Related: Softball Opens Conference Play With Sweep Of Lander
SALISBURY – After falling 6-1 in game one, the UNC Pembroke softball squad blasted three home runs in game two, including an extra-inning grand slam from Jamie Johnson, pushing UNCP past No. 17 Catawba 8-6 in eight innings Monday afternoon at Whitley Softball Field.
The Braves move to 11-8-1 with the split and have now won four of the last five. UNCP took two of three games from the Indians this season and Catawba sees its record sit at 14-7.
Two crooked innings cost the Braves in game one, as Catawba posted three-run frames in the third and fifth. A two-out, three-run home run put the Indians up 3-0 in the third and they put together four hits in the sixth to stake claim to a 6-0 advantage.
The lone UNCP run came in the seventh after Johnson ripped a one-out single to right center and stole second, her team-best 12th swipe of the season. Johnson scored on a Walters single to left.
The Black & Gold could not find the key hit, leaving nine runners on base, including six in scoring position.
Senior Katie Saunders (6-5) tossed all six innings in the circle, surrendering five earned runs on eight hits. She struck out one and walked one, while throwing just 67 pitches. Toni Nelson was the only Brave to notch multiple hits, going 2-for-3 at the dish.
The home run barrage in game two saw the Braves knock a season-best three balls out of the park, bringing their season total to 10.
Nelson was the first Brave to go deep, sending a ball over the left-center field wall in the opening frame. The three-run blast plated Gerhart and Walters to give UNCP a 3-0 lead.
After Catawba pulled within 3-1 in their half of the first, Whitney Jackson led off the Braves' third with her second home run of the season, a slot shot to straightaway center.
The Indians once again answered, scoring a single run in the fourth and two more in the sixth to know the game at 4-4. Both teams went scoreless in the seventh to send the game to extras.
With the international tiebreaker rule in effect, Nelson was placed on second to begin the UNCP eighth. Savannah Melvin then walked, but the next two Braves were set down via strikeout. Pinch hitter Carleigh Brooks sent a two-out single down the left-field line to load the based for Johnson. The Black & Gold third baseman then sent a 2-1 pitch over the left-field wall for a go-ahead grand slam, her first long ball of the season.
Catawba would plate two runs in their half of the eighth, but that was all they could muster, giving UNCP its 11th win of the season.
Junior Abbey Walters (3-1) notched her sixth complete game in the circle, going all eight innings while allowing four earned runs on 11 hits. She struck out four and walked two on 101 pitches.
Jackson went 3-for-5 with the home run and a double, while Walters added three hits in a 3-for-4 effort.
The Braves will jump back into Peach Belt Conference play Wednesday, hosting a doubleheader with Francis Marion. The squads split a twinbill last season, but Francis Marion holds a 41-14 advantage in series history. UNCP will put its perfect 2-0 conference record on the line and the Patriots come to Pembroke at 2-2 in league play. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at LRA Field.
