Lady Cougars Hold Off Canes 7-5 in Game Two
| Game 2 | ||||||||||
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Southwestern (22-28) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 1 |
| Columbus State U. (36-10) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | X | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| @ Columbus, GA | Cougar Field | ||||||||||
| Pitching |
|---|
| Win: Kelsey Gilliam (10-4) - Columbus State U. |
| Loss: Christie Shankle (5-11) - Georgia Southwestern |
| Georgia Southwestern Batting |
|---|
| 2B: Nichole Griffin; Robyn Butler; Lyndi Duff |
| 3B: none |
| HR: none |
| Columbus State U. Batting |
|---|
| 2B: Kara Gordon; Morgan Staffins; Kristen Gregory |
| 3B: none |
| HR: Kori Waugh; Rocky Hemmer |
COLUMBUS– Kara Gordon and Rocky Hemmer combined to drive in five runs and CSU held off a late Georgia Southwestern rally to secure a 7-5 victory in game two tonight at Cougar Field.
With the sweep of GSW, Columbus State improves to 36-10 on the year and 12-4 in Peach Belt play. The Lady Canes drop to 22-28 on the season and 6-14 in conference action.
Columbus State jumped out to a 7-0 lead in game two through five innings of play. The Lady Cougars added a run in the bottom of the first off the bat of Morgan Staffins who roped a double to left center, scoring Gordon to put CSU up 1-0.
The Lady Cougars added another run in the third on a solo home run from sophomore Kori Waugh, her 6th on the year.
CSU continued to build its lead, plating two more runs the following inning. Branigan Wix got things rolling with a single to left, followed by a walk by Hemmer. After a groundout moved both runners up 60 feet, Gordon would deliver the big two-out hit as she ripped a double into left center, plating both runners to put the Lady Cougars up 4-0.
The long ball would strike again in the fifth and this time it was Rocky Hemmer who blasted her 2nd bomb of the year deep into the night in left to increase the lead to 7-0 after five.
GSW would finally get to starter Kelsey Gilliam in the sixth as the Lady Canes plated two runs in the frame on an RBI single and sac fly to narrow the deficit to 7-2.
The Lady Canes would add three more runs in the top of the 7th but Senior Jennifer Isasi would induce a Cayla Smith groundout to end the rally and secure the 7-5 victory for CSU.
Gilliam notched the win in the circle for CSU, improving to 10-4 on the season. She worked six innings, allowing seven hits, and two earned runs while also fanning five. Isasi worked one inning in relief. Christie Shankle took the loss for GSW, falling to 5-11 on the season.
Columbus State registered seven hits in the nightcap led by a 2-for-3 performance from Kara Gordon. Gordon drove in two runs and also scored a run. Hemmer was 1-for-2 on the game with a home run and three runs batted in. Kori Waugh was also 1-for-2 with a solo home run and Morgan Staffins recorded an RBI double. Kristen Gregory was 1-for-3 with a double.
CSU will have a couple days off before it hits the road to close out the regular season with a pair of conference twin bills. The Lady Cougars first test will come on Sunday, April 10 as they travel to Augusta State to battle the Jaguars in a crucial PBC doubleheader. First pitch is set for 2 pm.
