Related: Seventh-Inning Comeback Aids Softball Split With Columbus State
AMERICUS, Ga. – Behind an impressive 11 runs on 11 hits, including two home runs, the UNC Pembroke softball team racked up an 11-0, run-rule victory in game one Sunday afternoon against Georgia Southwestern. The Hurricanes took game two, 5-4, on a walk-off walk in the seventh inning at Lady 'Canes Softball Field.
The Braves (14-11-1, 5-3 PBC) split their third-consecutive Peach Belt Conference doubleheader and sit sixth in the conference standings, while Georgia Southwestern (19-15, 4-4 PBC) is tied for seventh in the league race. It's the second straight year that UNCP and the 'Canes split a twinbill, including a run-rule victory by the Black & Gold both season.
The opening contest ended in a five-inning rout, as UNCP scored a pair of runs in innings one, two and four to claim a 6-0 lead. The dagger came in the fifth stanza when the Braves plated five runs on four hits to stretch the advantage to 11-0.
UNCP was ahead 1-0 before the 'Canes could blink, as sophomore Jamie Johnson smacked a home run to left field in the game's first at-bat. The second run of the opening frame came on a perfectly executed squeeze play from Toni Nelson, plating Whitney Jackson who had previously walked.
Two more Braves crossed the plate in the second inning on back-to-back RBI knocks from Johnson and Jackson. UNCP got two runs the easy way in inning four when Taylor Gerhart was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Nelson followed with a walk.
The five-run outburst in the fifth began with an Abbey Walters single through the left side with the bases-loaded, scoring two. Gerhart put the stamp on the frame with a three-run bomb to left, her fifth home run of the season.
Senior Katie Saunders (9-5) registered her second shutout and 10th complete game of the season, allowing just three hits in five innings. She struck out four 'Canes and walked two, seeing her team-low ERA drop to 3.21.
Walters had a team-high three hits in the contest, going 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs and a run scored. Johnson, Jackson and Bailey Jones all added a pair of hits. Johnson went 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs and three runs scored, while Jackson added a 2-for-3 effort with an RBI, two runs scored and a walk. Gerhart drove in four runs on one hit, adding a run scored.
The Braves dropped a heartbreaker in game two, seeing a 4-0 lead disappear over the 'Canes final four at-bats.
UNCP jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third when Walters ripped her fourth long ball of the season, a two-run shot that plated Jackson. The lead was extended to 4-0 in the fourth on another two-run home run, this one off the bat of Johnson, her second of the day and third of the season.
The 'Canes did not bow out amidst another deficit, scoring three runs in their half of the fourth to cut the UNCP lead to 4-3. An RBI groundout in the bottom of the fifth tied the game at 4-4. One Georgia Southwestern tally in the fourth was unearned, as was the run in the fifth.
Both teams were held scoreless until the last of the seventh when Georgia Southwestern put together an unconventional rally. After pitching the first six innings, Walters was relieved by game one starter Saunders to begin the seventh. The first batter of the frame singled before the Braves elected to intentionally walk the next Hurricane to put runners on first and second. Saunders struck out a pinch hitter for the first out, but hit the next batter to load the bases with one out. Saunders then walked the next batter, pushing the winning run across for the 'Canes.
Saunders dropped to 9-6 with the loss, recording just one out in relief. Walters allowed just two earned runs on three hits in her six frames. The junior struck out six, but struggled finding the strike zone at times, walking six batters. Walters' ERA is now 3.40.
Johnson led UNCP with three hits, a 3-for-4 effort with 2 RBIs and a run scored. She raised her season average to .389 with five hits across both games and extended her hitting streak eight games. Johnson has now reached base in 23 straight games dating back to Feb. 10. Walters also racked up a five-hit day and now leads the team and PBC with a .500 batting average and has recording a hit in 14 straight games. Both Walters and Gerhart notched 4 RBIs Sunday, bringing their season total to 26 apiece, best on the team and tied for sixth in the conference.
The Black & Gold will take a quick break from PBC play Wednesday with a road doubleheader against Newberry. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at the Smith Road Complex. The Braves and Wolves haven't met since 2009 and Newberry has won 9 of the 16 all-time meetings.
