Bobcats fall short in final round of PBC

Stephen Boland
@gcsunade

The Georgia College Bobcats finished runners-up this past weekend at the Peach Belt Conference Tournament.

The Bobcats hosted the tournament, and the home field advantage tipped the odds in their favor in their first game as they beat Francis Marion University 9-5 in the quarterfinals.

Sophomore infielder Faith Flanders led the way for the Bobcats in the opening game, going 2-for-4 at the plate with 5 RBIs and a two-run home run.

“I finally relaxed at the plate, and I looked for a strike and just hit it,” Flanders said.

The Bobcats continued their winning ways in the semi-finals by beating Armstrong State 5-3 in a come-from-behind-win.

Going into the bottom of the sixth inning, the Bobcats were trailing, but had the bases loaded when Freshman left-fielder Holland Coursey came to the plate. With one swing of the bat, Coursey gave the Bobcats the lead with a well-timed single.

The Bobcats had only four hits in the first five innings before the team caught fire in the sixth.

Unfortunately for the Bobcats, their hot streak ended in the PBC Championship game with a 2-0 loss to the University of North Georgia.

North Georgia’s pitcher Courtney Poole allowed only two hits and had five strikeouts over seven innings against the Bobcats.

The Bobcats made things interesting in the bottom of the seventh inning, putting runners on first and second base, but were unable to capitalize on the opportunity.

“We get to the big [games], but we just got to close them out,” Flanders said.

The Bobcats will now try to look past the loss, and put their eyes on the NCAA Division II tournament. The Bobcats are making history by hosting their very first regional tournament.

“To have the regional on your home soil is great. You get to sleep in your own bed, and you get to go through your same routine,” said Assistant Coach Kayla Lucas.

The Bobcats will look to capitalize on their home field advantage with regional tournament games starting May 8.

“I think our only weakness is adjusting to the pitching we are facing, but I think if we can work on that at practice, we’ll be able to win at regionals,” sophomore outfielder Danielle Bernstein said.