Boxscore

By Michael Hokanson, Sports Information Assistant

COLUMBUS, Ga. – Cougar Classic Tournament kicked off with No. 9 Georgia College softball (7-0) facing off against the Knights of Bellarmine University (4-3). After seven scoreless innings, Georgia College scored the first run of the contest, securing a 1-0 victory.

The first game Georgia College played at Columbus was nothing less than a battle of attrition. Bobcat pitcher Carly Lewis (Seymour, Tennessee) locked down the Knights in each inning and recorded 87 strikes out of 131 pitches. Bellarmine's Ally Foster matched Lewis's performance, keeping the Bobcats scoreless for seven frames. 

With zeroes across the board, the game went into the eighth inning and Bellarmine upped their 
offensive, putting two runners on bases. Quick fielding from the Bobcats caught a Knight attempting a steal, and a pop fly ended the Knights' time at bat. The Bobcats ended the game in the bottom of the eighth. 

Baylee Hall (Hephzibah) led off with a walk, and a pair of outs put her on third with two down. Third baseman Taylor Campbell (Warner Robins) ripped a clutch single to centerfield to plate Hall and end the game.

Powerful performances from each team's pitcher kept the game scoreless through regular play. Bobcat junior Lewis stood in the circle for all eight innings, keeping the Knights at bay throughout the contest. She only gave up three hits, walked three and fanned seven, improving to 4-0. Bellarmine's Foster went 7 2/3 innings, scattered six hits for the one run, walked two and struck out four. 

Bobcat first baseman Faith Flanders (Dublin) was the only player to post a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 with a pair of singles. Neither team managed an extra-base hit.

The Bobcats take the field again tomorrow, Feb. 13, when they take on the Golden Tigers of Tuskegee University beginning at 2 p.m., followed by a battle with Miles College at 4:30 p.m. 

The Georgia College Department of Athletics, two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup, 
sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at @GCBobcats on Twitter and Facebook for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit GCBobcats.PhotoReflect.com to purchase photo prints from home athletic contests.