PEMBROKE – Needing two wins to climb to .500 on the season, the UNC Pembroke softball team did just that Saturday afternoon at LRA Field, downing Glenville State 3-2 and 9-1, the latter in six innings.
The sweep moves the Braves to 4-4-1 this year as they notched their first mercy rule win of the season. Glenville State drops to 2-6 with the setbacks and have now lost four straight contests.
In the opening affair, UNCP had to come from behind twice after trailing 1-0 and 2-1. The Pioneers opened the scoring in the second inning on a solo home run to left off the bat of Mackenzie Smith.
The Black & Gold responded in their half of the fourth to draw the game even. Taylor Gerhart and Toni Nelson led off with back-to-back hits before Savannah Melvin plated Gerhart on a fielder's choice.
Glenville State took its second lead in the fifth when Smith connected for a second time, this one a solo shot to left center.
Trailing by one with just nine outs left, UNCP put together a much needed rally in the fifth. Whitney Jackson reached on an error to lead off the frame and was followed by a bunt single from Jamie Johnson. After a Pioneer pitching change and a sacrifice bunt to put both runners in scoring position, Gerhart singled to right to for her team-leading 11th and 12th RBI of the season and a 3-2 UNCP lead.
Braves hurler Katie Saunders (3-3) sat down six of the final eight batters in innings six and seven to put a lock on UNCP's third win of the year. Saunders notched her sixth complete game of the season, striking out four Pioneers and walking one on 99 pitches. The righty surrendered two runs on just three hits and saw her ERA drop to 3.38.
Johnson and Melvin both racked up two hits, while Gerhart and Nelson added one each to total all six for the Braves.
A comeback was not necessary for the Braves in game two, as they led from start to finish in the mercy rule-shortened affair.
After two scoreless innings from both teams, the Black & Gold put two runs on the board in the third when Johnson singled up the middle to score Jackson and Lexie Coxe, the former unearned due to one of three Pioneer miscues.
Glenville State pulled to within one with a run in the fourth, but the Braves erupted for five tallies in their half of the fourth to extend the lead to 7-1. K.B. Smith knocked in the first run of the inning on a bases-loaded single that scored Gerhart. The second run scored on a double play before Jackson plated Coxe and Smith with a single up the middle. Another Pioneer error allowed the fifth run to cross for UNCP.
The Black & Gold tacked on a run in the fifth when Coxe doubled to right center, sending Summer Dickerson home. The dagger came in the sixth, a Dickerson sacrifice fly that scored Jessie Mangum to complete the sweep.
Freshman Taylor Strickland shined in the circle in game two, going all six innings and allowing just an unearned run on three hits to earn her first collegiate win. She struck out three Pioneers and walked three on 87 pitches. Strickland's ERA fell to 3.65.
UNCP's 10 hits were spread out amongst eight batters, with Jackson the lone Brave to notch more than a single knock. Jackson was 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Gerhart's 1-for-2 effort extended her team-leading hitting streak to seven games.
The Braves have a quick turnaround, hitting the road Sunday for a road twinbill at Chowan. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. The Hawks are 2-4 this season and have dropped 13 of the 16 all-time meeting with UNCP.
