DUE WEST, S.C. – The Georgia College & State University Softball team (18-8) rebounded in a big way Tuesday at Erskine College (10-5) dropping a tough 2-1 opener then battering the Flying Fleet with a 15-2 victory in game two.

Game one was decided by the pitchers. Erskine's Kelly Ingle threw a complete game, allowing seven hits and five walks for just a single run with six strikeouts. Bobcat juniors Jana Shellhorse (McDonough, Georgia) and Shelby Jones (Kissimmee, Florida) kept pace with Ingle. Shellhorse (7-2) threw the first 4 2/3 innings with five hits and a pair of walks for the two runs. Jones entered in the fifth and threw a hitless 1 1/3.

The Bobcats had seven hits, but none went for extra bases. Leftfielder Madison Todd (Suwanee, Georgia) was 2-for-3 with the lone RBI on a sacrifice fly. Centerfielder MacKenzie Hoffman (Rocky Face, Georgia) added a pair of singles in four trips.

GCSU made it interesting in the seventh, when Kam Caldwell (Athens, Georgia) reached on an error and after a pair of singles, scored on Todd's sacrifice fly. The Bobcats then had the tying run on third and go-ahead score on second but couldn't get that final clutch hit.

The Bobcat offense exploded in a big way for game two, ending the contest 15-2 in five innings. GCSU rattled off 15 runs on 10 hits and also took advantage of seven walks.

The big inning was the six-run fifth, highlighted by a two-run double from rightfielder MacKenzie Martin (Dacula, Georgia).

Martin finished 3-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored. She also stole a base. Designated player Ashley Schell (Cumming, Georgia) had a 3-for-3 game, driving in a run and scoring another. Shortstop Emily Hobbs (Ochlocknee, Georgia) had a pair of hits in four at-bats, including a double. She scored twice and drove in a third. Todd tallied four RBIs for game two, finishing with five for the day.

Jones (8-4) and sophomore Kaitlin Anders (Makanda, Illinois) split time in the circle in game two. Jones went two innings with two runs on a single hit and a walk. Anders tallied three shutout innings, with a walk and a strikeout.

The 18 victories this season are the most for Bobcat Softball since 2019. The 13 non-conference wins this year are more than GCSU had in its overall 2022 season.

The Bobcats are back in action Saturday, March 18 at 1 p.m., beginning a series at USC Aiken with a doubleheader.

Owning the top Academic Success Rate among public schools in Division II, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won three-straight Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of both the PBC Commissioner's Cup and the PBC Institution of the Year Sportsmanship Award. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' continued appearances in post-season competition as well as high-level academic success and community-service involvement. Bobcat Athletics embodies the mantra of "Graduating Champions for Life." Sign up at @GCSUBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports.