Related: Walters Tosses No-Hitter, Softball Clinches PBC Berth

PEMBROKE – Needing two wins to secure its seeding in the upcoming Peach Belt Conference tournament, the UNC Pembroke softball team conjured up two come-from-behind victories over Montevallo Sunday afternoon on Senior Day at LRA Field, 9-1 and 7-5.

The Braves (28-23-1, 14-10 PBC) locked up the No. 5 seed in next weekend's league tournament and now have more victories than any season since 2010. Montevallo (19-36, 3-19 PBC) sees its losing skid rise to 10 games and will wrap up its season Monday afternoon at No. 6 North Georgia.

On a day set aside to honor the Black & Gold seniors, the Braves playing their final home game rose to the occasion and showed why they have played such a crucial role in the success of the UNCP softball program. 

Senior Morgan Davis went a combined 5-for-6 at the dish Sunday, driving in two runs and scoring two of her own, while senior Whitney Jackson was 2-for-4 in the opener with two RBIs and three runs scored. Senior hurler Katie Saunders (15-12) tossed a complete-game gem in game one, allowing one run on five hits and notching one strikeout. Saunders saw her season ERA fall to 3.27, while Davis watched her batting average continue to climb, now at a season-best .319.

UNCP fell behind 1-0 in the second inning of game one, but responded in the third with four runs on four hits to stake claim to a 4-1 advantage. Toni Nelson secured the first RBI when she was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, allowing Jackson to ease her way home. After Taylor Gerhart scampered home on a wild pitch, Carleigh Brooks laid down a bunt single to score Nelson. The final tally of the frame came on a Davis single to center, plating Savannah Melvin. 

Two more runs crossed for the Braves in the fourth, as it was Jamie Johnson scoring on a wild pitch this time before Toni Nelson sent a sacrifice fly to right, allowing Jackson to score her second run of the game.

The final three tallies came in the fifth, in what turned out to be a walk-off, run-rule win for the Black & Gold. After two quick outs, the Braves' bats struck fire, rattling off four-consecutive hits. Jackson forced two runs home with a double to right center and then scored the winning run two batters later on a Falcon error. 

Johnson joined Jackson and Davis in the multi-hit club, going 2-for-4 at the top of the order with two runs scored. 

The Falcons jumped out to a lead again in the second affair, this time going ahead 5-0 through two-and-a-half innings. However, the Braves would score seven unanswered to complete their eighth sweep of the season. 

Johnson led off the third frame with a triple and came around to score UNCP's first run on a Falcon miscue. Nelson cut the deficit to 5-2 with a double to right center that scored Abbey Walters. 

The Braves produced their second four-run frame of the day in the fourth, using four hits to take the lead. Carleigh Brooks ripped a lead-off double to left and was followed by a Lexie Coxe walk and Davis single to load the bases. Two quick outs later, the Black & Gold were in need of a clutch hit to claw back and Walters delivered with a bases-clearing triple to right. That was followed by a Gerhart single to give UNCP a 6-5 lead.

The hosts tacked on the seventh run in the fifth on another RBI base knock from Davis, her fifth hit of the day.

Walters (8-5) had to work around three UNCP errors behind her, but rallied to go the distance, surrounding five runs, all unearned. The junior allowed nine hits, while striking out three Falcons and walking a trio. Her ERA dropped to a team-best 2.76 and opponents are hitting just .247 against the righty. Walters was 2-for-4 at the plate, driving in three runs and scoring a pair. She leads the team and is tied for fourth in the PBC with a .401 batting average. 

Johnson was a catalyst again in game two, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Gerhart and Brooks each had a pair of hits, as did Davis. 

The Black & Gold, who are making their first PBC tournament appearance since 2011, will play host and No. 5-seed Georgia College Friday at 4 p.m. in Milledgeville, Georgia. The Braves and Bobcats split a twin bill in Pembroke this season, a 6-3 UNCP win before an 8-0 Georgia College victory. The PBC tournament website with a bracket, ticket information, directions and more can be found here.