Georgia Southern Wins Series Finale 5-3 Over South Alabama
STATESBORO, Ga. – Morgan Robinson hit her 16th extra base knock of the season at one of the most crucial moments of Sunday's game and Emily Snider and Alesha Mann both hammered out home runs to help lift the Eagles to a crucial 5-3 win over South Alabama in Sun Belt Conference play.
South Alabama (26-12, 14-3 SBC) edged out to a 2-0 lead through the first two innings with single runs in the top of the first and second but Snider ripped a two-run home run over the left field fence to tie the game at two-all in the bottom of the third. Lydia Witkowski scored on Snider's her fourth homer of the season.
The Jags were able to edge ahead by a run in the top of the fourth inning, but the Eagles (25-19, 10-5) retook the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth when Robinson knocked a two-run double off the right field fence, scoring India Davis and Snider. The two-RBI hit from Robinson put the Eagles ahead 4-3 and Mann added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning when she blasted her sixth home run of the season over the fence in right-center field.
Robinson and Snider both went 1-for-2 at the plate with two RBI. Snider also scored twice as five different Eagles combined for the five hits by GS.
Freshman pitcher Dixie Raley (18-9) showed toughness and grit on the mound for the Eagles to earn the win – striking out three batters – while Devin Brown (15-8) was saddled with the loss for USA.
COACH SMITH SAYS
"The team came together after yesterday's games and said they knew they didn't play well. But they came out today with good energy and fought hard throughout the game. It was great for us to get this big win over a good program, especially because I felt that our entire team competed very well today. We received some big hits at key moments from different players, the team played well in the field and our pitching was solid. We just have to keep taking things one game at a time."
UP NEXT
Georgia Southern will be on the road for the next six games beginning with Tuesday, April 17. The Eagles will head to Columbia, S.C. where they will take on the South Carolina Gamecocks in a single game at 6 p.m. The game between GS and SC will be available via the SEC Network+ and it will be the fifth time this season the Eagles will have played on the network.
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Anderson Leads GSU to Series Sweep with 9-3 Win
BOONE, N.C. – Georgia State finished off a series sweep of Appalachian State with a 9-3 win on Sunday. Senior Taylor Anderson scored three runs in the game, including a home run, to help GSU to its fifth-straight victory.
Georgia State went ahead early, scoring three runs in the top of the first on three hits. Kensey Caldwell doubled with one out to score Reagan Morgan for the first run. Then, with two outs, Arden Jobe delivered a two-out line drive into left field that scored two runners and put the Panthers up 3-0.
The Panthers added on in the fourth inning with some timely hitting. Ivie Drake doubled with one out to extend her on-base streak to 11 games and give GSU runners on 2nd and 3rd. One run came in on a groundout off the bat of Morgan and then Caldwell lined a two-out single into the outfield to score Drake and give GSU the 5-0 advantage.
App State pulled within two in the fourth inning, putting an end to Katie Worley’s scoreless streak at 21 innings. Amanda Chance came on to pitch and got a strikeout to end the inning and preserve the 5-3 lead.
GSU responded with three runs on four hits in the next inning. Anderson led off with a double and came home on a throwing error when Jobe singled to the catcher. Morgan Brown then singled to put runners on the corners. Thanks to a wild pitch, Jobe scored and Brown advanced all the way to third, scoring on an RBI-single by Brenna Skalski to make it an 8-3 game.
After making a great defensive play at short in the bottom of the fifth, Anderson came up to bat with two outs in the sixth and hit her 28th career home run, a solo shot that curled just inside the left field foul pole.
Chance finished off the Mountaineers in the seventh to pick up her fifth win of the season. Chance went 3.1 innings and allowed no runs on one hit. The final out was recorded by Anderson, who finished off her great day with a diving catch to snag a line drive and end the game.
Next up for the Panthers is a trip to Athens, Ga. To face No. 10 Georgia on Wednesday.
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Softball Run-Rules Troy To Win Conference Series
TROY, Ala. – The Texas State softball team picked up the series victory after defeating the Troy Trojans by a score of 8-0 Sunday afternoon. The 'Cats spread out their runs by scoring two in the first, one in the third and fourth, and four in the fifth to pull away with the victory.
The Bobcats improve to 27-16 on the year and 6-9 in Sun Belt Conference play.
Texas State scattered 10 hits on Sunday including multi-hit days from Taylor Webb, Kendall Wiley, and Corrina Liscano. Coming into the fifth inning with a 4-0 lead, Texas State scored four more to put the game out of reach. The Trojans registered two hits in the bottom of the fifth to try and rally, but a strikeout for out number three by Randi Rupp ended Troy's hope of a late inning comeback.
The Bobcats have three more conference series' remaining including home weekends against South Alabama and UT Arlington.
WHO STOOD OUT
Corrina Liscano / 3B / Junior / Pomona, Calif.
Liscano went a perfect 3-for-3 from the plate with an RBI and a run scored. Her three hits matched a career-high set against Abilene Christian on Feb. 14. After a perfect day at the plate, Liscano has raised her batting average to .300.
Randi Rupp / P / Sophomore / Mont Belvieu, Texas
Rupp threw her fifth solo shutout of the season in 5.0 innings of work for Texas State. She struck out nine to bring her season total up to 234. Rupp now has 13 complete games this season as she improves her record to 19-8 overall. She also lowers her season ERA to 1.74. This week, Rupp went a perfect 3-0 this week with 16.1 innings without an earned run and just seven hits allowed.
Taylor Webb / RF / Sophomore / Richmond, Texas
Webb recorded a hit in all three games this weekend including a 2-for-3 effort from the plate today with three RBIs. Game two yesterday and the game today mark the first two games of Webb's career where she had recorded back-to-back multi-hit games. Her three RBIs today also matched a career-high set against Texas earlier this season.
Kendall Wiley / 1B / Senior / Austin, Texas
Wiley was one of three Bobcats to register multiple hits on Sunday. She finished the day going 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. In the top of the fifth inning, Wiley was the eighth run of the day to score for Texas State as she stole home when Kelli Baker got into a run down.
SCORING
Top 1st – Kelli Baker led the inning off with a six-pitch walk before being replaced at first on a fielder's choice hit by Kimberlin Naivar. Back-to-back singles by Ariel Ortiz and Corrina Liscano loaded the bases with one out for Taylor Webb. Webb proceeded to knock a two-run single to right center field to give Texas State the early 2-0 lead. (2 runs, 3, hits, 0 errors, 2 left on base)
Top 3rd – Naivar led off the inning with an infield single and with one outs, she stole second. Liscano then registered her second hit of the day, a double down the left field line, to score Naivar and to give Texas State a 3-0 lead. (1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on base)
Top 4th – The Bobcats had runners on first and third after Kendall Wiley led the inning off with a single to left center and Kelli Baker reached on a fielder's choice. With Baker at first, she went to steal second and forced the defense into a run down. At that point, Wiley stole home and the throw home to try and get Wiley out was wild. Baker ended the inning at third. (1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 left on base)
Top 5th - A walk by Ortiz and back-to-back singles by Liscano and Webb scored the first run of the inning. With runners on first and second and one out, Wiley singled up the middle to score Liscano. Back-to-back walks by Alex Cruz and Bianca Prado brought in the third run of the inning. The bases remained loaded for Baker who scored Wiley on a sacrifice fly. (4 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on base)
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Timely Hits Key as Florida Wins Top 5 Matchup Finale
GAINESVILLE, FLA. – A pair of run-scoring hits with two outs and the ability to escape pitching jams early in the game led No. 1 Florida to a 3-0 win over the No. 5-ranked Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns softball team in the series finale of a Top 5 matchup on Sunday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
The Gators (41-3) scored all three runs via the two-out hits and Delanie Gourley began a 4-1/3 innings relief stint by working out of a bases loaded jam with Florida clinging to a 2-0 lead in the third inning.
The Ragin' Cajuns (32-6) saw five different players record a base hit including Kara Gremillion whose 1-for-2 performance gave her a hit in each game of the series.
Alex Stewart (17-3, 1.72 ERA) scattered six hits, struck out three UF batters and held the deficit at three runs during her final three innings in the circle. She retired the final seven batters she faced.
The win allowed the top-ranked Gators to complete the series sweep. UF opened the series with a 5-1, 14-1 (5 inn.) doubleheader sweep on Saturday.
No. 5 Louisiana closes out its current seven-game road trip and stretch of 15 out of 18 games away from Lamson Park on Wednesday, April 20 in Lake Charles at McNeese State (30-10). The 6 p.m. single game is rematch of a 5-4 (9 inn.) win by the Cajuns back on March 16 at Lamson Park.
Gremillion, Sara Corbello, Haley Hayden and Shellie Landry each finished with multiple hits in the series. Each posted a hit to combine for four of the Cajuns five base hits.
The Ragin' Cajuns threatened in each of their first three at bats which led to an early exit for Florida starting pitcher Kelly Barnhill.
Barnhill escaped a pair of two-out walks in the first inning with a strikeout of DJ Sanders. In the second inning Corbello led off with a single and Gremillion walked, but Barnhill came away unharmed when she initiated a triple play on a bunt attempt by Kassidy Zeringue.
The Cajuns charged at Barnhill once again in the third as Landry doubled, Vincent singled and Craighton walked to load the bases. She was lifted in favor of Gourley who secured the final out.
Florida, which grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a two-out, two-run double by Aubree Munro, added an insurance run for Gourley's relief run with a two-out RBI single from Nicole DeWitt in the bottom of the third.
The remainder of the contest became a pitcher's duel between Stewart and Gourley. There were a combined four 1-2-3 frames between the two hurlers.
The Ragin' Cajuns picked up base runners in the fifth and seventh on singles by Hayden and Gremillion, respectively, but Gourley turned to the strikeout to keep the momentum with the hosts.
DIAMOND NOTES: Florida trimmed the Ragin' Cajuns lead in the all-time series to 4-3…The series marked the first games contested at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in Gainesville…Kara Gremillion finished 4-for-7 in the series, tops in hits among the Ragin' Cajuns roster…Gremillion is now 7-for-18 (.389) vs. ranked teams in her collegiate debut season…Taylor Terrio started in right field for the fourth straight game in place of Kassidy Zeringue (ankle injury at Georgia State)…Alex Stewart held a ranked foe to three earned runs or less for the sixth time in as many starts…Stewart has yielded 33 earned runs over 134 innings and has limited foes to three earned runs or less in 21 of 22 games started…Sara Corbello picked up her 25th hit of the season, equaling the second-highest total of her career set as a sophomore (2014)…The three runs allowed marked the 35th time in 38 games that the Cajuns pitching staff surrendered five runs or fewer (29th time of three runs or fewer)...Louisiana's current three-game losing streak is the longest since falling in all three games of a series at then-No. 2 Oregon last April.