Softball splits West Georgia series, improves to 4-2

The GCSU softball team picked up three more victories this past week, sweeping a doubleheader against Queens (N.C.) on Feb. 11 and then splitting a doubleheader against West Georgia on Feb. 17, with all action coming at home.

Most recently, in the West Georgia doubleheader, the Bobcats rallied in the opener for a 5-4 victory. GCSU raced out to an early 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the first. Sophomore pitcher Haley Burnett came through with a two-run single, plating freshman catcher/infielder Kelsea Martin and senior center fielder Allison Schwimer to make it 2-0.

The Wolves tied the game in the fourth with a pair of unearned runs, snapping Burnett’s 17-inning shutout streak on the mound. West Georgia gained a 4-2 lead with two more runs in the top of the sixth.

The Bobcats responded, however, in the bottom half of the inning. Burnett led off with a walk, and sophomore catcher Anna Parker followed with a sacrifice bunt. Then junior outfielders teamed up, as Belourse Jean-Francais walked and Lauren Potts laced a three-run homer over the left field fence, just past the outstretched glove of the Wolves’ leftfielder to give GCSU the 5-4 lead. Burnett picked up her third straight win on the mound, throwing another complete game.

A pair of big innings from the Wolves plagued the Bobcats in the second game. The Bobcats jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first thanks to a two-run single from Burnett and a two-run homer by Parker. West Georgia responded with five runs in the second to take a 6-4 lead. The Bobcats cut the lead in half in the third on an RBI single by Parker and later tied the game in the fourth on an RBI single by Martin to make it 6-6. The Wolves got four more runs in the fifth, however, to extend their lead to 10-6 and hung on for an 11-8 victory.

Burnett tossed a three-hit shutout in the opening 2-0 victory over Queens. She struck out six batters in the effort. The Bobcats broke a scoreless tie in the bottom half of the fifth inning.

Freshman catcher Kali Carswell led off with a single. Later in the inning, sophomore pitcher/outfielder Sabrina Chandler brought in junior pinch runner Kati Pickowitz on an RBI double to make the score 1-0.

The Bobcats added an insurance run in the sixth. With one out, Burnett walked, and Potts followed with a double, advancing Burnett to third. An RBI fielder’s choice by Carswell brought in Burnett to make it 2-0.

GCSU had more success in the second game of the Queens doubleheader. After falling behind 1-0 through half an inning, the Bobcats struck for three runs in the bottom of the first. A two-out single by Burnett plated Martin to tie the game. A hit batsmen and a fielder’s choice gave the Bobcats two more runs and a 3-1 advantage. GCSU extended its lead to 5-2 in the fourth on a two-run triple by senior infielder Kayla Smith. The Bobcats pushed their final run across in the sixth on another RBI single by Burnett to make it 6-2.

Freshman Kristi Rodriguez went the distance on the mound for the Bobcats, picking up her first collegiate win.

“It feels really good and exciting. I thought we did really well,” Rodriguez said. “I think we’ve got some exciting things ahead looking towards the rest of the season, especially as much as we’ve already grown.”

Rodriguez and Burnett are just two of what is a predominately young team with only a couple of seniors in the starting lineup.

“It is a new young team, but they’re hardworking and dedicated,” head coach Ginger Chaffinch said. “We did a better job today with runners in scoring position, and our pitching has been pretty solid.”

“We just need to make a few adjustments and execute better,” Chaffinch added. “We have some defensive miscues we need to cut down on.”

GCSU (4-2) returns to action with six games this weekend at the Charger Chillout, hosted by the University of Alabama at Huntsville. The Bobcats are at home Tuesday to kick off Peach Belt Conference play, hosting Georgia Southwestern for a doubleheader. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.

Posted by Scotty Thompson on Feb 19 2010. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry