Related: Softball Completes First Sweep Of Season
MURFREESBORO, N.C. – The offense erupted for the UNC Pembroke softball team in a 12-2 win in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader at Chowan to leave Hawks Field with a split after dropping the opening game, 8-3.
The Braves move their record to 5-5-1 and have now won by mercy rule two of the past three games. Chowan drops to 3-5 this season with the split. UNCP is 14-4 all-time against the Hawks.
Sunday's first game saw Chowan jump out to a 3-0 lead in its first at bat. The Black & Gold cut into the deficit in the third when Abbey Walters singled in Jamie Johnson for UNCP's first run.
The Hawks' tacked on three more runs in their half of the third, this time on a three-run home run to left to extend their advantage to 6-1.
The Braves once again pulled closer in the sixth, plating two runs via hits from Walters and Toni Nelson. But Chowan responded for a second time, scoring two of their own in the bottom half to seal the 8-3 victory.
Katie Saunders got the start in the circle for UNCP, lasting only two innings. She allowed six runs on eight hits before being relieved by Walters in the third. Walters tossed the final four innings, surrendering two runs on four hits. She struck out three Hawks and walked three.
Walters was a force with the bat as well, going 3-for-3 at the dish with two RBI and a run scored. She was the lone Brave to notch more than one hit and is hitting .436 on the year.
In game two, UNCP racked up its biggest offensive outburst of the season, scoring a season-high 12 runs on a season-best 15 hits.
The Braves opened the scoring in the first, taking a 2-0 lead. Walters reached on an error, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch before Taylor Gerhart ripped an RBI single up the middle. After a Nelson single, Savannah Melvin doubled down the right field line to plate Gerhart.
The Black & Gold offensive erupted in the third, racking up seven runs, all with two outs. With one out, Gerhart reached on an error and was followed by a Nelson single. Melvin then reached on a fielder's choice before Dickerson singled Gerhart home. Following a wild pitch that plated Melvin and a Morgan Davis walk, the Braves rattled off four hits in a row to score the next five runs. Lexie Coxe, Whitney Jackson, Johnson and Walters went double, single, double, single to effectively put the game out of reach.
Chowan pulled to within 9-2 in its half of the third and both squads were scoreless in the fourth. UNCP scored its final three runs in the fifth on hits from Johnson and Nelson. The Hawks couldn't score the five runs they needed in the fifth to extend the game, giving the Black & Gold its fifth win of the season.
Taylor Strickland continued her impressive run in the circle, tossing her fourth complete game of the season. She allowed two runs on three hits, while striking out two and walking two to drop her season ERA to 3.50.
Nelson was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate in game two to raise her team-high batting average to .467. Jackson, Johnson, Gerhart and Coxe all racked up two hits, while Walters, Melvin and Dickerson had one knock apiece. The trio of Jackson, Johnson and Nelson each drove in two runs while Gerhart scored a game-high three.
The Braves will head home for a Tuesday doubleheader with Wingate. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. at LRA Field. The Bulldogs are 4-2 this season and have taken 29 of the all-time 37 meetings with the Black & Gold. The teams split two games last season.
