period reversal following a strong ride from Miller. Riggins didn’t allow an escape, so Miller opted to start the third period from a neutral position rather than from bottom with a 2-0 deficit, and Riggins’ third-period takedown for a 5-0 lead provided the key separation in a 9-1 major decision.

Miller arrived in Philadelphia with a 21-2 record this season but no pins. He picked a fine time to change that, completing a takedown of Filipowicz with six seconds left in the second period for a 3-1 lead and beating the clock by finishing off a pin one second before the period ended.

It was App State’s first win by fall at the NCAA Championships since Codi Russell produced one in 2019.

Barraclough improved to 30-2 this season by turning competitive exchanges into takedowns late in the first and second periods against Miller. Barraclough was 12-2 last season as Penn State’s backup to national runner-up Mitchell Mesenbrink.
Floyd wrapped up his junior season with a 28-10 record, raising his total to 66 career victories, while Monchery went 19-11 this season and qualified for the NCAAs as the SoCon champion despite starting the year with a 6-6 record.

Floyd trailed 11-3 on Thursday before he recorded a takedown and two near fall points in the final 10 seconds of a 12-8 loss against Army’s Wolfgang Frable (No. 32 seed) in their pigtail opener. Floyd put Frable on his back after attempting to cut and then quickly reengage with his opponent, but he ran out of time to do more damage.

Floyd cut his second-period deficit against West Virginia’s Ian Bush (No. 30 seed) to 4-3 in the next round with a second-period takedown and trailed by one again following a third-period escape, but Floyd was unable to secure a go-ahead takedown late in Bush’s 5-4 decision.

Monchery opened the event with a 9-0 loss to Purdue’s Hayden Filipovich and went through a scoreless first period in his next match against Wyoming’s Sam Mitchell, who rode out the second period. An escape, takedown and rideout for Mitchell in the third period resulted in a 5-0 decision.

The 2024-25 season was presented by Hungry Howie’s and Penn Station.

App State Wrestlers @ NCAA Championships

165: #13 Will Miller (22-4)

• • W, Fall (4:59) vs. #20 Gunner Filipowicz, Army
  • L, MD (11-1) vs. #4 Terrell Barraclough, Utah Valley
  • L, MD (9-1) vs. #30 Aiden Riggins, Iowa State

197: #33 Carson Floyd (28-10)

• • L, Dec (12-8) vs. #32 Wolfgang Frable, Army
  • L, Dec (5-4) vs. #30 Ian Bush, West Virginia

Hwt: #32 Stephan Monchery (19-11)

• • L, MD (9-0) vs. #33 Hayden Filipovich, Purdue
  • L, Dec (5-0) vs. #30 Sam Mitchell, Wyoming

By Jacob Plecker. BOONE, N.C. — In what was the team’s first home game of the season and first contest at its new facility, App State Softball got out to an early lead after a third-inning double, but couldn’t make it stand up as the Georgia Southern Eagles scored five times in the final three innings to claim a 5-3 win at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium on Friday. The Mountaineers scored two runs in the final inning of play, but important seventh-inning insurance runs provided the Eagles the right amount of cushion to secure the win.

App State (9-19, 0-4 SBC) tallied the first hit and the first RBI at its new stadium in the third inning. The first hit came courtesy of a two-out double by Summer Simpson, which helped spark a string of three straight hits to plate the first run. Makayla McClain drove home Simpson with a double to left-center field immediately following Simpson’s double. App State tallied five hits against the Eagles (19-12, 3-1 SBC), with four of them being doubles.

Sejal Neas started the Mountaineers’ home opener in the circle and posted a solid outing, allowing just one earned run in 4.1 innings. She carried a no-hit bid into the fifth inning. The senior held the Eagles in check through the first four innings despite seeing some traffic on the bases as she stranded four runners.

The Mountaineers were led offensively by Macy Hamby who tallied two hits in three at-bats. Macy Hamby tallied one of four Mountaineer doubles in the game with a shot off the right-field wall in the sixth inning. Madison McIntyre also posted a double in Friday’s game, which drove home App State’s second and third runs in the seventh inning.

How it Happened

Taking the field for the first time at its new home, Neas and the Mountaineer defense worked a scoreless top of the first, working around a lead-off walk and a stolen base to do so. Neas picked up her first strikeout for the first out of the inning, which drew an ovation from the Mountaineer crowd.

App State went quietly in its first at-bat, but Neas kept the score at zeroes after stranding two runners in the bottom of the second with a groundout. Both teams traded 1-2-3 frames in the next inning, but the Mountaineers struck for the game’s first run in the bottom of the third.

With both teams hitless entering the inning, Georgia Southern retired the first two Mountaineers via strikeout, but Simpson ended the no-hit threat by blasting a line drive to the right-field wall for a double. It was the first hit at the new stadium. Three pitches later, McClain laced a double of her own to the left-field wall to score Simpson and make it 1-0.

Not done yet, Hamby reached base on an infield hit down the third-base line and then stole second base to put two runners in scoring position with two outs. But the Eagles remained calm and forced a groundout to end the inning.

Neas and her defense responded to the Mountaineers’ score by posting the fourth consecutive scoreless inning of her start. App State saw a walk by Leah Gore to lead off the fourth inning, but a double play ended the threat with the Mountaineers still leading by one as action moved to the fifth.

Georgia Southern used two hits to even the score at one in the top of the fifth, breaking up Neas’ no-hit bid with a lead-off double. The Eagles scored thanks to a single to right by Emma Davis, which forced the Mountaineers to turn to their bullpen. Ava Beamesderfer came on and stranded the bases loaded to keep the score tied.

The Mountaineers went down quietly in the fifth inning and the Eagles scored two more times to take the lead in the sixth. App State retired the first two hitters in the inning, but Georgia Southern saw a two-out runner reach on a dropped third strike. After an infield hit to put two on, the Eagles’ lead-off hitter rung a double into the gap to score both runners, which gave them the lead.

Needing to answer quickly, Hamby reached second base via a double and advanced to third on a passed ball. This forced a pitching change, which proved to be the right move as Georgia Southern kept App State off the board. The Eagles used this momentum and scored twice more in the final inning to get to their final total of five runs.

App State didn’t go quietly in its final at-bat as both Marti Henkel and Julia Girk reached base to lead off the inning. Wasting no time, McIntyre smoked an opposite-field double into the outfield to plate two runs, closing the gap back to two runs. This forced a pitching change by the Eagles, and they turned back to their starter, Maddie Johnson, who closed out the game to secure the victory.

By Bret Stelow. PHILADELPHIA — App State Wrestling’s Will Miller advanced to Day 2 of the NCAA Championships with a 1-1 opening day that began with his first pin of the season.

The second-period win by fall Thursday afternoon against Southern Scuffle champion Gunner Filipowicz, the No. 20 seed from Army, and an 11-1 loss to No. 4 seed Terrell Barraclough, who transferred to Utah Valley after spending four seasons at Penn State, mean that Miller is one of 24 wrestlers left in the 165-pound bracket.

The 13th-seeded Miller will face No. 30 seed Aiden Riggins from Iowa State on Friday, with the winner earning a spot in the final 16 of that weight class. Consolation bracket wrestlers can clinch a spot in the final 12 with two wins Friday and All-America recognition as a top-eight finisher with three straight victories.

The quarterfinals at 165 include seven of the top eight seeds, with only a 12-5 “upset” disrupting that. Of the 80 quarterfinalists across 10 weights, only six have a higher seed than 13th.

Miller, the SoCon Wrestler of the Year, arrived in Philadelphia with a 21-2 record this season but no pins. He picked a fine time to change that, completing a takedown of Filipowicz with six seconds left in the second period for a 3-1 lead and beating the clock by finishing off a pin one second before the period ended.

It was App State’s first win by fall at the NCAA Championships since Codi Russell produced one in 2019.

Barraclough improved to 30-2 this season by turning competitive exchanges into takedowns late in the first and second periods against Miller. Barraclough was 12-2 last season as Penn State’s backup to national runner-up Mitchell Mesenbrink.

A pair of first-time NCAA qualifiers from App State, junior Carson Floyd (No. 33 seed at 197 pounds) and true freshman Stephan Monchery (No. 32 seed at heavyweight) both went 0-2 from their pigtail paths.

Floyd wrapped up his junior season with a 28-10 record, raising his total to 66 career victories, while Monchery went 19-11 this season and qualified for the NCAAs as the SoCon champion despite starting the year with a 6-6 record.

Floyd trailed 11-3 on Thursday before he recorded a takedown and two near fall points in the final 10 seconds of a 12-8 loss against Army’s Wolfgang Frable (No. 32 seed) in their pigtail opener. Floyd put Frable on his back after attempting to cut and then quickly re-engage with his opponent, but he ran out of time to do more damage.

Floyd cut his second-period deficit against West Virginia’s Ian Bush (No. 30 seed) to 4-3 in the next round with a second-period takedown and trailed by one again following a third-period escape, but Floyd was unable to secure a go-ahead takedown late in Bush’s 5-4 decision.

Monchery opened the event with a 9-0 loss to Purdue’s Hayden Filipovich and went through a scoreless first period in his next match against Wyoming’s Sam Mitchell, who rode out the second period. An escape, takedown and rideout for Mitchell in the third period resulted in a 5-0 decision.

The 2024-25 season is presented by Hungry Howie’s and Penn Station.

APP STATE Results at NCAA Nationals

165: #13 Will Miller (22-3)

• • W, Fall (4:59) vs. #20 Gunner Filipowicz, Army
  • L, MD (11-1) vs. #4 Terrell Barraclough, Utah Valley
  • Next: vs. #30 Aiden Riggins, Iowa State

197: #33 Carson Floyd (28-10)

• • L, Dec (12-8) vs. #32 Wolfgang Frable, Army
  • L, Dec (5-4) vs. #30 Ian Bush, West Virginia

Hwt: #32 Stephan Monchery (19-11)

• • L, MD (9-0) vs. #33 Hayden Filipovich, Purdue
  • L, Dec (5-0) vs. #30 Sam Mitchell, Wyoming

By Matt Present. CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Despite falling behind by six runs in the bottom of the first inning, App State chipped away at the deficit and ultimately put the go-ahead run on base in the ninth, before falling 7-6 to Charlotte at Hayes Stadium on Tuesday.

Summoned into action in the first inning, the App State (11-9) bullpen was sensational in the ballgame, with five relievers combining to work 7.2 innings, giving up just one run, while striking out 11.

Trailing 7-1 in the sixth inning, the Mountaineers scored the final five runs of the contest. Dillon Moquin led off the sixth with a single up the middle, and Joseph Zamora and Kameron Miller each walked to load the bases. After a sacrifice fly from Braxton Church, Charlie Evans reached on a fielding error to push a run across, and Tanner McCammon singled through the middle to push across another run and cut the deficit to 7-4.

After Carter Boyd ended the home sixth by picking up a strikeout to stand the bases loaded, the App State offense went right back to work. Tyler Lichtenberger and Moquin opened the seventh inning with back-to-back doubles, trimming the deficit to two. Later in the inning, Tyler Figueroa lifted a sac fly to center field to make it a 7-6 game.

Still down by a run in the top of the ninth, App State put runners at the corners with one out, following a walk and a single, but a double play put an end to the App State comeback effort.

Cody Little highlighted the effort from the App State bullpen, collecting a career-high five strikeouts across three innings of work. Jake Beaty fanned three more over 1.2 innings of work, while Boyd tossed two scoreless innings and picked up a pair of strikeouts.

Charlotte (10-9) opened the game with a bunt single followed by a two-run home run two batters later. The 49ers ultimately sent 12 men to the plate in the frame, scoring six runs on six hits, and took advantage of three walks in the frame.

Moquin and Lichtenberger led the offensive effort for the Mountaineers, extending their on base streaks to 16 and 19 games respectively.

The Mountaineers return to conference play this weekend, as the team heads to Statesboro, Ga. for a three-game series against Georgia Southern. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN+

By Jacob Plecker. SAN MARCOS, Texas. — Trailing by four after three outs of play and then falling behind five runs after the second inning, the App State Softball team used a great outing in relief by Sejal Neas to help its comeback effort, but the strong pitching and defense of the Texas State Bobcats sunk the Mountaineers in the series finale, the Bobcats winning, 6-4, on March 16.

App State (9-18, 0-3 SBC) saw a phenomenal outing by Neas over the final six innings of play as the senior kept Texas State (18-6, 3-0 SBC) off the scoreboard for each of the final four innings. Neas gave up zero earned runs in her 5.1 innings of work and helped settle things down for App State after the Bobcats scored four times in the first inning. This included leaving the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning with the Mountaineers trailing by two.

The Mountaineers outhit the Bobcats in game 3, seeing a 7-6 advantage. Makayla McClain and Grace Barrett both tallied a multi-hit game and the top four in the Mountaineer order posted six of the seven hits. Leah Gore smacked her team-leading fifth homer of the season out of right field and Summer Simpson helped spark a rally that resulted in a two-run third inning. Simpson gave App State good production out of the nine-hole in San Marcos as she recorded two hits and scored two runs.

It was a close series between the Mountaineers and Bobcats to open Sun Belt play, but the big inning bit the Mountaineers on both Friday and Sunday. App State surrendered a four-run first frame in both the series opener and the series finale. Take those innings away, and the two teams were separated by just three runs. In both games that App State allowed a four-run first, Texas State led wire-to-wire.

How it Happened

The Mountaineers went quietly in the top of the first inning as Texas State sat down the first three hitters it faced. The Bobcats saw walks to three of their first four hitters to quickly load the bases with one out in the bottom of the first. Sophie Moshos, the Mountaineers starting pitcher, recorded the second out of the inning, but back-to-back singles helped plate four first-innings runs. Neas came on to relieve Moshos and ended the inning, but the Bobcats led 4-0 after one.

Instantly responding, App State trimmed its deficit down to three runs with nobody out in the second as Gore shot a homer the opposite way for her fifth long ball of the year. Texas State didn’t let the Mountaineers get any closer in the second and maintained its three-run lead.

Texas State responded by scoring twice more in the bottom of the second inning to shoot its lead back to five. The frame started with a single by the lead-off hitter and then a crucial error on a sacrifice bunt attempt put two runners on for the Bobcats’ third hitter in their lineup. This resulted in a sac fly to make the score 5-1. After a walk to Aiyana Coleman, Neas struck out the next hitter for the second out, but a steal of second and throw through the pitcher plated the Bobcats’ sixth run. That was the last time Texas State scored in the game.

As part of this back-and-forth game, the Mountaineers bounced back and scored twice in the third inning to chip away at their deficit. Texas State retired the first hitter of the inning and then four straight hits by Simpson, McClain, Macy Hamby and Barrett plated two runs to make the score 6-3. Texas State made a pitching change after Barrett’s RBI hit and turned to Sun Belt Preseason Pitcher of the Year, Madison Azua, who retired the side and left two stranded.

Neas left a two-out double stranded in the third inning to post a scoreless frame and then posted her second consecutive scoreless frame in the fourth by striking out a batter. App State used the momentum from Neas’ work and scored again in the fifth inning to make it a two-run game.

McClain’s second hit of the day started the inning before Barrett whacked a single into right-center field to put runners on the corners with one out. The Bobcats retired the next hitters, but the Mountaineers executed a double steal as Barrett took off for second and made it safely which sent McClain home. A popout closed the inning, but it was just a two-run ballgame after five.

A quick inning from both defenses helped move action to the bottom of the sixth inning, which saw Texas State load the bases with two outs. Needing to keep the score where it was, Neas got to a two-strike count and saw a soft line drive snagged at third base by the jumping Olivia Cook, which kept the score at 6-4 into the final inning.

App State turned to Simpson to start the comeback effort, and she nearly opened the inning with a key knock, but a diving play in right field by Bailee Slack recorded the first out. Azua retired the next two hitters in order and sealed her third win of the weekend with a strikeout.

Friday Notes
Home runs
App: Gore (5)
TXST:

WP: Madison Azua (10-2): 4.2 IP, 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 4 strikeouts
SV: N/A
LP: Sophie Moshos (5-6): 0.2 IP, 2 hits, 4 runs, 3 walks, 0 strikeouts

Up Next
The Mountaineers will open their home schedule and the newly constructed Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium next weekend by playing host to the Georgia Southern Eagles. The Mountaineers will celebrate their 25th season of softball in the High Country all weekend long while also celebrating their alumni. The series will open on Friday with first pitch slated for noon. All three contests can be streamed on ESPN+. Admission to all home games is free.

By Matt Present. BOONE, N.C. — Despite being held hitless through the first five innings, App State put together a four-run bottom of the eighth, capped by a go-ahead home run from Juan Correa, to lift the Mountaineers to a 5-4 comeback win over Charlotte at Smith Stadium on March 11.

With John Kramer at second base after his two-run double to cut a three-run deficit down to one, Correa waited back on an 0-2 breaking ball and launched his eighth home run of the season over the left-center field fence, to give the Mountaineers a 5-4 lead over his former team.

The App State (8-8) pitching staff was excellent throughout the ballgame. Jack Zang allowed just an unearned run in the first inning in his App State debut and Luke Oblen needed just seven pitches to retire the side in order in the second inning, making his first collegiate appearance. Zach Lewis followed with a 1-2-3 third.

Bradley Wilson was one of two App State pitchers to throw multiple innings in the ballgame, facing the minimum over two scoreless innings – the fifth and sixth.

Joseph Zamora broke up the no-hitter with a one-out double in the bottom of the sixth inning, but the Mountaineers stranded two runners in scoring position.

After falling behind 3-0, with Charlotte (7-7) scoring a run in the top of the seventh inning, App State broke up the shutout in the home half of the frame. Tyler Lichtenberger and Tyler Figueroa led off the inning with back-to-back singles, and later in the frame, Braxton Church plated a run on a sac fly to the warning track in right field – just missing out on a game-tying home run.

Dillon Moquin, who reached base all four out of the leadoff spot, began the ninth inning with a walk. After a 49ers’ pitching change, Zamora and Kramer hit back-to-back doubles, forcing the 49ers back to their bullpen ahead of the Correa go-ahead blast.

After conceding a solo home run to begin the top of the eighth, Liam Best bounced back to work the final two innings in relief, earning his first win as a Mountaineer, capped by a three-pitch strikeout to slam the door shut in the top of the ninth.

App State will begin Sun Belt play with a three-game series against Texas State. First pitch on Friday is set for 6 p.m. with the middle game on Saturday slated for 3 p.m. The series wraps up on Sunday with first pitch set for 1 p.m. in the finale. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN+.