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PEMBROKE - The first victory over No. 17 Armstrong State in eight years highlighted a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader split for the UNC Pembroke softball team Saturday evening at LRA Field.
The Braves (25-22-1, 11-9 PBC) opened with a 3-1 win, the first victory over the Pirates since 2008 and fifth all time, pushing their winning streak to a season-high seven games. No. 17 Armstrong State (30-10, 14-4 PBC) prevented a sweep with a 7-0 win in game two and now lead the all-time series with UNCP, 36-5.
The Black & Gold remain fourth in the PBC standings, looking for their first trip to the league tournament since 2011. The top eight teams will participate in the tournament April 22-23 in Milledgeville, Georgia. The Pirates currently sit second in the PBC race.
UNCP struck first in the opening affair and is now 16-5-1 this season when plating the game's first run. Morgan Davis led off the third with a single to right and advanced to second on a Jamie Johnson sacrifice bunt. After a groundout, Abbey Walters delivered a two-out single to push David home.
Armstrong State answered in the fourth with a single tally to knot the game at 1-1, but the Braves delivered the final blow in the fifth, scoring two runs on three hits, all with two outs. Davis laid down a bunt single ahead of a Johnson triple, her second of the season. Whitney Jackson then switched places with Johnson, tripling to right to cap off the inning.
Katie Saunders (14-11) continued her dominant run in the circle, tossing her fifth-consecutive complete game with two earned runs or less. The senior allowed four hits and struck out one Pirate, while walking four on 100 pitches. In her last five starts, Saunders is 5-0 with a 1.20 ERA and her season ERA is down to 3.04, the lowest it's been since February 17.
Jackson, Walters, Davis and Taylor Gerhart all registered two hits apiece and Davis scored two of the three UNCP runs. In her last 10 games, Davis is hitting .360, raising her season average from .268 to .290.
Game two was scoreless through four frames, but the Pirate bats came alive in the fifth and sixth, scoring twice in the fifth and adding five tallies in the sixth to put the game out of reach.
Taylor Strickland (5-6) was the recipient of the Armstrong State late explosion, allowing seven runs in six innings on eight hits. The freshman walked five Pirates and struck out two. Walters tossed a scoreless inning in relief.
The Braves' four hits came from Johnson, Jackson, Davis and Toni Nelson. Johnson was 1-for-2 in both contests Saturday, extending her hitting streak to 14 games and on-base streak to 17.
UNCP will enjoy two days off for the first time in over a week before hosting Belmont Abbey (13-25, 7-9 Conference Carolinas) in non-conference doubleheader action Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. at LRA Field. The Crusaders swept Converse Saturday after dropping a pair to No. 7 North Georgia Wednesday. The Braves have won 12 of the 12 all-time meetings with Belmont Abbey, including 10 straight. The most recent meeting came in 2012.
