CSU Softball Earns Sweep at Albany State

Albany, Ga. -- Columbus State's softball team finally got to play a full double header on a regularly-scheduled date on Wednesday and made the most of it with a double header sweep over Albany State. The Cougars had lost 14 games already on the young season due to weather and were playing just their second and third games of the year in the twinbill. CSU took the opener 1-0 and followed with an 11-3 win in the nightcap.

Kristi Bullard and Jennifer Isasi combined to limit the Rams to just two hits in the opener. Bullard went two outs into the seventh and fanned 10 hitters with four walks on the day. She allowed both ASU hits, one of which came in the seventh to pinch-hitter Vanessa Jones. That brought on Isasi, who promptly struck out Macy Mager to earn the save and preserve the 1-0 win.

CSU got its run in the fourth and took advantage of two errors to get the score. Brittany Leverett reached on a throwing error by the third baseman and then came home later in the inning on another error, this one by the shortstop on a Devan Ellis grounder.

The Cougars collected seven hits in the game, including two by Leverett.

In the nightcap, CSU erased a 3-1 Albany State lead with six runs in the fourth inning and went on to the 11-3 win. Brittni McCall picked up the win in relief of starter Isasi as she tossed three innings of two-hit ball to close out the game.

Albany State got its three runs in the third inning, taking advantage of three hits and a CSU error. That inning wiped away a 1-0 lead CSU had taken in the first inning on a Carrie Jones squeeze bunt to score Branigan Wix.

CSU took advantage of three ASU errors in the fourth to break the game open. Jones had the big blow as she delivered a two-out, two-run homer to score Christie Thompson. That homer was one of just two hits in the frame for CSU as the Ram defense accounted for most of the scoring.

CSU added a run in the fifth on a Keeley Kennedy single that scored Bullard after she led off the inning with a double. The Cougars then put the game away in the sixth with three more runs. Rocky Hemmer had an RBI double, Kori Waugh an RBI single, and Morgan Staffins plated a run on a groundout to make it 11-3. Albany State did not score in the bottom of the frame to end the game by mercy rule.

Jones and Waugh led the eight-hit CSU attack with two hits each. McCall fanned three and walked two in her three innings of work to take the win.

CSU gets back on the field on Friday as they travel to Decatur, Ala., for the UAH Charger Chillout tournament. The Cougars will play six games over the course of the weekend, including a just-added date on Saturday with top-ranked and host Alabama Huntsville.