March 25, 2014
GGC 11, Cumberland 8
GGC 3, Cumberland 3
The Georgia Gwinnett softball team took an 11-8 game-one win over Cumberland (Tenn.) on Tuesday before the teams tied in the second half of their doubleheader, 3-3, in Lebanon, Tenn.
Game two ended in a tie due to darkness.
Brittany Bruns homered and drove in four runs on the day for GGC while Cassidy Littlefield had a team-high four hits and Alycia Fields tallied three RBIs.
Georgia Gwinnett surpassed its win total from a year ago in the game-one victory, defeating a Bulldogs squad that had handed GGC two of its five losses earlier this season in Lawrenceville.
GGC improved to 19-5-1 while Cumberland fell to 18-9-1.
The Grizzlies received 11 points in the latest edition of the NAIA Softball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, revealed Tuesday.
Game One- GGC 11, Cumberland 8
Georgia Gwinnett rallied with a five-run fifth inning to climb back in front of Cumberland en route to the win.
After building a 6-2 lead in the top of the fourth, GGC fell behind as the Bulldogs posted a five-run bottom of the inning to go in front, 7-6.
The Grizzlies came right back in their next at-bat. After Fields scored on a single from Heather Kilar and Marlee Morales’ fielder’s choice brought home Haley Thompson, GGC went in front for good with Bruns’ three-run homer to left field, her first of the year, to make it 11-7.
The Bulldogs scored once in the bottom of the seventh but reliever Kayla Byrom improved to 9-1 on the year by tossing the game’s final 4.0 innings, holding Cumberland to just one unearned run.
Littlefield finished the game 3-for-5 while Bruns and Kilar went 2-for-4.
Game Two- GGC 3, Cumberland 3
Each team tallied three runs over the first three innings but neither could produce the go-ahead score over the final four frames in the Grizzlies’ first tie.
GGC starter Ashley Beyke struck out three and helped strand 10 Bulldog runners, while Byrom pitched the final 2.1 innings.
The Grizzlies opened the scoring with a two-run first inning. Fields doubled to score Halley Ingram and Heaven Hinton followed with an RBI single to make it 2-0.
With GGC’s lead down to one run in the third, Fields’ sac bunt drove in Ingram to make it 3-1, but a two-run bottom of the inning for Cumberland produced the eventual tie.
The Grizzlies wrap up their 10-game road trip with a 7-2-1 mark. GGC returns home Friday against Montreat (N.C.) for a 4 p.m. doubleheader.
