AMERICUS, Ga.- Georgia College & State University Softball started off the three-game set with Georgia Southwestern State University on a 6-3 win Friday night.

Georgia College improved to 21-20 on the season and 5-11 in the PBC. Georgia Southwestern fell to 16-22 overall and 5-11 in the conference.

The Bobcats took the lead in the third inning and never gave it up to secure the win. GCSU kicked off the inning with two walks to Eliza Khune and Emily Hobbs. Divina Checo put the ball in play forcing a Hurricane error which plated the first run of the game. A wild pitch in the following at bat would push Hobbs around to score for the 2-0 lead. Karlie Gutierrez struck a single through the right side to plate Checo for the third run. GSW chipped into the Bobcat lead with an RBI single in the home half of the fourth, 3-1. Georgia Southwestern made it a one run ball game in the fifth inning on a sacrifice bunt. Georgia College stretched the lead to 5-2 on a Checo two run blast over the center field fence. Gutierrez plated the sixth and final run for GCSU on a solo shot over the left field fence. GSW tried to prolong the game but only scored one in the seventh. Georgia College won 6-3.

Gutierrez led the offense going 2-for-3 on the evening driving in two RBI and coming around to score on a round trip shot. Checo led the run production accounting for four runs in the ball game with two runs scored and two RBI in her 1-for-3 outing with a homer. Jessica Owens and Mackenzie Martin both had 2-for-4 performances with Martin also adding a run scored.

Jana Shellhorse nabbed her seventh win of the season on her start in the circle. She only allowed two runs on seven hits. Shellhorse commanded the zone, picking up seven strikeouts. Tiffany Caban threw a relief inning, only allowing a single run while striking out two. Golden Thrower closed the game on a scoreless frame with only one hit.

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 GSCU Athletics e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and to interact with GCSU Athletics.
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