COLUMBUS, Ga. | Stephanie Condland crushed a pair of home runs in the opener as Georgia College & State University split a Peach Belt Conference softball doubleheader with Columbus State University Saturday (Mar. 14) afternoon at Cougar Field.
The Bobcats took the first game via an offensive explosion, 13-4, while the Cougars ended the afternoon with a series-winning 3-1 victory. GCSU improved to 7-11 and 2-4 in PBC play, while the Cougars improved to 15-8 and 4-2. The Bobcats return with a doubleheader of non-conference contests against Francis Marion University on Wednesday (Mar. 18), with the opener at 3 p.m. and the nightcap at 5 p.m. in Florence, S.C.Â
The Cougars jumped out to a 4-0 lead against Bobcat starter Tiffany Caban through the first three innings, with the big blow coming from an Abrianna Green two-run single to right. Condland got the Bobcats on the board in the fourth, homering to center.
Sydney Lancaster doubled in Kimber Kent and Skylar Lee to bring GCSU within one in the fifth, and Condland homered once more, this time to right, to provide the Bobcats with a 6-4 lead.Â
GCSU tacked on three more before the fifth inning concluded, bringing the lead to 9-4, and Sydney Lancaster had the Bobcats in the double-digit run column with her own homerun in the sixth inning.
Tiffany Caban (2-4), after her struggles in the first portion of the game, settled in and went the distance while striking out eight. Hanna Deschambault (2-2) had the loss for the Cougars.Â
Lancaster and Condland had the only extra-base hits for the Bobcats in the contest, with Lancaster and Emily Hutcheson leading the Bobcats in the hit column with three apiece. Condland and Lancaster each had four RBI.
Columbus State hit a home run of their own to open scoring in the second game, as Anna Waites homered to left against Sydney Garrett.Â
GCSU tied things at one in the third, as Lancaster drove in Kent, but that would be all the Bobcat offense could manage. The Cougars' Ansley Collins singled in Mary-Catherine Sorrell to grab the lead in the bottom of the inning, and Green tacked on an insurance run in the sixth.
Garrett (4-6) pitched three innings of two-run softball, striking out one in the loss. Khloe Shears (9-1) continues her dominant season, pitching seven one-run innings, while collecting four strikeouts.
About GCSU Athletics
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for four consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won five 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.
