DAHLONEGA, Ga. | Columbus State University held on for a 4-3 victory against Georgia College & State University in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament softball semifinals Saturday (May 9) at the Lynn Cottrell Park in Dahlonega.
With the win, the No. 2-seeded Cougars moved on to 35-20 overall and 20-7 in conference, while the No. 3-seeded Bobcats fell to 29-20 and 16-11. The Bobcats will learn if they make the 64-team NCAA Division II Softball Tournament when they announce the field at 10 a.m. Monday (May 11).
Columbus State struck early, plating two runs in the first inning. Georgia College answered in the top of the second with a single from
Emily Hutcheson that drove
Karlie Gutierrez home to make it 2-1.
The Cougars added two more runs in the bottom of the second to extend the lead to 4-1 on an RBI single by Aubree Ussery, who finished 3-for-3 with three RBI on the day.
The Georgia College offense was quiet until the top of the fifth when Gutierrez hit a two-run home run to pull the Bobcats within one at 4-3. It was her first one of the season.
Gutierrez, who was named to the All-Peach Belt Tournament team, led the Bobcats at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored.
Emily Hobbs,
Maddie Todd, and
Emily Hutcheson each added a hit, with Hutcheson driving in one run.
Sydney Garrett (11-11) took the loss, exiting the game without recording an out in the first inning after allowing two runs.
Kennedy Pickett followed, tossing 1.2 innings before
Tiffany Caban entered the matchup, keeping GCSU in the game with 4.1 scoreless innings and eight strikeouts.
About GCSU Athletics
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for five consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won six 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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