NEWBERRY, S.C. – The Georgia College Softball team (2-8) worked as split and nearly had a sweep at one of the top teams in the southeast Saturday, taking the first game of a doubleheader from Newberry College (12-2).

The Bobcats won the first game 12-3 in five innings, then were upended 5-4 in game two.

Game one had two big innings for GC, a seven-run first and a five-run fourth. Freshman Brooke Lougher (Suwanee, Georgia) got the scoring started with an RBI single through the right side, and junior Haley Howell (Rochelle, Georgia) followed with a three-run home run. Senior Amber Coy (Warner Robins, Georgia) added a two-run single in the inning. The big blow of the fourth was a two-run double by Howell.

Howell finished 2-for-3 with five RBIs. Coy had a 2-for-3 game as well, adding two RBIs and two runs.  

Sophomore starter MacKenzie Michels (Lilburn, Georgia) benefitted from the run barrage, throwing 3 2/3 innings with just a single earned run. Michels improves to 1-1 on the season, picking up her first collegiate victory.

In game two, the Bobcats led 4-0 after two innings, thanks to a two-run single from Howell in the first, and the first career home run for freshman Samantha Vinson (Jefferson, Georgia) in the second, a two-run bomb to left.

Newberry cut the lead in half with two in the fourth, inched closer with a run in the fifth and took the lead with two more in the sixth. The Bobcats had the tying run on base in the seventh, but couldn't bring her across.

Howell had another 2-for-3 game with the two RBIs. Coy and sophomore Jessie Barre (Pooler, Georgia) had two hits each, Coy scoring a run and stealing a base. Sophomore Ariel Edenfield (Dublin, Georgia) took the loss (0-3) allowing two unearned runs in two innings.

The Bobcats are back in action Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 3 p.m., playing host to the University of West Georgia.

The Georgia College Department of Athletics, two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup and the 2017 PBC Sportsmanship Institution of the Year, 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.