Box Scores (Game 1 | Game 2)

PEMBROKE – For the second time in as many seasons in a UNC Pembroke softball uniform, senior Abbey Walters held an opponent hitless Saturday in a 13-0 whipping of visiting Barton. The Braves also won the backend of the doubleheader 13-0 to complete the sweep at LRA Field.
 
The sweep runs the Braves' (7-2) winning streak to five and they have now scored at least 13 runs in three-consecutive games and toppled an opponent by the mercy rule in three-straight contests for the first time in program history. Barton (2-2) falls back to .500 after recording just two hits in Saturday's action, both singles in game two.
 
The rout was on early in the day's first game, as the Black & Gold scored four runs in the first and three more in the second to stake claim to a 7-0 lead through two innings. After a scoreless third, UNCP tacked on six more runs in the fourth to extend the advantage to 13-0 in the five-inning triumph.
 
Walters (4-0) faced three batters over the minimum in her no-hitter, as she walked one batter, allowed one to reach after a wild pitch on a strikeout and saw one Bulldog reach on an error. The Bladenboro native struck out a season-high seven batters and induced six ground outs and three fly outs. She dropped her team-best ERA to 0.54, a clip good for fifth-best in the Peach Belt Conference (PBC).
 
At the dish, three Braves racked up a pair of hits, including a 2-for-2 performance from Walters. Jessica Auld and Kaitlynn Norton each went 2-for-3 with a run scored. Jamie Johnson and Taylor Gerhart both drove home a trio of runs with one hit, while Auld tacked on an RBI double and an RBI single.
 
It was déjà vu for the home side in game two, as the Black & Gold trounced Barton by a 13-0 margin in five innings for the second time. A trio of runs in the first followed by five in both the second and third innings accounted for all the UNCP runs behind 12 hits.
 
Johnson, Walters and Alex Watkins all registered a pair of hits, as nine Braves in total recorded at least one base knock. Walters and Watkins each drove home three runs, while Eden Brown plated two on an RBI, pinch-hit single.
 
Johnson led off the game with a solo shot to left center, her first long ball of the season. Watkins joined the home run party in the second with her first-career home run, a two-run bomb to straightaway center.
 
In all, the Braves ripped seven extra-base hits to give them 35 this season, a mark that is tops in the PBC. UNCP also leads the league in runs, doubles, home runs, RBIs, total bases, stolen bases and slugging percentage through the season's first nine games.
 
Sophomore Taylor Strickland (2-0) made the start in game two and tossed four scoreless innings. She allowed just two hits and lowered her season ERA to 1.17. Freshman Malerie Leviner closed the door in the fifth with one strikeout, one ground out and one fly out.
 
Walters now leads the conference in RBIs (16) and home runs (5), while Johnson has swiped a league-leading nine bases after one in each game Saturday.
 
The Black & Gold returns to the diamond Sunday in a road twinbill with Limestone. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m. at Babe Ruth Field in Gaffney, South Carolina. The Saints (6-2) had won six straight to start the season before being swept by USC Aiken 8-0 and 4-1 Saturday.