Cougars Defeat Lander 10-9, Advance Again in PBC Tourney
COLUMBUS - The No. 21 and first-seeded Columbus State University softball team defeated fourth-seeded Lander University 10-9, advancing to the semifinal round of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament.
Elyse Ambrose put the Cougars up 3-0 in the bottom of the first inning with a three-run home run to left field. In the second, Caitlyn Canady doubled to center field to score Madeline Parker and give CSU a 4-0 lead.
Lander scored three runs in the third off of two hits and an error, minimizing Columbus State's lead. However, Brooke Miller extended CSU's lead to 5-3 in the bottom of the inning with a single to the shortstop.
The fourth inning was a home run derby as the Bearcats jacked one out and CSU's Nova Wright and Hannah Rose Corbin both hit bombs, Corbin's being a three run shot. Miller then collected another RBI, putting the Cougars ahead 10-4.
Lander tried to make a comeback, scoring two runs in the fifth and one in the seventh, but couldn't get past Jessica Lopez who came in and grabbed a save.
Corbin earned her 22nd win inside the circle, striking out three batters and allowing four runs scored.
Pacers Withstand Threat By Hurricanes In 3-2 Win
DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The University of South Carolina Aiken softball team topped third-seeded Georgia Southwestern 3-2 in the PBC Tournament Saturday afternoon.
The Pacers are now 20-31 on the season while the Hurricanes are 38-16 on the year.
Head coach Jaclin Poole's team broke the scoreless tie in the fourth inning. Emily Ayers was hit by a pitch and moved to second when Mallory Shaver laid down a sacrifice bunt. An error allowed Ayers to move to third. Grace Ann Thompkins came in as a pinch runner and hustled her way to second base on a steal.
Lauren Wexler reached on a bunt and moved to second. Her hit allowed Ayers to race home for the 1-0 advantage.
The Pacers moved the score to 2-0 with a run in the fifth frame. Jessica Stanley singled to second base and moved to second on a rocket to left field from Ayers. Shaver's base knock loaded the bases. Two batters later, Wexler singled home Ayers for the two-run advantage.
GSW knotted the score with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame, but USC Aiken quickly regained the lead. In the top of the sixth, Holly Daum blasted a single to right field and trotted to second when Stanley earned a base on balls. Shi Cain pelted a double to the gap in right center field to plate Daum for the one-run margin.
In the bottom of the seventh, Lakyn Phillips struck out one of the toughest hitters in Division II and then forced a groundout. The Canes, however, did not give up. GSW had back-to-back hits to put the winning run in scoring position. Phillips promptly ended the game on a swinging strikeout.
For the game, Shaver led the way with two hits while Wexler drove in two runs. Cain had a hit and one RBI. Stanley, Skylar Morley, Ella Stone and Daum all had hits. Ayers crossed home twice while Daum scored once.
In the circle, Payton Baker got the start and went 4.2 innings. She struck out three in the win. Phillips tossed the final 2.1 innings and had three strikeouts to pick up the victory.
The Pacers return to action Sunday at 12 p.m., in the PBC Semifinals.
No. 2 Nighthawks Find a Way, Advance to PBC Semifinal Round
DAHLONEGA – A battle-hardened University of North Georgia softball team fought through in the four-team double-elimination pod to earn its 50th win of the season and advance to the Peach Belt Conference Tournament semifinals on Saturday at Haines & Carolyn Hill Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park.
North Georgia 7, GCSU 1
After the Bobcats plated the first run of the game, North Georgia came alive scoring seven unanswered led by a career performance inside the circle by Aniston Wright (W, 1-0) and five different Nighthawks earning RBIs in the game.
Wright threw all seven innings, allowing just one run on three hits to earn the win. The sophomore from Senoia, Ga., was assisted by the North Georgia lineup led by Mariah Wicker, who added two hits in the game, scoring twice and driving in one run.
Sophie Mooney matched Wicker's hit total, driving in one run and scoring once. Jolie Lester and Madi Perry added to the run production, driving in one run each, while Olivia Sinquefield finished with a team-high two RBIs in the game.
North Georgia 9, Georgia Southwestern 6
A 4-0 deficit after the top of the first put the Nighthawks at an early deficit, but once again, UNG battled back, scoring two in the bottom half of the first and another two in the second. The Hurricanes would add one in the second and third before North Georgia took the lead, scoring twice in the fourth and three times in the fifth.
Mooney earned the win in the second game after working out of a jam in the first inning and pitching three and two-thirds innings, allowing two runs on three hits. Kristen Davis closed out the game in three innings of work, shutting down the Hurricane lineup by allowing no hits or runs while striking out three of the nine batters faced.
Madi Perry led a host of Nighthawks with multiple hits, finishing with three hits and two RBIs in four trips to the plate. Hannah Forehand and Gracie Mixson matched Perry's RBI total, earning two RBIs each. Forehand added a left-field blast in the fifth inning to take a 7-6 lead.
Sinquefield and Wicker joined the hit parade, tallying two as the Nighthawks finished with 13 hits in the game, allowing just four.
Next Up
The Nighthawks (50-6) will play in the PBC semifinals on Sunday (Apr. 30) at 12:00 p.m., looking to win two games against seventh-seeded USC Aiken to advance to the conference championship series.
Lander Walks Off Young Harris into Next Round
COLUMBUS, GA -- Logan Coward's walk-off game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning propelled the Lander Bearcats into the third day of the PBC Softball Tournament on Saturday evening. After holding leads of 5-1 and 8-6, the Bearcats found themselves kept off the scoreboard for three straight innings while the Mountain Lions tied the game, leading to Coward's heroics in the seventh.
With the win, Lander (29-17) moves into the third day of the double-elimination bracket and must defeat top-seeded Columbus State twice on Sunday in order to advance to the best-of-three championship series next weekend. North Georgia and USC Aiken are the remaining teams in the other half of the bracket.
Lander began Saturday's game strong, getting a three-run home run from Barbara Cook and a solo shot from Shannon Antonini to build up a 5-1 lead after two innings.
Young Harris answered with five runs in the top of the third, courtesy of two home runs, but Lander put up three more in the bottom of the third as Coward and Naya Jones both had RBI doubles.
Young Harris scored runs in the fourth and the sixth to tie the game at eight. In the bottom of the seventh, two errors and a walk loaded the bases with one out for Coward, who took the first pitch she saw to right field to score the game-winner.
Coward finished the game 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI. Saje Jones was 2-for-4 while Cook had three RBIs and Antonini two. Cook also picked up the win in the circle, pitching the final 1.2 innings with one hit allowed and two strikeouts.
Lander begins their quest for advancement in the tournament tomorrow in Columbus at 1pm.