Related: Softball Snaps Skid With Sweep Of Winston-Salem State
WILSON – An RBI single from Savannah Melvin and a perfect squeeze bunt by Toni Nelson gave the UNC Pembroke softball team the runs it needed to snag a 6-4, extra-inning game two victory over Barton Tuesday afternoon at Jeffries Field after the Bulldogs took game one, 5-4.
The Braves (17-20-1) have now won three of their last four after dropping nine in a row, while Barton (11-16) suffers its first loss in the past five contests. UNCP leads the all-time series 21-12.
A five-run second inning propelled the Bulldogs to the game one triumph, as the Black & Gold comeback attempt fell just short. UNCP outhit Barton 9-7.
UNCP scored a single run in the fourth on a Lexie Coxe single and added two more in the fifth when Melvin pushed Jamie Johnson home on a sacrifice fly and Whitney Jackson scored on a Barton error. The final Braves tally came in the seventh when Taylor Gerhart scampered home on another Bulldog miscue.
Outside of the second inning, UNCP hurler Katie Saunders (9-11) retired 15 of the 16 Barton batters, allowing just one hit. The senior allowed five runs on seven hits in her 14th complete game of the season, striking out two and walking one.
Sierra Shipley was the lone Brave to notch multiple hits, going 2-for-3 at the dish, while seven other Braves tallied a hit apiece. Gerhart scored two runs and Johnson and Jackson each crossed the plate once. It's Johnson's team-best 34th run scored this season.
In game two, UNCP continued to thrive in extra innings, improving to 4-0-1 in games beyond seven innings this season.
The Braves jumped all over Barton early, grabbing a 4-0 lead in the second inning. Coxe got the Black & Gold on the board first with a sacrifice fly, her 10th RBI of the season. Morgan Davis doubled the lead with an infield single before Johnson doubled to plate Nelson and Davis. It's RBIs 27 and 28 for Johnson this season, good for second on the team.
Barton chipped away at the UNCP lead, scoring once in the second and twice in the second before tying the game in the latter half of the sixth.
With the international tiebreaker rule in effect, Abbey Walters was placed on second to begin the Braves eighth inning. She was pushed to third on a Gerhart sacrifice bunt and scored the eventual winning run when Melvin singled to left. Pinch running for Melvin, Haleigh Epperson scored UNCP's sixth and final run on a 1-out squeeze bunt from Nelson.
Walters (4-5) earned the win in relief, tossing three innings of scoreless, one-hit ball. Taylor Strickland started the game in the circle, going the first five innings. The freshman surrendered two earned runs on eight hits. Both UNCP pitchers struck out one Bulldog and issued one base-on-balls.
The Braves spread nine hits amongst eight batters, as Johnson was the only batter with two knocks. The sophomore third baseman has now reached base in seven-consecutive games. Gerhart, Epperson and Walters each swiped a bag. It was Walters' 20th stolen base of the season, good for fourth in the Peach Belt Conference. Her .418 season batting average is tied for fourth in the league.
UNCP will begin a 10-game home stand Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader against league foe Augusta at LRA Field. The Jaguars are 12-26 overall and maintain a 1-9 mark in PBC play. The Black & Gold have dropped three straight to Augusta and trail the all-time series 15-39.
