MILLEGDGEVILLE, Ga.- Georgia College & State University softball split the Peach Belt Conference opening doubleheader with Flagler College. GCSU took game one 6-5 while the Saints took game two 5-3.
The Bobcats now stand at 10-5 on the season and 1-1 in PBC play with Flagler sitting at 13-7 and 1-1 in the conference. The two teams will finish the series on Sunday, Feb 25 at 12:00 p.m.
Georgia College jumped on the Saints early in game one as
Emily Hobbs led the game off with a moonshot over the left field fence.
Kam Caldwell followed with a double and would then come around to score on ball put in play by
Karlie Gutierrez to make it 2-0. The rest of the contest was back and forth with Flagler scoring one run in the second inning and two in the third to make it 3-2. The Bobcats knotted the game at three each in the bottom of the fourth inning on Hobbs' second home run of the day. The Saints countered with a one run top of the fifth to which GCSU responded with a a run scored on a throwing error and the game was tied at four all. Flagler pushed their fifth and final run across in the top of the sixth inning to take the lead, 5-4. Georgia College would go on to tie the game on a
Divina Checo double to deep center field.
Shea Zweifel drove in the game winning run on a single up the middle to make it 6-5.
Hobbs led the offense with a perfect 3-for-3 day with two runs, two RBI and two home runs. Checo had a great game at the plate going 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored and a run batted in. Caldwell hit .500 with a run scored to round out the offensive leaders.
Jana Shellhorse got the start and the win in the circle in the first contest. Shellhorse (3-1) threw six innings only allowing four earned runs while picking up six strikeouts.
Golden Thrower closed the contest picking up her second save of the season as she allowed no runs to score in her lone inning of work.
Game two started out in favor of Flagler as they plated two runs in the first inning. The Bobcats held them scoreless and chipped away at the lead with the first run coming around in the bottom of the fourth inning. Eliza Khune legged out the infield single to score
Mackenzie Martin from third to make it 2-1. The GCSU defense hung another scoreless frame to allow the offense to tie it up in the bottom of the fifth.
Caroline Pollock came in to pinch run in the half inning and came around to score to make it a 2-2 ball game after five complete. The Saints had a three run inning in the sixth to put them ahead 5-2. The Bobcats were able to squeeze one more run around in the bottom of the seventh as Checo launched a home run over the right centerfield fence.
Checo went 2-for-3 with a run scored, a run batted in and a round trip shot. Martin went 2-for-3 with a run scored and Kuhne added a 2-for-3 day of her own with an RBI.
Shelby Jones got the game two start and the loss in the circle. Jones threw five and two thirds innings with only two earned runs coming around to score while fanning a single batter.
Kaitlyn Anders finished the final one and third innings of the contest allowing zero runs on two hits.
About GCSU Athletics
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for three consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won four consecutive Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup and four-time winners of 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 postseason 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 or subscribe to the
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