Box Scores (Game 1 | Game 2)

PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke softball team's bats were red hot Sunday afternoon at LRA Field, as the Braves set a school record for runs in a doubleheader and eased past visiting Elizabeth City State 24-0 and 19-0 in a pair of mercy-rule affairs.

The Braves' (9-4) 24 runs in the opening game ties a single-game program record, matching a 24-6 victory over North Carolina Central on Feb. 19, 1998. The 24-run margin of victory passes a 21-0 drubbing of Fayetteville State in 1991 for the largest margin of victory in UNCP softball history. The Vikings (0-4) remain winless this season, while the Braves improve to 7-2 at home in 2017.

A school record 25 hits, including 23 singles, powered the Black & Gold offense to 18 runs in the first two innings of game one before tacking on five more in the third and a lone tally in the fourth.
Freshman Alex Watkins was a perfect 3-for-3 at the dish with an RBI triple in the first inning. Her .529 batting average ranks second in the Peach Belt Conference (PBC), trailing only teammate Abbey Walters (.561).

Nine other Braves chipped in a pair of hits in the 24-0 triumph, including junior Taylor Gerhart who drove in four runs and scored three more with a 2-for-5 performance at the dish. Walters also scored a trio of runs and drove home one. Fourteen different UNCP players racked up at least one hit.

Walters (5-1) hurled the first four innings in the circle before giving way to freshman Malerie Leviner in the fifth. Walters allowed three hits and struck out six Vikings on just 40 pitches. Her 1.08 ERA ranks fourth in the league.

After scoring 11 runs in the second inning of game one, the Braves used a 10-run second inning in the second tilt to open up a 14-0 lead after two. UNCP tacked on four more runs in the third and one in the fourth.

Walters went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, four runs scored and an RBI, while junior Jamie Johnson was 3-for-5 and scored a pair of runs. Gerhart drove in four runs with a 2-for-2 performance to give her eight RBIs on the day. Her 21 RBIs this season leads the PBC, while Walters is tied for second with 19 driven in. Freshman Shelby Thomas notched three RBIs on a 2-for-2 outing, including a double.

Leviner (1-3) tallied her first collegiate win in the circle, going the distance with six strikeouts. The freshman allowed five hits and needed just 59 pitches.

The lethal UNCP offense now leads the league in batting average (.417), on-base percentage (.478), slugging percentage (.640) and stolen bases (39).

The Black & Gold will now travel to Duncan, South Carolina for the Mid-South Classic Saturday and Sunday. UNCP will do battle with Barton (5-3) and Converse (0-6) at noon and 4 p.m., respectively Saturday at Tyger River Park.