Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score

LAWRENCEVILLE - The Georgia Gwinnett softball team may have needed to fight off a trio of rain delays on Wednesday evening, but that didn't stop the offense from shining through as the Grizzlies racked up 38 runs en route to a pair of five-inning victories over visiting Hiwassee at Grizzly Softball Complex.

Haley Thompson, a junior out of Nicholson, was the day's biggest star as she finished 7-for-8 with 11 runs batted in and five scores over the two games, including a pair of home runs in the day's first game, in which she knocked in a school-record eight runs.

"Haley just saw the ball great today, and it was just fun to sit back and watch her take cuts," GGC Head Coach Kat Ihlenburg said. "You just can't ask for more from an upperclassman after a performance like that. Really, everybody played loose today, and it seems like we were able to carry over the momentum from yesterday's wins over USC Beaufort."

With the Grizzlies picking up 34 hits over the two games, Thompson was far from the only major performer as Abby Hulsey enjoyed a 6-for-8, five-run day, and Jordyn Fones was 5-for-7 with five scores.

With the wins, GGC improved to 14-8 on the year, including a perfect 10-0 within the friendly confines of Grizzly Softball Complex.

In the day's opening game, the Grizzlies and Lady Tigers swapped two-run homers early, but RBI groundouts from Cassidy Littlefield and Alyssa Hathcoat put GGC ahead for good in the bottom of the second at 4-2. In the third, Ashley Beyke earned a bases-loaded walk to make it 5-2, and then Thompson followed up later in the frame by uncorking a 2-2 pitch over the fence in left for her first career grand slam.

The two Thompson homers took GGC's team total for the season up to 16, one better than last year's record total of 15.

The Grizzlies would push five more runs across in the bottom of the fourth to bring the game to an early conclusion.

Kayla Byrom got the start in circle for the Green and Gray, tossing five four-hit innings and struck out five to move to 5-3 on the year.

Six different Grizzlies enjoyed multiple-hit outings in the second game, and Katie Lange recorded her second one-hitter of the season, walking one and striking out five. The junior out of Illinois faced just one hitter over the minimum and set down the last eight hitters in order to move to 3-3 on the season.

After scoring seven runs in the first two innings, GGC further grabbed control of the game by sending 26 hitters to the plate and pushing across 17 runs on 18 hits in the over the third and fourth innings.

GGC will return to action on Tuesday with a trip to Bryan.

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