>>GEORGIA COLLEGE
Georgia College & State University Softball (10-19, 6-6 PBC) has played two conference series in the past two weeks starting with three games over two days March 10-11, at Young Harris College (YHC).
They kicked off the series with a 10-9 loss Friday night but rebounded with 13-10 and 7-6 victories in Saturday’s doubleheader. It marked the first time since 2015 that Bobcat Softball has picked up the series win over YHC.
On Friday, the Bobcats scored first in the top of the second inning on a Madison Todd single to left field. GCSU had the lead until a solo shot in the fourth inning by the Mountain Lions knotted the game at one.
The game would stay tied until a sixth-inning surge put Georgia College comfortably in front 6-1. Mackenzie Martin kicked off the scoring with a two-RBI triple, then came around to score as Ashley Schell forced a YHC error. Schell would eventually score, too, as a speedy MacKenzie Hoffman forced another YHC error. Sydney Lancaster capped off the scoring for GCSU with a double rifled down the right-field line.
After no scoring response from the Mountain Lions in the bottom of the sixth, the Bobcat bats picked up where they left off as Jessica Owens delivered a deep double to right field for a 7-1 lead. Lauren Sommerer then brought Owens around on a ground out to the pitcher and the final run for GCSU came around on a single by Todd to give the Bobcats a seemingly unsurmountable 9-1 lead going into the bottom of the seventh.
However, the Mountain Lions still had plenty of fights left in them. Nine scores, with just one home run, three runs scoring on a double hit down the right-field line, and one run scored on a wild pitch, demonstrated a defensive breakdown for the Bobcats that left them on the short side of the 10-9 final.
On the mound, GCSU’s Jana Shellhorse got the start and in three-and-two-thirds innings allowed only one single on six hits. Shelby Jones then took over, pitching two-and-a-third innings and allowing five earned runs on seven hits, and Montana Ledbetter took her first loss of the season in her three innings of work as four runs came around to score.
On day two, the first game had some offensive firepower as 23 runs were scored on 28 hits between the two teams.
After GCSU was held scoreless in the top of the first inning, Young Harris immediately put up six runs, which included a grand slam homer.
GCSU chipped away at the YHC lead in the second inning, scoring three times. On a sacrifice fly by Lancaster, Hoffman advanced for the first run, followed by Emily Hobbs sending a two-RBI single up the middle that allowed Sommerer and Divina Checo to score.
After a scoreless bottom of the second, Hoffman tacked on the only run of the third inning on an infield single to give the Bobcats a two-run deficit at 6-4.
Young Harris responded, however, with a couple of runs to again double up the score at 8-4 heading into the fourth. And that’s when the GCSU bats exploded for nine runs, propelling them to the 13-10 win.
Owens kicked off the scoring with a single that sent Lancaster home from third base. Martin then added to her RBI total as Kam Caldwell and Hobbs scored, followed by Todd tying the game at eight with a single to the pitcher that allowed Jaycee Haycraft to reach home. To cap off the inning, Schell swung the big stick in sending a home run over the right-center field fence that also pushed Checo, Hoffman and Todd across home plate to complete the grand slam.
Though GCSU was held scoreless the rest of the game, YHC managed only single runs in each of the fifth and seventh innings and took the 13-10 loss.
Kaitlyn Anders got the start for the Bobcats and allowed eight runs on six hits in two innings of work. Jones got the relief effort and the win after pitching the rest of the way. Jones (7-4) allowed only two runs while picking up two strikeouts.
In game two of the doubleheader, the Bobcats again had to come from behind to nab the 7-6 victory.
After falling behind 4-0 in the first inning and then being down 5-0 after three, Todd hit her career-first home run in the fourth inning that also scored Martin and Owens.
A bases-loaded walk in the top of the sixth for Hoffman pushed Haycraft home, then Shea Zwiefel hit a sacrifice ball to left field that sent Todd home and boosted the Bobcats to 5-4 with their first lead in the game.
The Bobcats extended their lead to 7-4 in the seventh inning with scores by Hobbs and Caldwell and YHC was only able to respond with one more run to reach the 7-5 final.
Ledbetter started for GCSU and allowed three earned runs on three hits in her lone inning of work. Shellhorse got the relief effort to win after going six innings and allowing two earned runs on four hits, with seven strikeouts.